Design Indaba, in collaboration with Google Arts & Culture, has launched an innovative online project titled ‘Colours of Africa’. This ambitious initiative brings together and showcases 60 specially-curated artworks from more than 60 unique African creatives. Each artist was personally invited by Design Indaba to contribute a piece that encapsulates the distinct ‘colour’ and character of their respective home country, offering a vibrant tapestry of the continent’s diverse cultural landscape.

Ravi Naidoo, the founder of Design Indaba, was instrumental in selecting these creatives, ensuring a broad representation of African talent across various disciplines including craft, product design, industrial design, fashion, film, animation, graphics, food, music, jewellery, and architecture. Naidoo highlighted Africa's inherent connection to colour, stating, “Africa is known for its bold, unapologetic use of colour. Each country, city and community is identifiable by its unique palette. As Africans, we can tell powerful stories through colour. This project tells a story of a continent through the universally accessible lens.” This undertaking marks the first artistic project of such magnitude, designed to allow viewers worldwide to explore stories of Africa as narrated by its own creative community.

Google’s involvement in the project underscores its commitment to the continent’s rich artistic landscape. Nitin Gajria, Managing Director at Google, affirmed, “Google has always been acutely aware and in full support of the immense creative melting pot that exists on the continent. Collaborating with Design Indaba on this project allows us to bring this support to fruition.” He added that by empowering and amplifying African voices to tell their unique cultural stories through their work, the project aims to provide crucial exposure, foster a newfound curiosity, and offer a window into the vast beauty of Africa.

The project draws on a multidisciplinary mix of artists from almost every imaginable creative field, ranging from architecture, illustration, painting, and ceramics, to writing, engineering, performing arts, and visual communications. Their diverse creations have been transformed into images, videos, texts, and illustrations for the online platform. Notable participants include Algerian photographer Ramzy Bensaadi, fashion designer Bisrat Negassi from Eritrea, filmmaker Archange Kiyindou “Yamakasi” from the Republic of Congo, and visual artist Ngadi Smart from Sierra Leone, among others.

To bring ‘Colours of Africa’ to life digitally, Design Indaba partnered with former conference speaker Noel Pretorius and his creative partner, Elin Sjöberg. Together, they collaborated with the Google Arts & Culture Lab to develop the unique design concept and interface for the digital exhibition. A key feature of the exhibition is its kaleidoscopic navigation tool, which allows users to spin and explore the artworks in a randomized manner, providing a unique and engaging experience while letting the art itself take centre stage.

Naidoo expressed excitement about breaking new ground, noting, “Nothing like this exists to date, so we’re very excited to break new ground. This is an important artistic catalogue, the first of its kind to plot the expanse of African artistry on Google Arts & Culture.” He lauded Google for taking this significant step, which provides a valuable resource to the world, making African art accessible to those who cannot travel to physical art fairs or museums.

Beyond the ‘Colours of Africa’ platform, this comprehensive initiative also includes the launch of over 4,000 images, videos, and 20 carefully curated exhibits drawn from Design Indaba’s extensive archive. For the first time online, award-winning initiatives such as Sheltersuit, Arch for Arch, and Emerging Creatives will be profiled in depth. The project also features new works by some of the most influential creatives currently working on the continent and internationally, including Fozia Ismail (of Serpentine Gallery’s Creative Exchange programme), Mayada Adil El Sayed (who represented Sudanese women at the Generation Equality Forum), and Lady Skollie (winner of the 10th FNB art prize).

Design Indaba, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2020, is globally recognized as the world’s best design conference. Its sustained leadership in foregrounding African creativity made it the ideal host and partner for this landmark project. As Nitin Gajria concluded, “We look forward to giving viewers a ticket to experiencing a whole new world, one that is outside of their everyday surroundings and creative knowledge. This project answers the vital call for all to notice and embraces African art in all its wonder.”

As a highlight of the project, Design Indaba commissioned Chief Nike Monica Okundaye, a celebrated Nigerian multi-talented creative and professional artist, to create an original painting that captures the unique spirit of her country through a colour representing home. Her artwork, titled ‘The Female Drummer/Àyánbìnrin’, uses Royal Blue. Okundaye explained the profound rationale behind her choice, stating that in Nigerian indigenous cultures, particularly among the Yorùbá, blue (known as ‘ẹtù’) signifies love and royalty. It is traditionally worn by kings before ascending the throne and used in northern and eastern Nigeria for chiefs and kings. She noted its use in marriage ceremonies, where it can adorn the groom’s turban or even the bride’s face to signify love. During Durbar festivals, shining blue turbans express love to the people.

Okundaye elaborated on her painting: “I used blue for this painting titled ‘The Female Drummer/Àyánbìnrin’ to illustrate both the love you see here between the drummer and her lover and the love desperately needed in the time of the coronavirus lockdown.” She further emphasized the unique aspect of her piece, which depicts a female drummer, deviating from the typical male drummers in traditional Yorùbá art. This choice aligns with her artistic philosophy of female empowerment, stemming from years of training disadvantaged women, widows, and young women in fabric art, thus actively placing women at the forefront of her work.