TONL x Afrochella - Africa is Home
Exploring what it means to come "home" to Ghana for the Year of Return was a big theme for this year's Afrochella festival. Afrochella is more than just a music festival; it's a time for people across the diaspora to celebrate - particularly African millenials. Afrochella is a Pan-African festival celebrating culture through Food, Art, Music and Fashion. The Core values are centered around community as they aim to be a vessel for African Millennials to invest in their heritage and native culture. The Afrochella Festival is just one of the many ways Afrochella uses community to embody the phrase "Adawo". In partnership with Afrochella, we will take a deeper dive into some of the people who attended Afrochella. Today, meet Seun Shobande, a Nigerian-British man who gives us insight on what it means to come "home".
As a Nigerian-British person, what inspired you to come “home”?
Sketpa once said “When I was in school, being African was a diss”. Growing up in the UK I can echo that experience. And whilst we’ve definitely seen a shift in that way of thinking, coming here was the perfect opportunity to witness that at scale. For me, seeing the joy and pride of people experiencing the beauty of the continent, the richness of our heritage and the culture of our people is very powerful. It’s something that I was never going to miss.
What are you most excited about uncovering while in Ghana?
We have such a great mix of people on the ground here in Ghana, not just returnees, but locals and people from other African countries, each with their own individual motivations and perspective on being here. Discovering those personal stories and finding ways to connect through deep and meaningful conversations is really what being here is all about.
How do you plan to bridge the gap between the diaspora and Africa?
Whilst the festivals and events are great, The Year of Return is really about putting a stake in the ground for what comes next. However, that only can happen by creating genuine opportunities to bring people together. I’m really focused on how to be a facilitator to great conversations and creating ways for people to connect on the ground in Ghana and through the use of technology, maintain those connections to build new experiences that meaningfully improve people’s lives once TYoR is over.
Check back for more stories and images from TONL x Afrochella! Shop our collection by searching: TONLxAfrochella or clicking the collection below!