Change How the Internet Sees African Creativity

On March 24, 2018 the city of Johannesburg will host the Absolut One Source Live festival, which will be a day filled with music, art, fashion, food and much more. Headlining the event are five top African creatives: award-winning South African musicians Khuli Chana and Sho Madjozi, South African fashion designer Trevor Stuurman, Senegal-Benin fashion designer Fabrice Monteiro and Kenyan photographer Osborne Macharia.

Absolut One Source Live’s name derives from the idea that everyone on the planet is from one source, namely Africa – the hub of humanity. The five creatives are portrayed as superheroes inspired by the continent’s history, traditions and mythological figures. Chana is The Dragon, Madjozi is The Rain Queen, Stuurman is The Explorer, Monteiro is The Iron Warrior and Macharia is The Eye. This directive emphasises African traditions and culture as vital parts of its creative foundations, while also allowing the continent to be acknowledged as a creative force on a global level.

An initiative to change the way the world sees African creativity goes hand in hand with the festival. Absolut One Source Live has added a gigantic catalogue of images of contemporary African art to their website. Followers can vote for the artworks they love, and the more votes an image gets, the more it shows up in search results.

‘The internet is the primary source of information for billions of people around the world. Images people see online about Africa affect their perception and attitude toward the continent and its people. We believe that by changing the predominant images people see, we can affect their attitude too,’ says Iris Le Berg, who is Global Marketing Manager at The Absolut Company.

The event takes place on March 24, 2018 at No 1 Eloff Street, Johannesburg, and lead-up events will take place in Johannesburg and Durban.