TCN Monthly Recap: October 2024 Edition
Here's a recap of the stories—news, events, opportunities, resources, insights, opinions and conversations—we published in October and some other recommended stories for you
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As you may already know (and for those who are new here), every month we bring you TCN Monthly Recap; a recap of all the exciting stories—news, events, opportunities, resources, insights, opinions and conversations—we published all through the month. We also share interesting reads and recommended stories at the end. Watch out!
In this edition of TCN Monthly Recap, you will find;
Lagos Meet launches new editorial platform to showcase and spotlight Nigerian creators
Abuja Photo Festival returns for its 2024 edition this October
Lagos International Festival of Animation (LIFANIMA) returns for its 8th edition this October
Google Fonts adds Matemasie, an ultra-bold display typeface that draws inspiration from the Adinkra symbol 'Mate Masie', to its catalogue
V&A Waterfront unveils Artist Alliance Virtual Gallery
Nigerian AI and Data Science organisation launches animated series that explains Artificial Intelligence in Yoruba Language
The Creatives Note is 2: Two years of documenting and telling important stories
Art X Lagos returns for the 9th edition of its art fair this November
Àșà Design announces State of Design Àșà 2024 survey, a comprehensive study to explore and highlight the landscape of design in Africa and the diaspora
Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) returns for the 13th edition of its annual festival this November
Lagos Meet launches new editorial platform to showcase and spotlight Nigerian creators
In October, Lagos Meet, a leading creative community of professional creators in Lagos, launched a brand-new editorial to showcase and put the spotlight on Nigerian creators.
This new website, which serves as a directory and repository of projects by Nigerian creators, builds on Lagos Meet’s effort of showcasing Nigerian Creators to inspire excellence and professionalism.
On the new editorial website, you can search for creators or their projects grouped by discipline, Lagos Meet notes, and you can also submit a project of your own to be featured on the platform.
Abuja Photo Festival returns for its 2024 edition this October
In October, the Abuja Photo Festival, an annual event founded for the art community and general public to interact with art as a tool for social change, returned for its 8th edition.
Since its inception in 2017, the festival has presented art as a critical part of social evolution with the power to prompt conversations and move into spaces beyond the borders of biases and stereotypes.
Lagos International Festival of Animation (LIFANIMA) returns for its 8th edition this October
Lagos International Festival of Animation (LIFANIMA), one of Africa’s biggest animation festivals hosted in Lagos, also returned for the 8th edition of the festival in October.
Established in 2017, LIFANIMA attracts Animators, Filmmakers, Investors, Financial Institutions, Advertising Agencies, Musical Video Producers, Media Practitioners, Digital Marketing Professionals, Government Agencies, Information Technology Companies, and the public.
Google Fonts adds Matemasie, an ultra-bold display typeface that draws inspiration from the Adinkra symbol 'Mate Masie', to its catalogue
Google Fonts announced the addition of Matemasie, an ultra-bold display typeface that draws inspiration from the Adinkra symbol “Mate Masie,” to its robust catalogue of open-source fonts.
Matemasie, designed by Adam Yeo, a graphic and type designer from Côte d'Ivoire, is characterised by rounded edges and a distinctive feature where the shapes widen towards the top. “It draws inspiration from the Adinkra symbol ‘Mate Masie,’ meaning ‘what I hear, I keep,’” Google Fonts notes.
Adam’s Matemasie is part of Google Fonts’ African-inspired, African-designed type project.
V&A Waterfront unveils Artist Alliance Virtual Gallery
V&A Waterfront, in collaboration with Creative Nestlings, has unveiled the Artist Alliance Virtual Gallery, a virtual space that showcases “captivating art created by some of South Africa's most talented creatives.”
According to the announcement, every purchase directly supports the artists, ensuring that your investment contributes to their creative journey. “This virtual space not only allows art enthusiasts to admire and engage with incredible works but also provides a unique opportunity to purchase these exceptional pieces,” the announcement noted.
For the launch of the virtual space, Creative Nestling’s Nonka Mbonambi has curated the inaugural exhibition, ‘A Feminine Gaze: Women’s Perspective in Contemporary Art,’ which showcases the powerful and diverse voices of women artists.
Nigerian AI and Data Science organisation launches animated series that explains Artificial Intelligence in Yoruba Language
Data Science Nigeria (DSN), a Nigerian AI and Data Science organisation, has launched an animated series that explains Artificial Intelligence in Yoruba Language, the language predominant in the Southwestern and Central parts of the country—spoken by roughly 47 million native speakers.
The animated series, which is available for free on YouTube, is a 40-part series voiced in Yoruba language. And each episode runs for about four to seven minutes, covering topics such as AI for legal document review, AI for fashion designers, AI for diagnosis, and AI for fraud detection.
The Creatives Note is 2: Two years of documenting and telling important stories
On October 1, 2022, what will be the first story on The Creatives Note was published. Two years later, over 200 stories—ranging from conversations with African creatives to news, opportunities, and insightful & opinion pieces on creativity in Africa—have been published in The Creatives Note.
At the time of launching The Creatives Note, the goal was simple: to curate, document, and tell the stories of African creatives from the lens of an African. Even though the goal has slightly expanded and evolved since then, the core idea of curating, documenting and telling important stories in the African creative industry remains the same.
Art X Lagos returns for the 9th edition of its art fair this November
ART X Lagos, the premier international art fair in West Africa, returned for the 9th edition of its highly anticipated annual art fair from October 31st to November 3rd, 2024 at The Federal Palace, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Launched in 2016 as a dynamic platform created to showcase and support contemporary culture from Africa and its diaspora, ART X Lagos says the fair has emerged as a global destination, drawing artists and galleries from over 70 countries, with attendees and participants from 170 nations worldwide, thus significantly expanding Lagos' global cultural positioning.
Àșà Design announces State of Design Àșà 2024 survey, a comprehensive study to explore and highlight the landscape of design in Africa and the diaspora
Àșà Design, a cross-disciplinary community of passionate designers, has announced State of Design Àșà 2024 (SODÀ 2024), a collaborative research initiative with TechCabal Insights and Lagos Meet.
This comprehensive study, which aims to look at the state of design in Africa, will explore and highlight the landscape of design in Africa and the diaspora. The study will answer the following questions: Who is designing in Africa? How and what are designers learning? Where and how do designers work? What are designers earning? How are designers organizing themselves?
Designers are encouraged to take the survey and participate in the study.
Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) returns for the 13th edition of its annual festival this November
Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF), Africa's number 1 destination celebrating film & visual storytelling in Nigeria, returned for the 13th edition of its annual festival from November 3 to 9, 2024.
According to the announcement, this year’s edition of AFRIFF builds on the triumphs of previous editions and promises to be an even more exhilarating and impactful event.
Recommended reading
The foundation hosts exhibitions, events and workshops designed to nurture and support underrepresented or economically disadvantaged artists in Ghana.
The African art fair’s expansive noncommercial programming made the 2024 edition the most compelling yet.
For this list, I have put together 5 African film festivals you should know about and plan to attend if you are interested in film festivals.
The 2024 global art recap reflects a year of evolution, marked by shifts in market dynamics, technological advancements, and a heightened focus on sustainability. As the art world adapts to complex economic and cultural landscapes, several transformative trends are shaping its future.
Even as trucks and buses give way to more compact tricycles, the messages and motifs that are inscribed on different modes of transportation keep them an essential part of local storytelling.
I am a cinematographer with a passion for storytelling. I love creating films that touch people’s hearts and minds and I believe that film is a tool for connecting people and bringing them together.
That will be all for our October recap. Thank you for reading.
We enjoyed bringing you these updates and putting this recap together. See you this time next month. Until then, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn to stay up to date.
