Letter from the Editor
HAVE YOU EVER walked past a mirror or seen an image of yourself, and it dawned on you how good you look? You stared at that reflection or photo, thought of all the exes and naysayers and realised they were wrong and that you are the damn thing? That’s the moment we’re having in Africa right now. We’re awakening to how magnificent we are as a people, continent and collective culture.
It’s stunning to watch Africans rise and take their space unashamedly in the world, much like our cover star, comedian and global social media star Elsa Majimbo. A year and a half ago, she posted videos to entertain her social media followers but now has major international brands lining up to collaborate with her. She’s doing it with her head held high, on her terms and celebrating her Africanness.
Like Benin-born New York-based singersongwriter Shirazee and Mzansi designer Mzukisi Mbane, who we also feature in this issue, Majimbo’s vision is for Africa to be an equal player in the world. Not to be considered as a beggar or a token, but to have a proper seat at the table. I resonate with that. I grew up in a home that celebrated being
Black and African, but as I left that bubble and grew older, I saw how, in many spaces, something would only be cool if it was from overseas and not Africa. I didn’t understand that. How could our fashion, design and lifestyle not be fantastic when they inspire most of what we see overseas? The answer’s simple: we were asleep for a while, but now our slumber’s over.
Africa’s doing the most globally. Some of the world’s most significant moments have come from Africa: Master KG and Nomcebo’s recordbreaking hit ‘Jerusalema’, megastar Burna Boy’s Grammy win, The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah hosting the Grammys, actress Thuso Mbedu becoming the first
South African to play a lead role in an American series, The Underground Railroad, Maxhosa’s designs dominating Coming 2 America and many more.
As this is our tech issue, we figured who better to introduce you to it than a young girl from Kenya who used tech to create a global brand overnight? We also feature the top Black African women in tech.
It’s Africa’s time, and we own it, both at home and abroad. Until next time.