Category: Lifestyle

” ‘W’s in the chat!,” says iShowSpeed. “We are here in Ghana.” As tens of thousands of people around the world watch him live on YouTube, he finishes his massage near a waterfall and eats fresh mangoes to begin his Ghana tour livestream. The second-to-last stop on his 28-day, 20-African-countries livestream tour.

From mid December 2025 to mid January 2026, there was special excitement throughout Africa that had nothing to do with Detty December or Afcon. One of the world’s biggest livestreamers embarked on the first Africa tour in livestream history. Looking to showcase African travel and culture to challenge stereotypes.

This experience grew into a poingant point in history as each country in the tour had the opportunity to share with a new audience. Beyond the high energy and viral clips, I feel this tour made an impact that will result in a variety of positive ripple effects, depending on how we navigate it. iShowSpeed’s Africa tour expanded the conversations and possibilities for storytelling, challenged the assumptions of power, and added another layer for the global creative economy to leverage.

Let’s indulge. Shall we?

Storytelling As A Tool

When it comes to marketing, entertainment, news, and everything else in between, storytelling is the key. But, online, we are seeing a shift in the type of storytelling people resonate with.

Pre-packaged salesy storytelling is being challenged. Is this authentic? Or is this clickbait? Is this real? Or is this AI?

In my experience in journalism, content creation, and advertising, I find it fascinating to witness how consumer and community behavior continues to evolve. Along with technology and AI advancing at a ridiculous pace, let’s just say our expectations are overwhelmingly changing.

But something I would like us to focus on with storytelling is the concept of gatekeeping.

Before, media corporations determined what got published and promoted, from news to entertainment. The internet has added another nuance to that dynamic. On the surface, we could assume anyone can share their story and obtain an audience. In some aspects, it has created an equal playing field to build a following towards a project or product. But, I feel the algorithm has become a gatekeeper in disguise. Constantly changing the rules and moving the goal post…just like The Wiz.

But, sometimes, there is someone who cracks the code.

I feel iShowSpeed’s Africa tour created a crack in the gate. I can’t speak to what inspired him or his team to take on this endeavor. And I don’t think we need to put him on a pedestal or force him into a puppet public figure role. This tour introduced Africa to a different audience through a candid medium that has not been done before.

To see a young man explore Africa live, with real reactions and responses, adds another layer to representation.

Storytelling is not just about the script, angles, and psychology. It now has to be as immersive as possible.

I experienced iShowSpeed’s Africa tour first-hand at Independence Square in Accra, Ghana. It was a beautiful moment to witness in person. I share more on my podcast here:

Power To The People, Maybe Not The Institution

Another thing that stood out to me in this tour is who iShowSpeed chose to interact with. He and his team were focused on the youth. Real people on the street and at markets. Real people contributing to and maintaining innovation and culture. Showcasing initiatives, businesses, and landmarks to new audiences and opportunities.

For me, this is starkly different from other content claiming to showcase Africa. Yes, there is a continued wave of celebrities visiting Africa, obtaining citizenship to different African countries, and investing in Africa. All of this is great. But it tends to lean toward an older demographic and have some government or political tint to it. I’m not here to tell you if that is good or bad. But, sometimes, it can give the impression of a photo-op, which may or may not have substance to back it up.

This Africa tour provided a different medium. Governments and officials did use their authority to facilitate access to security, landmarks, etc. But they did not have to do a stiff press conference or a slow-paced beauracratic showcase. Instead, the youth, tour guides, itinerary guides, etc were the face of the experience. This can continue to be a beneficial collaboration if it is leveraged accordingly. The people are the face and the institution provide the support for the face. This can create a more authentic representation.

I do not mean any disrespect to institutions or officials. This is just an example for how to collaborate and work with your youth while also allowing them to introduce you to new ways of thinking and doing things.

Global Creative Economy Unite

Ok. Now, let’s get into some numbers. You might think the creative economy is just a buzz word, but there is real growth, trade, and structure developing in this.

Let’s start with the global lens and then focus on the Africa lens.

According to the IFC (International Finance Corporation), the global creative economy is valued at $2 trillion USD. It provides nearly 50 million jobs worldwide and is considered one of the world’s fastest-growing sectors. Culture and creative industries, according to UNESCO, make up 6.2% of the global employment and contribute 3.1% of the world’s GDP. When we look at the global creator economy alone, based on individual digital content creators, the project growth is not something to ignore. As reported by Future Market Insights, the global creator economy is estimated to grow from $253 billion USD in 2025 to approximately $2 trillion USD in 2035.

What does this mean? The global creative economy is real and not slowing down anytime soon.

But, how does the African creative economy contribute to this?

According to CNBC Africa, Africa’s creative economy is valued at $60 billion USD. Analysts project this could grow to $200 billion USD by 2030, dependent on investment and structural reform. As reported by Afreximbank, creative and cultural industries contribute 8.2% to employment in African nations, the highest share of any continent and above the global average. This should be promising, but there is a catch. “Africa is creating content at global scale, but translating cultural influence into sustainable economic value remains a structural challenge,” as explained in this The Creative Brief article.

This gap holds an ocean of opportunities.

Africa’s share of the global creative economy is expanding rapidly, with a focus on music streaming, film production, mobile gaming, and digital design. According to Sustainable Stories, African policymakers are gradually seeing the creative economy as a hedge against commodity dependency. This can be an opportunity to build intangible capital, export services, and create employment for a young, tech-savvy population.

The Opportunity For Africa’s Algorithm

Why does iShowSpeed’s Africa tour matter? Why does this gap between the global creative economy and Africa’s creative economy matter?

Culture is a currency. Visibility has a monetary value.

The numbers do not lie, but they do obscure. A $2 trillion USD global creative economy. Africa holds roughly $60 billion USD of it. That gap is not a reflection of talent; it is a reflection of access, infrastructure, and the machinery of historical marginalization that has decided, for centuries, whose stories are worth telling and whose culture is worth monetizing.

But, something is shifting. Livestreaming, social media, and the democratization of digital platforms have done something that no industry policy has managed. They have handed the microphone directly to the people. When iShowSpeed toured Africa, he did not go through a media conglomerate. This tour stood out to me not because iShowSpeed is a singular genius, but because of what his presence revealed. When the world is invited to pay attention, it does. And if a livestreamer can do that, imagine what intentional investment, structural support, and genuine creative infrastructure could unlock.

This is what leveling the playing field looks like in the digital age. It is imperfect, uneven, and largely controlled by platforms headquartered thousands of miles away. But it is real. And for creatives in Africa, in the Caribbean, in South Asia, and in every pocket of the world that has been told its stories do not travel, this moment is a proof of concept. The field is not level yet. But it is tilting.

The algorithm came to Africa. Now, what do we build while the world is watching?

Walk with me.

It was 2021. I had a notebook full of ideas and sketches. Spent hours with YouTube, webinars, and virtual coaches. Drove and got lost a couple of times to meet with manufacturers, fabric sellers, and printers in Accra, Ghana. I was excited and tired. I felt encouraged and apprehensive. Some days I would say, “Yes, this is progress.” Other days, I would say, “Is it silly of me to think this can work?”

As you might know, the collection I was trying to produce that year did not happen. I learned a lot, but I did feel disappointed in myself. I continued to study, pivot, and experiment.

In 2022, I curated a jewelry collection. It was a good learning experience to work with artisans, produce content, implement different marketing strategies, and manage the e-commerce site. I even had the chance to collaborate with a fellow content creator and pay her from the sales that were made. I was encouraged by this and tried to continue to trust the process. I enjoyed designing the packaging and experimenting until I got the one that I loved. But overall, it still did not feel like the full version of the real vision.

So, in 2023, I traveled to Italy for an eyewear tradeshow expo to explore other options I already had ideas for. This was inspiring and exciting, but it was part of my studying and preparing, instead of immediately producing. I tried to do a clothing collection again. This was also a good learning experience to see how the systems in Asia work. I was inspired to start creating ideas on how to implement or adapt those systems in Ghana or other African countries to manufacture with the textiles and materials that are from here. But, that collection only made it up to a prototype that was not exactly the quality I wanted. This ended with a lack of transparency and delivery on their part.

This is why I decided to cancel the clothing and book story in 2024. And, for the first time, I posted parts of this story online to share what had been going on behind the scenes. I used that time to focus on the jewelry that was still available. I also focused on myself to release control over how I thought the business or brand needed to be. Trying to be committed to the vision, but flexible with the methods. This was not easy and took a lot of concentration and consistency. Funnily enough, sharing my vulnerability at that time opened the doors to opportunities to collaborate in ways that supported and expanded my ideas more than ever before.

Fast forward to 2025. Our new collection is complete and ready! The brand has expanded to become an ambassador for Afrofuturism in fashion, events, film/animation, sustainability, culture, and education. The Bandele Muse Universe continues to align and evolve. The present is beautiful and the future is bright. I am so grateful.

Now, it’s time to take you on the next phase of this adventure.

Above is one of the pieces from the new collection that we showcased at our second event, Burgundy Play Plate.

For this collection, I focused on Afrofuturism, brocade, and commitment. Oh wow. That is A,B,C…easy as 1,2,3…so simple as… Ok, you get it.

Let me share with you a little bit of each. We will dive deeper into it in my next letters. Yes, this will be a series. Let’s go!

Afrofuturism / Africanfuturism / Afro speculative fiction

Afrofuturism is a cultural aesthetic and philosophy that combines elements of science fiction, fantasy, and technology with African diaspora culture and history. It expresses notions of Black identity, agency, and freedom through art, creative works, and activism that envisions liberated futures for Black life. Africanfuturism blends African culture, history, and mythology with technology to create optimistic, African-centered speculative worlds.

These terms are fluid and continue to evolve. I am excited to explore these with you as we create art and indulge in philosophies that enhance and improve our realities. As you might remember, I have been writing a story, my time-traveling story, that weaves together these aesthetics and philosophies. This year, I started to adapt that story for an animation series. That process enabled me to design the new clothing collection.

As I was designing the wardrobe for the characters, I thought this would be perfect to create for you in real life. What would fashion in Africa look like one thousand years from now? Would it be like Star Trek and Hunger Games? Not really, since those stories don’t occur in the same climate or carry the same cultures. Well, what if we look at fashion in Africa one thousand years ago? How much has changed over time? How much has remained the same? How could these traditions and evolutions influence our fashion in the future? I have developed my answers to this and designed a collection that speaks to this. We will discuss this more in my next letter.

Brocade

Brocade is a rich fabric that is woven with a raised pattern, often made with colored silks or gold and silver threads. Its origin dates back to ancient China. Brocade was one of the few luxury fabrics worn by nobility throughout China, Persia, India, Greece, Japan, Korea, and Byzantium. Now, in modern times, West Africa has developed its own style trends with brocade. From elaborate boubous to intricate corset gowns to bespoke kaftans, brocade is being used to create African fashion masterpieces. This inspired me to use brocade in this collection. As you will see later, while we explore futuristic fashion, the fabrics we use will be the main evolution factor. What if we had a boubou made of fabric that changes colors as you move? Or a smock that comes to life when you scan it with your phone? This is how the animation story and the collection connect. To bring fantasy and joy to the future we want to create now. We will indulge more in this later.

Commitment

Commitment is defined as the state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, activity, etc. This is what I have had to pray and work on throughout this time. In the beginning, the concept of Afrofuturism made sense to me, but seemed to confuse others. The vision to build a brand that enables wholesome and sustainable industrialization and globalization resonated with me, but sounded naive to others. I have received friendly suggestions to keep things simple, add my logo to pre-made products to sell more easily, and jump on trends that others online claim are successful.

I feel this is where commitment determines your path. I could have done those things, but they do not align with the vision or cause. I know a brand cannot save the world. I understand creating beauty at this time can seem like an oxymoron compared to everything that wants to remove the beauty of this galaxy. I have learned how people might treat you based on their circumstances and not their values. But, I still care. I still believe we have a chance to appreciate our present and nurture our future. There are too many of us in this galaxy who want better for everyone and want things to change. Our beliefs and efforts cannot be in vain. So, why not create beauty while we continue on this adventure? Why not inspire inner-galactic reflections and expand time-traveling comfort zones while we grow and evolve?

I believe it is this commitment to faith and beauty that has kept me going through all of these pivots and experiments. I could not do this alone, but I had to do a lot of unlearning and relearning for the right people and blessings to find me.

So, with all that I have shared, what are you most looking forward to in this next phase? Share with me. Let’s continue the conversation.

As always, I look forward to you joining me on this adventure. Stay tuned.

And, if you want to see and hear more about this next phase, remember to subscribe to my newsletter. I will be sharing more of the details there.

Your beauty is also within the pivoting, studying, and experimenting. Don’t get confused with the silence or time. It takes patience for your roots to grow deeper as you level up.

Recently, I was reflecting about foundation. I feel it’s influenced individually, collectively, and by your environment.

Some of my many highlights as a kid was focused on mastery and understanding. For example, reading with my Mom consistently. So that by the time I started school, my reading and vocabulary were ahead of my class. Another example, learning and playing chess with my Dad. For me it was not about winning or losing. It was about mastery and understanding for the love of knowledge. Yes, I was only 8 or 9 years old at the time.

My Mom did her research and intentionally put me in Montessori school. I don’t know if the curriculum is still the same, but at that time, I learned to prioritize my love for masterying knowledge at my pace over short term accolades. There was no honor roll or multiple awards. I could examine one level or move ahead to higher levels at my speed. Parts of my learning was self-directed, with opportunities to develop independence, collaboration, initiative, and responsibility. My age or gender was never a restriction.

I feel that training (or conditioning) still influences my approach to reality.

And sometimes, our elders or guardians might second-guess the decisions they make for us. And we have to remember they are human, not gods or superheroes. But we should always remind them that the smallest things had the most significant and positive impact on us.

And other times, you might be around people who don’t have a similar foundation to you. That’s not good or bad, but that means we can’t follow the same speed or influences. We can learn from each other, but be careful not to get lost, confused, or fragmented.

For me, consistency or vision might look different next to another person. The foundation for my roots are already deep. With each level up transition, those roots have to grow deeper to sustain the height. That’s where the beauty continues.

Hey. I’m in Italy. I took myself on my first business trip to attend the Mido Expo. This is an eyewear expo, trade fair, and conference. This was also my first time in Italy. I came to learn and explore because I’m interested in expanding Bandele Muse products with eyewear frames plus producing eyewear or accents in Africa or the global south. I’m really grateful for this experience. Let me know your thoughts. Share with me in the comments.

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