Chika Ezeanya writing in New African:
In all sectors of life and all across the continent, Africans are increasingly looking to each other for inspiration rather than trying to imitate the West. Africa is growing in confidence, and the whole world stands to benefit
More hereWhat does Eminado mean?” a shy Rwandan teen asked me in Kigali after learning of my Nigerian nationality. My response, as I explained that the term coined by Don Jazzy meant something akin to “good luck charm”, was partially drowned out by the sound of Ugandan Eddy Kenzo’s chart-busting “Sitya Loss”.
image courtesy of Afrimind
This moment may seem inconsequential, but seen in a certain light, it is gloriously reflective of the fact that Africa is on course. Instead of inquiring about Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga or Angelina Jolie, Africans are listening to and watching their own creators. There is a deep, though perhaps yet to be openly articulated, yearning to fathom and ferret out that which belongs to the continent. From the DJ in a Kampala nightclub, the fashion designer in downtown Lagos, the tech-savvy kid on a Kinshasa street, to the politician in Kigali, the idea of African progress is gradually being rooted in a search for inspiration from within, rather than from without.
