In a bid to promote African technology, fashion, music and art, Lagos-based events management agency Temple Management Company, partnered with Insider, a DC based firm to organize the very first South by Southwest (SXSW) activation, Africa house. The event will take place on the 11th and 12th of March 2018, at the Parker Jazz club in Austin, Texas, United States.
The co-founder of Insider, Aubrey Hruby says that the first edition of the Africa house will give tech entrepreneurs, musicians, designers and artists the opportunity to build a global market for their services. The event aims to engender cooperation between African entrepreneurs and investors interested in doing business on the continent. The program will showcase the works of these African entrepreneurs to investors, who will get to see the budding tech landscape in Africa, and how it is charting a new course for innovation on the continent.
“From South Africa’s Silicon Cape to the Silicon Savannah of Kenya, African innovation is taking off. Africa is the future of global growth, and our goal for this program is to connect Africa to the rest of the world,” Aubrey said.
The African celebrities to highlight the show include actress, singer and former Big Brother Naija housemate Bisola Aiyeola, Nigerian recording artist Iyanya, Kenyan hip hop artist Khaligraph Jones, amongst of other celebrities. In addition, there will also be about 15 panel discussions over both days, that will include discussions on the Nigerian Tech scene, Afro-beats, green energy, brand activism, Africa in space, Afro-futurism etc.
The program will also feature workshops, and many networking opportunities for participants at the event. The event will also feature exhibitions from fashion and entertainment companies from around the continent.
The program is held with the support of the United States Government through the U.S African Development Foundation (USADF). The USADF is an independent Federal agency instituted to assist “support African-led development that grows community enterprises by providing seed capital and technical support.”
