Newsletter – December 2025

Hello,

We don't know about you, but over here, we're ready to close our laptops, kick back, relax and have some holiday fun. Before we get there, here's a look at moments that defined storytelling in and about Africa. #ShiftingNarratives.

The most influential person in the art world is African: Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama has become the first African to be named the most influential figure in the art world in ArtReview magazine's annual Power 100 list, curated by 30 anonymous experts from around the world. He's known for his large-scale installations, sculptures and architectural interventions that explore global trade, commodification, labor, economic inequality, migration, and the socio-political legacies of colonialism in Africa. "For me to be part of this, especially coming from a place like Ghana, which for many years was almost as if we were not even part of the discourse, is quite humbling," he told the Guardian. Mark Rappolt, ArtReview's editor-in-chief, said this moment shows that power is shifting in the art world, while Art Africa magazine called it "a broader reconfiguration of global cultural power."

Nollywood finally went to Cannes Film Festival: Nollywood might be the second biggest producer of films globally, but a showing at the Cannes Film Festival remained elusive until In My Father's Shadow, a semi-autobiographical tale set in Lagos during the 1993 Nigerian election crisis. The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the festival's official selection — making it the first film from Nigeria ever selected for Cannes' official lineup.  This marked a milestone for Nigerian cinema. It was also a reminder that local stories can find a place in some of the world's most prestigious film stages. It's directed by Akinola Davies Jr. 

The inimitable Koyo Kouoh left this world, but her legacy is still alive: News that Madame Koyo, as she was fondly called, passed away sent shock waves in the art world. The director and chief curator at Zeitz MOCAA, South Africa was a force, celebrated for her bold imagination and commitment that transformed contemporary art in Africa and redefined the possibilities of artistic dialogue across borders. Her passing came a year before what would have been one of her finest hours, as the Artistic Director of the 61st Venice Biennale. She was the first African woman to curate the event. Her family supported the Biennale's decision to run her exhibition, titled In Minor Keys. She had already developed the curatorial plan, artist lineup, and conceptual framework for the event.

African pop music redefined global pop culture: The rise of Amapiano and Afrobeats didn't slow in 2025. It locked in dominance. If 2019–2024 was about global breakthrough, 2025 was about consolidation of power. Burna Boy headlined Stade de France, a venue synonymous with Beyoncé-level stardom. Rema commanded the Coachella main stage. Uncle Waffles headlined Ultra Music Festival and secured a residency in Ibiza. Ayra Starr stood front and centre at prestigious global fashion events, with coverage from Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and Elle, while her hits ruled afterparties. Tyla delivered a world tour across South-East Asia and the Middle East and was named a Glamour Woman of the Year. Scorpion Kings sold arenas across Europe. Spotify 2025 Wrapped placed Amapiano among the world's top 10 fastest-growing genres. Both genres permeated runways, Netflix, NBA Africa x ESPN, FIFA Women's World Cup and Formula 1 promos. Largely to non-African audiences, reshaping music, fashion, sports, gaming, and film. Our pop culture is no longer assimilated to fit Western pop culture. Africa shifted global pop culture. African artists are the new pace setters.

UNESCO revealed a bright future for African literature: That book you've been itching to write? The bookshop you want to open? The book festival you dream of curating? There has never been a better moment to strike than now. UNESCO's landmark report, African Book Industry: Trends, Challenges & Opportunities for Growth (2025) revealed that the African publishing sector generated around US$ 7 billion annually as of 2023 with the potential to grow to US$ 18.5 billion With educational publishing alone representing a possible US$13 billion if key reforms are implemented. Currently, there's one bookshop per 116,000 people and one public library per 189,000 inhabitants. The growth and vibrancy in the continent's literary space are also reflected in its calendar of over 270 book fairs and festivals held annually.

#CorrectTheMap went viral, and truly global: It started with one idea - what if we dared the world to correct the world's longest misinformation and disinformation campaign? What if we corrected the biggest lie in history? This is how the #CorrecTheMap campaign was born, as a push for the Equal Earth projection over the widely used Mercator map that reduces Africa's scale. Then along came August and the African Union's endorsement of the campaign, announced in a report by Reuters. What happened next is proof that "it's not just a map." The campaign raced across the world, reaching policy makers and AU member states. It also sparked robust social media debates that include this viral TikTok video by Dylan Page, 2.1M Likes, 29.1K comments, 55.1K Shares, and 111.1K Saves. Media outlets across Africa and the world also amplified the campaign. African leaders are listening, and in the case of Togo's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Robert Dussey, championing the cause.  His speech at the United Nations General Assembly was an appeal for world leaders to #CorrectTheMap. Besides endorsing the campaign on one of the world's biggest political stages, the minister also invited ANF to participate in the 9th Pan African Congress.

African fashion consolidated its place in the global fashion scene: Across key fashion capitals on the continent and beyond, African fashion moved from visibility to power, and from momentary attention to long-term control. Lagos Fashion Week 2025 confirmed Lagos as Africa's most commercially viable fashion capital. Designers such as Orange Culture, Andrea Iyamah, and Emmy Kasbit presented collections grounded in sharp tailoring, wearable luxury, and clear market intent. At Dakar Fashion Week 2025, the emphasis was cultural authority. Dakar reaffirmed its role as the continent's intellectual and couture heart, where fashion operates as art, philosophy, and identity. Designers like Selly Raby Kane pushed sculptural silhouettes, symbolic narratives, and experimental textiles, positioning Dakar as a site of authorship rather than trend adoption. Across Lagos, Dakar, Johannesburg, and Paris, craft and heritage were repositioned as innovation. Aso Oke, handwoven textiles, indigenous dyeing, and slow production methods were framed as future-facing systems, not nostalgic references.

Last, but certainly not least: thank you. Merci Beaucoup. Siyabonga. Shukran. Asanteni. Webale. Ameseginalehu, for being part of our journey and mission. Happy holidays and see you in 2026.