The theme for Nairobi Design Week 2024 is "We Got This". How did this theme come about, and what does it signify for the local design community and the festival itself?
The theme for Nairobi Design Week 2024 was “We Got This” which signifies development for both the community and the festival itself. Every year, we tell a story through the theme. It captures the zeitgeist: what is happening locally, around the world, and how we understand that as designers and as a community.
We have had themes from the very beginning. Every year we have tried to improve how we phrase it. The theme is also there to grow our community values, our company values, and our organisational values.
For example, in 2020, we had ‘Design is for everyone’ focused on accessibility and inclusivity. In 2021, during the pandemic, it was ‘Together’. In 2022, it was ‘Where we live’. In 2023, it was ‘It's what we make it’. And in 2024, it was ‘We got this’. We’re excited about the announcement of our next theme as well.
Can you share a specific example from this year's festival where design directly addressed a local issue?
I would like to introduce the project circleg, which produces prosthetic legs designed in Kenya. This project was created after six years of gathering insights from local Kenyans, and the team working on it comprises Kenyans, including some amputees. Hence, there is a personal attachment to the product and brand, as it significantly impacts people's lives.
In previous years, we have also collaborated with Kibera Fashion Week. Kibera Fashion Week positively impacts the entire community, having hosted two successful festivals in Kibera. These events encourage people to pursue careers in the fashion industry, opening up opportunities in modelling, designing, photography, and many other fields.
Sustainability is a crucial aspect of design. How is Nairobi Design Week promoting sustainable practices among local designers and artisans?
An evolving value for us, and something that we want to get better at understanding as the design industry evolves, is life-centred design. Currently, our focus is on human-centred design, which means all our creations are centred around people. However, we recognise that we are part of a planetary ecosystem and must work with nature, learn from it, and collaborate to design products, services, and ecosystems that integrate with and support the life surrounding us.
Since 2020, we have partnered with What Design Can Do , which offers an accelerator program as an award to the winners of their annual challenge. This year, we had the Redesign Everything Challenge, encouraging sustainable, community-focused ideas and promoting innovative thinking within various industries.
We have also showcased exhibitors like The Shaba, who closely work with artisans using sustainable materials such as sisal, which are woven together. During the exhibit, you can hear the stories of these artisans, highlighting the importance of working with indigenous knowledge, natural, and sustainable materials, and preserving skill sets that may be at risk of being lost.
Techniques like looming and weaving, once common, are now considered lost arts, with few people knowing how to practise them. We must learn and preserve these skills, keeping the knowledge alive for the benefit of design. These techniques are remembered within industries but often not by individuals, and as designers, it is our responsibility to maintain this knowledge.
What role do local and sustainable materials play in the projects showcased at the festival? Are there any standout innovations in material use that were highlighted this year?
Local materials play a crucial role in projects participating in the festival. For example, this year, we featured Rethread Africa, which creates textiles from pineapple fibre. These rare looming techniques, once common, are now difficult to find locally. Despite these challenges, Rethread Africa's project is exciting and was awarded another prize during this year's Nairobi Design Week. We look forward to tracking its progress in the coming years.
Another project we had at this year's festival was Climatile by Takazuri. Climatile produces recycled plastic tiles for roofs that are ultra-durable, UV-treated, and tested to European standards, while also meeting Kenyan market standards.
In addition, it has attachable solar panels that allow you to turn your roof tiles into solar panels. It's impressive how that product repurposes a material that would otherwise be considered waste. It adds energy as well as independence, which aligns well with the theme for this year, 'We got this'.
The exhibitors' interpretation of this year's theme showcased resilience and independence.
What support does Nairobi Design Week offer to Kenyan designers to elevate their work on both a local and global scale?
On a local level, we help designers elevate their work to new heights, which is deeply meaningful on a personal level. We are always open to meetings, host community meet-ups both online and in person, and regularly facilitate workshops as well.
Another kind of broader picture is that we are supporting the building of a cultural calendar, a creative cultural calendar in Kenya, not just in Nairobi. We collaborate with events around the country and in different parts of Nairobi as well. We recognise the importance of people understanding what's happening beyond the capital.
Capital cities tend to receive the most resources, and sometimes the areas outside of capital cities do not get those resources. Hence, we aim to ensure that all regions of Kenya are culturally showcased. This is why we have focused on Kenya and East Africa for Nairobi Design Week.
Additionally, we provide our exhibitors with opportunities for selling their products. Sales opportunities are important to us and we are happy when our exhibitors are pleased with their sales. Another significant aspect is networking. With over 5,000 people attending Nairobi Design Week 2024, it's very busy most of the time.
We're part of the World Design Week's network, which is a membership network of over 42 design weeks around the world on every continent. And we also serve on the board of and manage the community there.
This means that we have access to showcasing opportunities and designers around the world. Last year, we took part in Venice Design Week, where we showcased an exhibit with Journey Through the Senses created by Kenyan designers. And then we've also participated in two London Design Biennales.
That was in 2018 and 2021. In 2018, it enabled us to showcase a Refugees Pavilion, highlighting another group of people we collaborate with. It provided a platform for stateless individuals at a Biennale predominantly represented by exhibitors from states.
We approached that differently. In 2021, we hosted a musical interactive experience with Lotus of the Nile, bringing musicians and artists together to collaborate. We had participants from Ethiopia, Sudan, and even Egypt, all from down the Nile.
Can you discuss how Nairobi Design Week bridges the gap between design and other industries? What are some successful outcomes from these efforts?
We worked with Kenya Wildlife Trust and Sovereign Nature Initiative to create a project called Tracing the Wild. In this initiative, we curated artists and designers from Kenya, along with one from Nigeria, to create an interactive art exhibit. This exhibit featured an augmented reality experience where visitors could scan and discover the story of the actual lion represented in the artwork. We managed the entire production process from conceptualisation, and artist selection, to the final exhibition creation.
Another way we've connected with our exhibitors is by facilitating engagements at the festival. We also see people hiring a lot during the festival. Attendees often come to the festival to seek talent or engage with exhibitors for potential opportunities.
And those networks grow stronger as connections are made from person to person. Another way we engage with our community and learn about their endeavours is our podcast, Afrika Design, which takes a creative tour of Africa.
We've had conversations with people from over 20 countries across the continent, covering a wide range of topics. We've delved into discussions about different topics from the automotive industry to even dentistry.
I'm sure we'll be discussing prosthetics at some stage. We've also covered topics such as manufacturing and hosted numerous international guests, many of whom are part of the Pan-African community. Some have moved abroad, and their diverse experiences enrich our discussions.
What are the long-term goals for Nairobi Design Week in terms of growth, community impact, and sustainability?
Some of our long-term goals around growth involve personal growth for ourselves and the organisation, and being able to evolve, develop, and create world-class design experiences. We want to be able to provide a world-class showcasing platform for Kenyan designers.
In terms of our community impact, 2025 will mark 10 years, and as we approach our 10th anniversary, we look forward to making the pie bigger for everyone. That's the essence of our community. From everyone I speak with, it appears that different things impact us in different ways. That's what defines our collective experience, and it's wonderful that we can all share these diverse experiences in a shared space.
Note from Nairobi Design Week - Building for 2025
In terms of Nairobi Design Week 2025, we've already announced dates for next year. It's starting on International Women's Day - the 8th of March until the 16th of March 2025. And we're excited to announce the theme on June 24th, 2024, and launch our prospectus for the festival.
If you want to participate in 2025, you can already pre-register to apply for next year's festival. You can go to our link tree to apply.
