The creative mentors of the second edition of Afrique Créative

A support at different levels

As part of the Afrique Créative incubation programme, each laureate entrepreneur is supported by :

a local incubator to help them manage the growth of their business according to an action plan (incubation phase)
a “creative” mentor, to help them grow in their role as a creative and cultural entrepreneur 
an “investor” mentor, to support them in scaling up (strategy, financing needs, preparation of financial projections, negotiation with investors, etc.) (acceleration phase)

Focus on creative mentoring, a multifaceted and tailor-made support

The 8 laureate entrepreneurs are individually coached by a creative mentor, a renowned professional in their field who will support them on the cultural and creative aspects of their organisation throughout the programme.

Mentors come from a variety of backgrounds, but are chosen for :

Their expertise and experience in addressing the specific challenges of each mentee,
Their international network and/or knowledge of the sector or local context,
Their human qualities: listening and dialogue, their ability to understand, motivate and support the entrepreneurs; and their availability.

Discover the creative mentors of this edition of the programme:

Biibop’s creative mentor: Saintrick

“I think I was able to open up an innovative axis in the offers that the company BiiBop proposes. More precisely, by opening a sound gap in their toy basket, with stories and educational texts told and recited with a musical accompaniment. These sound works are of course interacting with some of the toy ranges on offer.”
Saintrick

In addition to being a musician, Saintrick is also a visual artist, illustrator, scriptwriter, sound engineer and trainer in sound engineering. He is currently developing several comic strip projects that will be turned into animated films, video games and also figurines for young audiences. He is also working on video capsules entitled “La Minute du Nzonzi” based on African cultures and traditions through oral transmission.

Creative mentors of Safi Label: Caterina Bortolussi & Francesca Rosset (Kinabuti)

Caterina and Francesca think they have brought Dzifa “practical and real work experience, tools, materials and international expertise. We were able to mentor Safi Label in different areas spanning from marketing, sales, admin, HR, financial and distribution, working both on current and strategic approaches necessary for growth.”
Caterina and Francesca

Kinabuti is a social enterprise that acts as a bridge; connecting youths, women and marginalized communities with local ecosystems and global players. The purpose is to promote, encourage and make social economic change in Africa.

Quad-A Records creative mentor: Gerhard Roux

“The mentee gave me so much hope for the future of Africa. The fact that they are developing something focused on the people and not the resources was so refreshing to witness.”
Gerhard Roux

Gerhard Roux is a media production designer and recording technician. His clients include the three-time Grammy-winning vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Oscar-winning composer Trevor Jones (Last of the Mohicans, Mississippi Burning, Notting Hill). During his career, his productions received 17 South African Music Awards (SAMA) nominations, a German Record Critics Award (Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik), as well as appeared on the Grammy submission list multiple times. In film, his production ‘Skoonheid’ received the Un certain regard accolade at the Cannes Film Festival, and the soundtrack of the film Zambezia was nominated for an Annie Award. In pursuit of a signature sound, he designs and build ribbon microphones.

Creative mentor of Akacia Productions: Reem Allam

“I believe the most valuable insights shared with the mentee were around strategic management of festivals, organization growth, audience development and retention, environmental sustainability, leadership styles, and taking care of one’s mental health in the music business. I also explored with him new funding opportunities matching his projects, and connected him with other international professionals/curators that are willing to collaborate with him on future projects.”
Reem Allam

Reem Allam is the Executive Manager and Artistic Programmer of the Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival (D-CAF), Egypt’s largest international multi-disciplinary arts festival that takes place in Downtown Cairo, presenting theater, dance, music, film, and new media arts.

Morbiket’s creative mentor: Laetitia Barbu

Laetitia Barbu believes that she brought to Morbiket “realistic perspectives thanks to my experience and knowledge of the different creative aspects of entrepreneurship. In particular the different facets of creativity, which we don’t always think about, and the ability to innovate in this often very competitive field, including sustainable development/SDG issues.”
Laeticia Barbu

Laetitia Barbu is a designer, illustrator and art director (ARK-ELLIA Design). She was previously, and still is, a consultant in cultural heritage and sustainable development. She works in France, Europe and Asia for various European and Nordic projects, particularly around innovation and sustainable development. She co-founded ILLUSTRIOUS LAB, in order to encourage co-creation and generate innovative solutions with and through design and illustration.

Palm Grove Software Creative Mentor: Olivier Nallet

A renowned programmer, Olivier Nallet has extensive experience with companies such as Zynga, Valve and now Facebook Occulus. He is also an investor and fund manager.

DL Multimedia‘s creative mentor: Fouseyni Diakhité

“The particularity of Afrique Créative with its system of incubation and follow-up of projects and entrepreneurs by mentors makes it a programme with a real impact for the development of the creative industries sector in Africa.”
Fouseyni Diakhité

Trained as an economist, self-taught plastic artist-designer and consultant in new media communication strategy, Fousseyni Diakité is a young cultural and social entrepreneur. President of the Walaha Group, a group of young people and structures working to bring together the digital economy and culture around projects with a strong economic and social impact for young people. He is the initiator and artistic director of “Walaha Webt TV”, the AG’NA festival (Ciné à dos + le Festival au désert), the University of Holidays now organised by the Incubator and the Coworking Space “LAB-TaP” promoted by the Walaha Group.

Creative mentor of Deed Development: Maïmouna Dembelé

Maimouna Dembélé is a cultural operator who grew up between Senegal and the United States.

A former basketball player with a degree in journalism, her career began in 1996 in Mali at Kaïra Fm. Back in Senegal, she worked at Radio 7 Fm. Passionate about hip hop, the journalist created and hosted the programme “Blister”. Maimouna has also worked at Vibe Radio. She runs a communications agency called DC Communications, which specialises in public relations, management and events.

Read the previous article: Bootcamp n°2 in Tunis: focus on fundraising and impact

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