Perhaps if there is such a thing as a positive stereotype when it comes to Africans on the continent and in the diaspora, it would be in the assumption that we carry an innate capacity for creativity. This assumption, like all stereotypes, has emerged from the extrapolation of an observation. Taking it as far back pre-colonial times, there are an estimated 500,000 pieces of art from the continent housed in Western countries today where they continue to accrue value in museums and private collections with no benefit to the culture they have originated from. The Benin expedition alone accounts for over 4000 pieces of looted art and Gulio Gryseels, the director of the African Museum in Belgium estimates about 85% of its works coming from Congo, a formal colony. Statistics like this have formed the foundation of the restitution movement championed by many African art organizations today – but this piece is not about history and how to make it right. It is about the present and how Africa can begin to finally optimize her gift of creativity in the modern world.
African Artifacts the Art Institute of in Chicago Illinois as these works continue to exchange for value outside of the colonial era (America was never a colonizer of Africa)
Thankfully, the days of physical conquests are now behind us, but where brute force has been relegated to the back, a new form of value extraction working with a softer touch has been erected in its place. Let’s think about music for an example. If you own a television or have access to the Internet, you might have noticed the rise of Afrobeats and even more recently with the South African artist Tyla making waves, the Amapiano sound is very much on the rise too. On the surface, this is good news – and the blossoming of these industries have been helpful in lifting so many out of poverty with employment as the genre continues to grow. However, like most artistic endeavors, speak to the artist and ask them what their dream is and you will generally get the same answer. To get a foreign deal, to win a Grammy, to top the Spotify streaming charts. What do all these things have in common? A leaning towards Western markets for either recognition of financial reward.
We see this with writing where Africa’s bests like Chimamanda Adechie is a supplier of African stories to the Western market. We see it in art where even the late great Ben Enwuonwu’s work must be sold at Christies in England to fetch that will be split between his family and the foreign gallery. A simplistic take on this would be for the artists to stand their ground and not “sell out”, but the reality is that if they want to reap the most economic gain from their work, this is really a no-brainer. There just isn’t a strong enough industry on the continent to support artists in a way that gives them any real sense of choice when it comes to determining where their work should be exchanged for value.
Taking a look at Asia for example, there is no pressure on the average Japanese or Chinese writer to require a European deal. K-pop artists do not need a Grammy or to tour the West to make enough money for two lifetimes. And let’s not even get into the value of the anime and manga industry in Japan and how it can comfortably hold its own against the American comic giants like Marvel and DC even though they are primarily produced in the Japanese language. This is a region with a developed market for creativity so much so that independently, the local population can support creatives to be economically comfortable.
Without a doubt, all projections show growth for the African creative industry, and in my lifetime alone, I have witnessed Nollywood emerge from its infancy into a multi-billion dollar industry even if most of the value is shaved off by the plague that is piracy as 9 out of 10 physical copies of these movies are pirated. And I guess this brings us to the first of the weak links in a long value chain of the creative industry. Law enforcement and policy.
Locally distributed films before the domination of streaming technology in the ecosystem
With Nigeria’s mammoth population and the affordability of entertainment content, a simple move by the government to enforce laws to protect Intellectual Property would have grown the industry to unimaginable heights over the part two decades, but instead, the loss to piracy has meant the film studios and producers have not had the opportunity to expand with studio development and other such infrastructure needed to power a locally sustainable movie market. This is money that could have gone into the development of more film theaters, the production of better quality films, and the sustainability of artists so industry veterans would not resort to crowdfunding for aid to tackle medical expenses at their old age.
Outside of the government’s lack of law enforcement to protect the creative industry, there is also the issue of a gap in skill transfer. For example, Nigeria is the most populous black nation complete with a MAN Booker Prize winner and a Nobel Laureate, but still, there isn’t a single tertiary institution offering a Creative Writing degree. Perhaps this has something to do with the now fading negative cultural outlook that placed a job in the creative industry as a hobby unsupported by the parents that would have been responsible for funding the education as facilities like student loans are rare in most African countries. This means the average Nigerian creator has a low level understanding of what Intellectual Property rights entail making them vulnerable in the face of an industry popular for exploitation.
If one were to make a list, it would appear as though the problems are inexhaustible, however, where there are problems, a good entrepreneur must see only opportunities. With technology drastically reducing the cost of production for many creative products, and also providing an opportunity to cut out pirates through easier and more affordable access – there has never been a more cost-effective time to invest in the African creative industry. Showmax, the South African owned streaming service has already displaced Netflix to become the leading streaming service in Africa, and DSTV from Multichoice, also a South African company, continues to dominate satellite television making it next to impossible for foreign players to barge into the market.
Showmax continues to dominate the African streaming war proving that local platforms can gain meaningful market share in the creative industry
In this era of borderless investment, perhaps it is time for Africans at home and in the diaspora to seriously consider investing in local creative solutions to capture the massive potential in our local markets. At the AAG 2024, we will be looking at opportunities in the creative economy and how stakeholders from policy makers to artists can leverage Africa’s creative tangible and intangible resources to maximize opportunities and growth in the sector. Registration link – https://afrilabsgathering.com/register/
