Artificial Intelligence continues to be a topic of discussion globally as creatives, musicians, artists and the like ponder the future of creative arts. As such, a new Nairobi forum is set to examine what this technology means for African cultural heritage, artistic ownership and the future of creative practice.
Creatives Garage has announced the first event under its new Legacy Project, a series of creative experiences exploring the relationship between culture, technology, identity and the future of African creativity.
Dubbed Unfold Conversations: AI X Culture, the event will take place on June 24 at Nairobi Street Kitchen and will bring together artists, researchers, legal experts and cultural practitioners to discuss how emerging technologies are transforming the creative landscape.
According to the organisers, “the initiative seeks to leave behind stronger creative networks, new collaborations, cultural documentation and innovative approaches to storytelling, while creating public conversations around issues shaping the future of African creativity.”
Central to the conversation will be questions around cultural safeguarding in the age of artificial intelligence, including how traditional knowledge, languages, music, stories and other cultural expressions can be protected as AI systems increasingly draw from vast amounts of digital content.
The discussion will also explore what happens when cultural material is reused, reproduced or monetised through technology, and how AI systems can be developed in ways that respect cultural context, attribution and community ownership.
Set to lead the conversations will be Oyinkansola Onwuchekwa, also known as KKC, an AI and Data Science researcher whose work focuses on ethical AI, African languages and responsible technology. She is also a musician and songwriter, bringing both technical and creative perspectives to the discussion.
She will be joined by intellectual property lawyer and musician Wandiri Karimi, whose work focuses on creative rights, cultural heritage, AI and sustainable development for African creators.
Also participating are poet and curator Emmaus Kimani, who works on archiving and documenting contemporary East African creative practice, and Bukonola Ngobi, an urban designer and creative who explores the relationship between culture, creativity and emerging technologies through her work at the Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute.
The event follows the success of the 2025 UKKE collaboration and marks the launch of the Creatives Garage Legacy Project, which aims to create platforms where artists, audiences and collaborators can engage with new ideas, experiment across disciplines and build sustainable creative ecosystems.
