A Look Into: Google Africa Celebrates Alté

Google Africa recently hosted their inaugural two day residency programme, targeted at creators who identify as alternative, in Nairobi, Kenya. The program is aimed at upskilling and amplifying the impact of the Alté movement with roots in Lagos, Nigeria that has spread across Africa.

Studio 18 art installation at Chez Sonia.

Initially this residency was supposed to take place in Johannesburg but as we all know - moving through your own continent as an African isn’t an easy task, especially with COVID mandates at hand. However, we were graciously hosted at The Villa Rosa Kempinksi Hotel for 3 nights.

Check in at 3pm was met with gifts from Google (the first of many) and  ample time to freshen up before meeting our hosts and the other members of the residency for dinner. At the time, I was unaware of which other Kenyans were in attendance, so I was happy to see some familiar faces at the long dining table set at Italian restaurant LUCCA, located on the ground floor of the hotel.  Among the Kenyans were: myself, Karun, Brian Msafiri, Temina Semo, Payne Omari, Panzigo, Luca, Faiza Hersi, Antoneosoul, Grace Njeri, Sinda Matiko and KG Brian. 

During dinner we had introductions led by Googlers Sharon Machira and Siya Madikane from Kenya and South Africa respectively. We mingled with the arriving teams from South Africa and Botswana and met the West African residency members the following morning. Among us were stylists, fashion designers, Djs like Queen Lohaanda, photographers like Jess Finesse, filmmakers like Ekow Barnes, musicians like AYLØ, Fenty makeup ambassadors like Zah Sampson, journalists like Wonu Osikoya, models and many more. 

Kenyan musician, actor, and media personality Antoneosoul; Nigerian musician AYLØ; and Kenyan digital creator Temina Semo. Photo courtesy of Panzigo.

Next morning, we set off to Chez Sonia where the residency was taking place. It was adorned with art installations by Active Boys Wrldwide, Studio 18 and Vinose & Co. 

On this day we met Dorothy Ooko, head of communications at Google Africa, who kicked off  the residency with formal introductions followed by a brief opening session which consisted of a few icebreakers, and given Nairobi’s chilly weather played some light games to chase the cold away.

In the afternoon, we had our first session with Google subsidiaries, YouTube Music and YouTube Shorts. Addy Awofisayo, head of music, Sub-Saharan Africa at YouTube and YouTube music gave us much insight on how YouTube as a platform has elevated African artistry to the rest of the world - be it music, fashion, lifestyle or film. I mean, where would we be without YouTube University? The internet has catapulted global connection and cultural exchange with YouTube as a key player in these roles. Since stepping into her new role, Addy has spearheaded Sauti Sol’s Midnight Train Album Virtual Experience, Wizkid’s Live at the 02 Arena for his award winning album Made In Lagos tour and most recently Burna Boy’s One Night Only live at Madison Square Garden. So you know she means business. She mentioned the importance of having synergetic teams to work with that are hands on and what opportunities artists can create for themselves using the platform. Although released in 2015, the app is currently only available in 100 countries. Kenya, Botswana and Ghana are not included.

Mpho Sebina, a singer/songwriter from Botswana pointed out that her home country still does not qualify for monetisation through the YouTube Partner Program in 2022. A loophole? Sign under other African markets that do. 

Botswanan singer/songwriter Mpho Sebina. Photo courtesy of Panzigo.

Other opportunities for funding found at YouTube were highlighted including the YouTube Foundry Program for independent artists, an important one to note for Altè artists across Africa who are more often than not independent. Foundry is YouTube Music’s global artist development program geared towards giving independent artists access to resources to help them thrive on YouTube and grow their careers on their own terms. The class of 2022 kicks off this month, but be on the lookout for next year's application call out. There is also the Youtube Black Voices Fund, who just closed this year's applications last week.

As a curator, I wondered what opportunities were available in that space for someone like me and to my surprise, there were close to none. I believe the discussions we had around this topic hopefully ignited a call to action for such opportunities to arise. Oftentimes, industry players like DJs, radio, magazines, blogs, curators etc. are overlooked despite playing a key role in an artists growth and culture development. Ecosystems are built around the music and the people making it, so I think it’s important for each level to elevate at a similar pace, especially for niche scenes like the alternative. 

The YouTube Shorts session was led by Kgomotso Taje, Strategic Partnerships Development Manager at YouTube. She described the feature as snack-able entertainment that enables mobile creation and empowers discovery. Even though similar to TikTok, YouTube Shorts has a larger access pool to the billions of videos and audios on the platform that anyone can use to make their Shorts. This unlocks a whole new playground for creativity. If one's videos acquire high engagement, YouTube rewards creators 10,000 dollars a month through their Shorts Fund, as long as they meet the required guidelines. Meanwhile, TikTok’s Creator Fund is only available in the UK, Germany, Spain, US, France and Italy. If you have an active following on YouTube or plan to, I would definitely encourage you to join the Shorts Creator Community especially as an independent African creator. At the end of the session, we were given a challenge to make a creative Short about alternative culture meeting technology. Panzigo and Mbaalamwezi were the winners. 

The evening's dinner, whose theme was ‘All black with a touch of badass’ was at a secret location - everyone looked exquisite in their outfits and we were indisputably treated like royalty. By this time many had forged friendships with each other, exchanged contacts, taught slang and even started working together. Photographers and fashion enthusiasts were quick at that! At the end of the night, we received more gifts: this time a collaboration between Nairobi Apparel District and Sharon Machira who designed a mixed media denim jacket for us adorned with words like ‘Alternative African’ and ‘Misfit’- it became clear how intentional the planning of this residency was. We were becoming a little family. 

P.R. Lead, Google Kenya, Sharon Machira. Photo courtesy of Jess Chibuze

The final day was led by Dorothy and Sharon who focused on mental health which turned into a very emotional and heartwarming session for everyone. Tshepo Mohala of Tshepo Jeans talked to us about his inspiring journey to success which moved everyone. Talking about his humble beginnings, his struggles, his work ethic and how he refocused himself into a one-of-a-kind award winning brand was the perfect way to end the day's activities. This program not only highlighted our struggles as alternative creatives but also the beauty of the culture in different corners of the continent. The sheer innovation, good energy and opportunities we can create for ourselves and each other.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. The theme of our closing night was ‘Best of Altè’ and people showed out! Food was served, drinks were flowing, connections were growing. My only wish was that we had Altè entertainment on board to end the meeting of minds on a high note and give everyone involved a proper send off. That would have been the perfect cherry on top! All the same, it was a beautiful experience and I’m excited to see what new heights Google Africa will help us as Altè African creatives reach.

Congratulations to Sharon and her team! You left us all inspired.