Our Future, Made in Africa: Event highlight
1 mai 2014
madeinafricafoundation
Internationally-renowned designer Ozwald Boateng OBE curated a stunning fashion show featuring four designers from Africa or its diaspora communities, wowing guests at his Gala event Celebrating Africa's Progress, in collaboration with the IC Publications Africa Bankers Awards, in Marrakech, Morocco.
The designs of Amine Bendriouich (Moroccan), Pierre Antoine Vettorello (French Ivoirian), Samantha Cole (British-Nigerian), and Mimi Plange (Ghanaian-born Californian) were brought together for the show by Mr Boateng. Featuring 30 models, including Sessilee Lopez and Sonja Wanda, the Made in Africa Foundation celebrated the enormous positivity coursing through the African continent and its diaspora in terms of creativity and commerce.
In addition to the Fashion Show, the event also featured electrifying musical performances by John Legend and Youssou N'Dour, and the after-show featuring Akon and Yasiin Bey (the artist formerly known as Mos Def).
Earlier in the day, the Made In Africa's principle of bringing together the continent's skillsets to co-operate towards progress bore significant fruit with the signing of the Marrakech Undertaking by the Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation -- a recognition of the two foundations' mutual obligations to assist in the development of the continent, focusing on transformational infrastructure projects.
The event was attended by 400 leaders of the world's banking and investment community, gathering in Marrakech for the African Development Bank's annualsummit, concentrating on creating progress and investment across Africa.
Ozwald Boateng commented:
"Africa has been the inspiration of all great artists such as Picasso and designers like Yves Saint Laurent. As Africa rises and we see the African century our creativity in all the arts will be clear."
Chris Cleverly, CEO of the Made In Africa Foundation, stated:
"For Africa to reach and exceed the growth rates needed to feed and house all our people and become the powerhouse of the globe that it could needs a meeting of the minds of its creative genius and its finance gurus - this extraordinary event is the first of many!"