Six southern-African storytellers gather in Cape Town for a two-day workshop about
the future of design and the circular economy.
12 February 2020: After an intensive screening process of over 170 portfolios across various creative disciplines, we’re delighted to announce the six storytellers who have been selected for the Design Futures project. These southern-African storytellers have been tasked with creating narratives about circular design projects. They will document the journeys of six designers, in their respective countries, whose work embodies circular design and sustainability. The first step of this project is a storytelling workshop which will be held in Cape Town on 13 and 14 February. The designers attended the UK-based Circular Futures Lab 2019 hosted by the British Council and which followed the Ellen McArthur Foundation’s circular design framework.
The six storytellers are:
Bill Masuku (Zimbabwe): A self-taught freelance digital artist and pioneer in Zimbabwe’s comic industry. Bill is founder of Enigma Comix Africa, as well as the creator of Razor-Man and Captain South Africa.
Mehryne Annooar (Mauritius): Mehryne’s passion for environmental conservation is expressed in her written and video work which often addresses and educates the public on issues of climate change and its effect on our world.
Stefanie Jason (South Africa): Stefanie is an award-winning journalist and editor who has featured in various South African publications. She classifies herself as a ‘conscious creator’ with a body of work that focuses on women’s issues, culture, identity, health and social injustice,
Temwa Msiska (Malawi): A lawyer by training, Temwa has a wealth of experience in marketing, PR and communications. She is the founder of tourism startup, Orion Malawi which focuses on expressing the vibrancy and beauty of Malawi.
David Pinto Calvo Aguacheiro (Mozambique): Filmmaker, visual artist, photographer and graphic designer with extensive experience both locally and abroad, David’s passion for sustainability and environmental issues is evident in his award-winning body of work.
Sekayi Fundafunda-Lungu (Zambia): Sekayi is a blogger, photographer and founder of fashion platform, MaFashio. Sekayi has over eight years’ experience in fashion-related content creation and is a former Mandela Washington Fellow.
During the workshop the six participants will share ideas and explore creative storytelling techniques as they prepare to document the journey of designers. They will work with the following facilitators an presenters: Cyril Naicker: CEO of Imprint Luxury and national co-ordinator of Fashion Revolution South Africa; Binwe Adebayo: culture writer and media studies scholar; Katekani Moreku: Sustainable Fashion Designer; Lauren Theunissen: photographic department administrator and exhibition curator at Orms, Dr Erica de Greef: co-founder of the African Fashion Research Institute; and Pavitray Pillay, manager of SASSI and Environmental Behaviour Change Practitioner with WWF South Africa.
The Design Futures project encourages conversations about design, sustainability and the circular economy as well as fosters a deeper understanding about the Sub-Saharan Africa design sector.
For more information on the Design Futures storytelling project see contact details below:
About British Council
British Council is the United Kingdom’s international organization for educational opportunities and cultural relations. Design Futures falls under its Southern African Arts programme, which has developed cultural connections between young people aged 18-35 in the UK and Southern Africa with a range of arts projects and use of digital platforms to build creative networks through art forms including, fashion, music, film, design and more.
About Twyg
The non-profit company is a media and communications brand encouraging an eco-conscious and progressive lifestyle. It inspires with stories about fashion, people, food and places that don’t harm the planet nor people. Twyg is a fast-developing brand, founded and edited by Jackie May, who has over 20 years of experience working in media. It focuses on sustainability issues and is driven by young energetic local writers across Southern Africa.
Contact
Jackie May, Project Director
Email: Jackie@twyg.co.za
Rutendo Nyamuda, Project Manager
Email: Rutendo@twyg.co.za
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