…Bisola Aiyeola, Chris Akinyemi, Others to feature
Temple Management Company, a global full-service talent and events management agency headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria, is collaborating with Insider, a US-based PR Firm as well as the U.S. African Development Foundation, an independent federal agency established to support African-led development, to stage the first ever Africa House at the South By South West (SXSW).
The Africa House program will take place at Parker Jazz Club Saturday, March 10, through Sunday, March 11, 2018, in Austin, TX. The platform is devoted to catalyzing partnerships between entrepreneurs and investors looking to do business with special focus on Best in African Entertainment, Technology, Innovation, Fashion, Art, and Design.
TMC, alongside collaborating organizations, have developed a showcase featuring compelling speakers and panels focused on the technology, art, design, and music of Africa.
Speaking on the event, Aubrey Hruby, co-founder of Insider identified African innovation as the future global growth. He explained, “Africa House will give entrepreneurs, founders, artists, and designers a platform to promote themselves globally while also providing prospective investors the opportunity to learn about the latest innovations Africa has to offer and how the continent’s tech boom is reshaping the business, culture, and economic trajectory of many of its countries.”
Terfa Tilley-Gyado, Director of Communications, TMC also added, “This is a unique opportunity to represent Africa at this major event. This is a boom time for African talent and Temple is uniquely positioned to have conversations across these varying spectrums.”
Pioneering African artists in attendance will include Bisola Aiyeola, a Nigerian actress, singer, MC, and presenter; Chris Akinyemi, who has a blazing new single out and Mr Lab, the virtuoso producer, among others.
Highlights of Africa House’s program include (full schedule and more detail in notes below):
● Lights, Power, Action: Africa Goes Green: Sandrine Nzeukou, Executive Director, Invest Africa in conversation with Jessica O. Matthews, CEO, Uncharted Power; Maurice Parets, CEO, Pawame; and Kolawole Akinboye, COO, Rensource Energy
● Welcome to the Silicon Lagoon: A Nigeria Tech Breakfast Showcase: Featuring Paga, Venture Garden Group, Gidimo, Cars45
● Dancing to the Afrobeat: The Rise and Rise of African Music: Participating companies include RocNation, OkayAfrica, First Access Entertainment, and Touch HD
● Inside Africa: The Next Generation of PR is in Emerging Markets: Featuring Eliot Pence, Insider Co-Founder
● Tech for Development. Powered by the US African Development Foundation. Featuring C.D. Glin, CEO, US African Development Foundation, in conversation with Wutiko, Wazi Vision, and Cherehani
● Africa After Dark: The Official Africa House After Party: Featuring Iyanya, Jeff Akoh, Bisola Aiyeola, Chris Akinyemi, Khaligraph Jones
In addition to workshops, immersive panels, and networking happy hours, Africa House will also present a pop-up shop featuring work and products by Sonia Mugabo (“SM”), a Rwandan fashion brand that employs local artisan talent to make high quality clothing that captures the essence of global trends with an inspired edge that is purely African; UNIFORM, a fashion styling subscription service designed by Chid Liberty, Liberian co-founder of Liberty & Justice, Africa’s first Fair Trade-certified apparel manufacturer; ENZI, an Ethiopian premium footwear brand seeking to challenge global perceptions of Africa through design, and YouNeek Studios, a creative character-based storytelling and entertainment company that produces animation, comics, graphic novels, film, and other media featuring eclectic characters inspired by African history, culture, and mythology.
For more information about Africa House at SXSW and to RSVP, visit: https://africahouse.splashthat.com/
