I feel very privileged that I can, through my writing, bring to life the stories about the people, places and things that inspire me, so those stories may inspire others.
Books & Articles
I feel very privileged that I can, through my writing, bring to life the stories about the people, places, and things that inspire me, so those stories may inspire others.
Coming from a graphic design background, I have long been a visual storyteller. Revealing the stories of people and the businesses they build through design is part of the art of branding which was my work for a long time.
But it wasn’t until I wrote and published my first blog post in 2010 that my love of the written word was truly unleashed. Words both written and spoken are powerful — they shape our perceptions, our beliefs, our visions, and tell the world who we are.
I discovered just how powerful words are when I began writing about design from Africa; it enabled me to contribute to the development of the industry through my blog posts, interviews, opinion pieces, and books. I write primarily about the areas of design, creativity, sustainability, entrepreneurship, diversity, and lifestyle in relation to Africa.
I believe books, print or digital, make an invaluable contribution to the development of the African design industry. We put information and different perspectives into context to help us make sense of things, and, more importantly, to create records of what has happened and is happening for future generations to look back on, to be inspired and to know what was.
Here you will find a selection of my books exploring African design.
I have written about African design for and contributed both print and digital content to, a range of publications and organisations interested in diversifying their content and introducing African design to their readers.
Here you will find a selection of my curated articles and written work.
Click on the greyed-out text to view the articles
HOUSE & GARDEN
South Africa
February 2019
MOYI MAGAZINE
Spring 2018
MOYI MAGAZINE
Spring/Summer 2017
MOYI MAGAZINE
Winter 2016
MOYI MAGAZINE
Autumn 2016
MOYI MAGAZINE ONLINE
22 March 2016
Easter Table Article and Photoshoot Direction
INTENSE ART MAGAZINE
6 May 2016
SENEGhttps://www.atelier55design.com/writing-intense-art-magazine/AL – RISING AFRICA Spotlighting five leading designers contributing to Africa’s growing design industry
LIONESSES OF AFRICA
25 July 2015
Guest post – Africa’s leading women designers, makers, and crafters attract global interest
LIONESSES OF AFRICA
27 September 2015
Guest post – Women pioneering the development of Africa’s contemporary artisanal crafts
OKAYAFRICA
20 August 2015
Guest post – Spotlighting 10 African designers to know
DESIGN INDABA
9 March 2015
Profile of designer and artist Kossi Aguessy for Design Indaba
DESIGN INDABA
10 October 2014
Profile of textile designer Buki Akib for Design Indaba
DESIGN INDABA
4 September 2014
Profile of architect and product designer Ifeanyi Oganwu for Design Indaba
ETHICAL FASHION FORUM Source Intelligence Magazine
10 January 2013
Investments in Africa – Developments within the textile and clothing sector
ETHICAL FASHION FORUM Source Intelligence Magazine
1st October 2012
Opportunities for luxury fashion production in Africa
ETHICAL FASHION FORUM Source Intelligence Magazine
20 August 2012
Crossing regional divides: three African jewellery brands
For my commissioned writing rates, please contact me here.
Because writing and publishing my own books was never going to be enough, I now publish others’ work too. I started my imprint Shoko Press, an independent publisher of art books about modern African creativity and culture, to bring the work of hand-selected writers and creatives to print, so that they too can share their unique, diverse perspectives on design and creativity with the world.
Until the lions learn how to write every story will glorify the hunter
African proverb