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Face masks with two most popular candidates for Uganda's Presidential election, incumbent President Yoweri Museveni (R) and Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine, the pop star-turned-opposition leader, printed on them are sold in Kampala, Uganda, on January 4, 2021. - Uganda gears up for presidential elections which is scheduled to take place on January 14, 2021, as President Yoweri Museveni seeks another term to continue his 35-year rule.

Uganda Enforces Social Media Shutdown as Presidential Elections Draw Closer

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has reportedly banned all social media platforms and messaging applications two days ahead of the country's presidential elections.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has reportedly banned all social media and messaging applications in the country. This ban comes just two days ahead of the country's national elections. Ugandan social media users have been unable to access both Facebook and WhatsApp since this past Tuesday. The social media ban follows after social media platform Facebook removed Museveni's alleged rogue government accounts.


Read: Ugandan Military Raids Politician Bobi Wine's Residence

According to the New York Post, Facebook removed accounts that used fake and duplicate account details to campaign and comment on various Ugandan accounts for Museveni. The suspicious accounts were taken down on Monday. Following Facebook's actions Uganda's communications regulator reportedly ordered the country's internet service providers to block all social media platforms until further notice, according to DW. Access to all social media was suspended with immediate effect.

The presidential race has seemingly been violent against main opposition leader, Bobi Wine. The ban coincides with the recent military house raid of his home. Furthermore, Ugandan-American, Herman Ainebyona, has allegedly been kidnapped. Ainebyona is the US-based Lead Diaspora Coordinator of Wine's political party National Unity Platform (NUP). The NUP has, in light of the events, issued an official statement calling for information about his whereabouts and release. Videos of the alleged kidnapping have been circulating on Instagram and Twitter under #UgandaDecides2021.

Twitter which is also included in the social media ban strongly condemned Uganda's social media shutdown. The 76-year-old Yoweri has been in power for just over 35 years and is the third longest running president in Africa. The national elections take place on 14 January 2021.

Music
Credit: Joshua Baraka.

Joshua Baraka Is Ugandan Music’s Next Big Thing

With the hit song "Nana," Joshua Baraka has solidified his position as a rising star in the East African music scene.

The infectious rhythms and empowering lyrics of Joshua Baraka’s “Nana” have captured the hearts of music fans in Uganda and beyond, earning the artist the number one spot on the nation’s music charts.

Baraka shared his thoughts on his success, early influences, and his plans for the future in a recent short conversation with OkayAfrica.

"It's crazy. It's my first time, and I feel humbled," Baraka mentions when asked how it felt to have the number one song in Uganda. His gratitude for the success is evident, and it's clear that he’s excited to continue making music and growing as an artist.

Musical Journey and Future Plans

Baraka's musical journey started in church with his mother, he was influenced early on by gospel music and Ugandan artists like Radio & Weasel, among many other “random songs” that inspired him along the way.

Ugandan artist Joshua Baraka poses with one hand behind his head.Credit: Joshua Baraka.

Looking towards the future, Baraka is intentional about collaborations and plans to diversify his music by getting into more spaces. "Definitely [need to do] more international collaborations with artists whose music I like,” he shares. His long list of artists and producers he would like to work with include Tems, Koffee, Dave, Samthing Soweto, and Sauti Sol.

Baraka's success has earned him both local and international attention, with fans eagerly anticipating new music. "I'm working on my album which God willing will come out in July," he reveals. "I'm also working on more collaborations… it's going to be a very lovely year for the people who like my music."

The “Nana” Effect

Joshua Baraka's passion and dedication to his craft is evident in his music. With "Nana," Baraka has solidified his position as a rising star in the East African music scene. The modern dancehall track seamlessly fuses Afrobeats, dancehall, and reggae elements to create a sound that is both infectious and empowering.

With its uplifting lyrics and memorable chorus, Baraka's smooth vocals and dynamic delivery make "Nana" an undeniable hit. The song has earned him the cover of the Made in Uganda playlist on Spotify, cementing his buzz.

"Nana" has captured the hearts of music fans across the continent and secured its place as the number one song on both the Apple Music Top 100 Uganda chart and Audiomack Uganda chart, as well as being the most Shazamed track in Uganda. It has even made its way onto the Kenyan charts, steadily climbing higher and gaining momentum.

As we move further into 2023, Joshua Baraka's "Nana" is just the beginning for this budding Ugandan artist.

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Uganda Passes a Law Making it Illegal to Identify as LGBTQ+

Uganda’s parliament has passed a law that makes it illegal for Ugandans to identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community. People who are found to be gay can face the death penalty if caught.

Uganda's parliament overwhelmingly approved a law that makes it a crime for Ugandans to identify as members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) community. Additionally, the legal body gave authorities the permission to target gay Ugandans; according to the bill, which was passed on Tuesday (March 21), people who are found to be gay can face the death penalty if caught.

“A person who commits the offense of aggravated homosexuality and is liable, on conviction, to suffer death,” the amendment states.

Of the nearly 400 representatives present, only two voted against it. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is expected to sign it into law.

Same-sex acts were already deemed unlawful in Uganda. And although Uganda joins a number of African countries that have taken strict stances against members of the LGBTQ+, this new law seems to be the first to carry such heightened consequences. Mutasingwa Kagyenyi, a member of the parliament and a co-writer of the bill, told the chamber that the law was meant to “protect children from homosexuality.”

“We want to shape the future of our children by protecting them from homosexuality," Kagyenyi said. “Sexual relations are between a man and woman. Those are our cherished values and culture, and we shall protect them jealously.”

On Wednesday, The United Nations (UN) and United States expressed outrage over the passed bill. Volker Türk, UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights called the Anti Homosexuality Bill 2023 “draconian” and urged Museveni not to sign the bill.

“The passing of this discriminatory bill—probably among the worst of its kind in the world—is a deeply troubling development,” a statement from Türk’s office stated.

“If signed into law by the President, it will render lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Uganda criminals simply for existing, for being who they are. It could provide carte blanche for the systematic violation of nearly all of their human rights and serve to incite people against each other,” the statement added.

The United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken also spoke out against the bill. On Wednesday (March 22nd), he tweeted: “We urge the Ugandan Government to strongly reconsider the implementation of this legislation.”

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby did not rule out some economic "repercussions" if the legislation is implemented.

Uganda has had a long history of enacting strict laws against homosexuality. In 2014, the country passed an anti-gay law that authorized life imprisonment for "aggravated homosexuality.'' The law prompted several of Uganda’s donors in the west to halt aid payments to the East African country until it was annulled. That annulment happened after its constitutional court determined that the law was passed without the appropriate number of people present.

News Brief
Photo by Nipah Dennis.

Idris Elba, Black Sherif and Sheryl Lee Ralph Join Kamala Harris in Ghana

Idris Elba, Black Sherif and Sheryl Lee Ralph recently visited a music studio in Ghana with Kamala Harris.

Idris Elba, Black Sherif,Sheryl Lee Ralph and other celebrities joined Vice President Kamala Harris in Ghana as she visited the Vibration studio at the freedom skate park in Accra, Ghana. Harris visited the community recording studio with the stars as part of her weeklong tour of Africa. The visit was a step towards highlighting the growth, talent and evolution of African creatives and the creative industry in Africa. Other notable figures who joined Harris on the tour included Baaba J, Ria Boss, and Moses Sumney.

In the past, British actor Elba, whose mother is Ghanaian, has been vocal about the West supporting and investing in African creatives. Earlier this month, he joined forces with Nigerian media mogul Mo Abudu to launch a joint film and TV venture that would support new projects from rising African talent in the continent and the diaspora.

While talking with the press, the “Luther” actor said that he and his wife first met Harris at the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit last year.

“[Harris] said, ‘Hey, I really want to come to Africa. And we said we’d love to do that,’” Elba told White House press reporters in Ghana, according to The Hill.

“If you ever go to Africa, let me know,” Elba said. “So here we are.”

The Golden Globe winner also mentioned that the creative talent pool in Africa is rich, and it was a good idea that Harris had visited.

“I think it’s a great signal for VP to come to Ghana, to come to Africa and be that interface to show the rest of the world that actually it is a fantastic place to sort of look at in terms of partnership and investment,” said Elba.

During the event, which gathered a crowd of creatives, Lee sang “Endangered Species,” after which she addressed the attendees.

“You must invest in yourself, in your art, first. And then you birth it out to the world,” Ralph said.

After her visit to Ghana, Harris will make a stop in Tanzania and then wrap up her African tour in Zambia.

Beauty
Photo courtesy Industrie Africa.

Five Women-Led Companies Taking African Fashion to the World

These are just some of the trail-blazing women who are overcoming obstacles and globalizing African fashion with their e-commerce platforms.

E-commerce has become a vital part of the fashion industry. In recent years, it’s revolutionized the way we shop for fashion and beauty products, and made it easier for consumers to access products from all over the world. African fashion has become more accessible for anyone who wants to wear it – thanks to a number of e-commerce hubs that help bridge the gap between brand and fashion-loving consumer.

E-commerce revenue in Africa is only going to keep increasing, and by 2027, it could even reach a value of over $82 billion, according to estimates by Statista, an international consumer data and marketing company. E-commerce platforms help address many of the challenges faced by African fashion brands in getting their product to buyers, particularly when it comes to shipping.

But according to International Finance Corporation, which runs an initiative with the European Commission aimed at boosting online commerce opportunities for women in emerging markets, there is a need to close the gap between the earnings of male and female merchants. Doing so, they say, would increase Africa’s market value by about at least $14.5 billion.

There’s been a dearth of women successfully raising giant companies in this sector. Techpoint Africa reports that only 10% of female-founded startups in West Africa have raised up to $1 million since 2010. Women’s Month presents an opportunity to highlight this, and to raise up those women who have, in spite of this, managed to make their names known as leaders in this realm.

Here are 5 women who spoke to OkayAfrica about the highs and lows of owning an African e-commerce business in the fashion world.

Nisha Kanabar

An image of Nisha Kanabar in a blue dress, looking off to the side, smiling, with her arms crossed.

Nisha Kanabar created Industrie Africa to challenge how people perceived African fashion and what it could be.

Photo courtesy Nisha Kanabar.

Nisha Kanabar, a Tanzanian of Indian descent, built Industrie Africa in 2018, along with Georgia Bobley, to challenge the stereotypical constructs and bias of what people perceive African fashion to be. She wanted to harness pan-African industry voices through a global fashion lens and framework, and to create a hub of connectivity within the industry that would make it easier for the next generation of entrepreneurs to break into the business.

“I first launched Industrie Africa as an answer to the fracture and underrepresentation of Africa’s fashion industry at the time,” Kanabar tells OkayAfrica. “[I also wanted] to address the media bias, the gaping lack of global presence, [and] the ignorance of even the simplest of its vernacular. By establishing Industrie Africa, I kind of intended to create a channel for authentic connectivity – regionally and globally.”

In May 2020, Industrie Africa launched an online retail destination, enhancing its content around African fashion. Through this e-commerce platform, Kanabar intended to give people access to the top designers in Africa, and create a sustainable way of bridging existing barriers between these designers and their markets.

“It’s been a special journey with a steep learning curve,” says Kanabar. “I’ve had to break conventions and get creative in order to cultivate relationships with logistics partners, like DHL, to access payment tools that are user-friendly, or to create systems around quality and consistency.” She encourages other women who have an interest in this area of fashion to dive in. “It’s never too late to break into the space, and do what you feel passionate about,” she says. “All your experiences matter, and [it] enriches your perspective and what you bring to the table.”

Pinaman Owusu-Banahene

An image of Pinaman Owusu-Banahene looking at the camera wearing a black dress with a striking image embossed on it.

Pinaman Owusu-Banahene started building Adjoaa as a multi-brand online marketplace for African brands in 2021.

Photo courtesy Pinaman Owusu-Banahene

Pinaman Owusu-Banahene has a unique eye. The Ghana-born fashion tech entrepreneur brings her background in public policy together with her love for fashion in Africa in running ADJOAA – a one-stop shop for consumers looking to purchase garments that value sustainability and are from young design talents in Africa. The likes of LVMH semi-finalist Bloke, Ajabeng Ghana, Boyedoe, and Olooh Concept are currently stocked here. “ADJOAA is a curated multi-brand online marketplace [that was built in 2021], specializing in sustainable fashion and lifestyle products by African designers and of African descent,” Owusu-Banahene says.

She has consistently contributed to the development of this space, and in 2015, staged New Zealand’s first-ever Africa Fashion Festival, before going on to explore the e-commerce space. “Although I have been following fashion for a very long time [since 2010], I have looked at this from a perspective of economic development,” she tells OkayAfrica. “And I saw that our fashion industry and young designers [have] been at the fringes of the global fashion market.” ADJOAA aims to rectify this – so far, they’ve introduced over fifty African designers from fifteen countries in Africa and in the diaspora onto the site.

Financing, however, remains Owusu-Banehene’s biggest challenge. “Part of my work with the International Chamber of Commerce is also to highlight that access to capital is a major barrier,” she says. “I’m excited about the works that are underway to support growing fashion SMEs in the continent. We want to be more proactive about building this.”

Amira Rasool

An image of Amira Rasool in a brown dress looking towards the camera with her hand on her knee.

Amira Rasool is behind The Folklore, one of the top places to find the best African designers.

Photo courtesy Amira Rasool.

Based between New York City and Cape Town, Amira Rasool has nurtured The Folklore into an e-commerce company that gives a diverse range of brands the tools they need to reach their customers. The idea for The Folklore came about when the New Jersey-born entrepreneur moved to Cape Town in 2016 for her post-grad at the University of Cape Town, and found a growing interest in the local items she was wearing when she’d return to the U.S.

“[We built The Folklore] to source brands and place them on our platform, so merchandisers, buyers, and retailers can find them,” she tells OkayAfrica. The success The Folklore has amassed in the four years since its inception is notable: it launched during New York Fashion Week in 2018, and now has a hand-picked selection of apparel, shoes, and jewelry from more than 20 designers from the continent and in the diaspora.

“It’s been pretty challenging getting this together. A challenge for us and the brands has always been logistics and bringing said products here [to the U.S.],” Rasool says, “but it’s really why we’ve continued to collaborate and work with logistics companies to empower us and help overcome such challenges.”

Aderonke Ajose-Adeyemi

A portrait of Aderonke Ajose-Adeyemi looking straight at the camera.

Aderonke Ajose-Adeyemi started Losode Inc. because she believed in the strength of commerce and is passionate about it.

Photo courtesy Aderonke Ajose-Adeyemi

Nigeria’s Aderonke Ajose-Adeyemi is the founder of Losode Inc., a multi-hyphenated e-commerce platform that places itself between fashion designers and brands that make affordable clothing and accessories in Sub-Saharan Africa, and buyers or merchandisers. “I started Losode [in 2020], and I did it because I really just believed in the strength of e-commerce, and have been passionate about it,” she tells OkayAfrica. In the last 15 years, Ajose-Adeyemi has worked across tech in Nigeria, the U.K., and the U.S., and has incorporated that knowledge into building Losode.

“With Losode, we’re building an infrastructure that will drive trade and commerce across Africa,” she says. “We don’t have a solid commerce structure in Africa.” Losode has over 30 designers and beauty brands, and the business is centered around five major core values, including empowering entrepreneurs and dismantling existing trade borders. “We’re really just bold and confident about these pillars that guide us because we’re all about smashing these borders, and building something that allows others to have access to the remarkable works of the brands in Africa,” adds Ajose-Adeyemi.

The biggest challenge her business faces, she says, is finding the right quality brands, and bringing them onto the platform. To address this, she asks each brand about its vision, and listens to their entire process. “It helps us get a better sense of who they are, and their values,” she says.

Elorm Dela-Seshie

An image of Elorm Dela-Seshie looking towards the camera with some tree leaves in the foreground.

Elorm Dela-Seshie started Adorn Me Africa to help a few small sustainable brands and independent artisans based in Ghana get more exposure in the U.S.

Photo courtesy Elorm Dela-Seshie.

Like almost every success story in fashion, Elorm Dela-Seshie was introduced to an appreciation for clothing at a young age. Growing up in the U.S., she fell in love with fashion when she saw how her parents confidently represented Africa through their Ghanaian attire. Being an African in the diaspora instilled within her a kind of curiosity for the culture, and by extension, its fashion.

“That same curiosity birthed Adorn Me Africa; which I started in 2017 as a means to play a supportive role in assisting a few small sustainable brands and independent artisans based in Ghana in hopes of getting more exposure to these brands and helping them to sell their products to a wider market within the US,” she tells OkayAfrica.

What started with a focus on contemporary fashion in one country 7 years ago has since expanded to sourcing from over 30 different brands from over 15 countries across the African continent. “Our ultimate goal is to represent and feature sustainable products and independent fashion brands from all 54 countries of the African continent,” says Dela-Seshie. This, of course, comes with its own difficulties, such as supply chain issues in importing from Africa and the cost associated with doing so.

“Despite the challenges that we’ve faced, we’ve continued to push forward and respond with innovation, strategic pivoting, and a creative perspective on how we can best position the brand to continue to make the most impact and continue to serve as many brands as we are able to,” says Dela-Seshie.

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