The Africa Report — July-August 2017

What are you listening to at the moment?

Kygo, Ella Henderson, and music from the north of Ghana.

Who is your style crush?

Solange Knowles.

Where do you go out with friends?

Tea Baa and The Republic Bar are our go-to places in Accra.

What is your greatest achievement?

Starting a fashion accessories brand in Ghana and being stocked by

Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters in the first year.

What are your favourite holiday destinations?

Tough choice, but I would say Rome and Cape Town.

What’s your favourite app?

Flipboard – this is my go-to app for all info on business and fashion.

You can create your own magazine and store all the great content you

come across online on the app.

How would you describe Accra to someone who has

never been?

It’s busy and vibrant! Best place to live in Ghana. It has a good balance

of art, culture and business.

Interview byDiane Audrey Ngako

Afriyie-Kumi is the designer and entrepreneur

behind A A K S, the chic bag brand that shines

a spotlight on Ghana’s traditional weavers

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Good luck trying to get in on Jaimee-Lee

Diergaardt’s ‘Paint and Wine Nights’. Blowing

through the Namibian capital in a flurry of

themes, people and paint supplies, the

26-year-old’s regular art evenings are a cur-

rent hot ticket drawing in the adventurous,

the art curious and the wine-loving.

Paint and Wine was born in Diergaardt’s

backyard as a curveball to the city’s notorious

heavy drinking culture. With classical music

and supplies included in the ticket, the chilled,

guided art class attracts Windhoekers from

all walks of life eager to replicate a sample

piece or explore their own creativity.

To attract a diverse crowd and introduce

regulars to hot new spots, the event can pop

up anywhere from a popular restaurant to a

mall parking lot. “It’s been two years already

[but] the idea of pairing art as a source of

entertainment still remains relatively new

and worth exploring,” says Diergaardt.

Welcoming a slightly more serious art

crowd to a candlelit, incense-infused room

every first Tuesday of the month is 24-year-

old Julia Hango, who hosts JuliArt and Wine

at The Warehouse Theatre. A nude art photo-

grapher, performance artist and advocate

for body autonomy, Hango finds the calm

in conservative Windhoek’s “ignorance

storm” to offer a creative space to a mix of

amateurs, practising artists and older folks

discovering a new sensuality through life

drawing. If the presence of nude models

attracts the occasional ogler, Hango says

they always leave “in awe of the confidence

and power being vulnerable and a muse to

strangers truly holds”.

What inspires both hosts is the look of

amazement and accomplishment on their

attendees’ faces. Well, that and the fact that

“people quite often mistake the paint water

for their drinks,” says Diergaardt. “Their ex-

pressions upon realisation are priceless.”

Martha Mukaiwain Windhoek

TREND HUNTERPAINT AND

WINEINTHEWINDYCORNER

ECHKENKO IEVGEN

Akosua

Afriyie-

Kumi

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