Kenya’s artists, musicians, fashion designers and content creators gathered in Nairobi for a major industry summit focused on expanding the country’s creative influence across Africa and beyond.
The Creative Summit held at East African Breweries headquarters brought together leading figures from Kenya’s entertainment and creative sectors to discuss how the country can strengthen its position in the global cultural economy.
The event featured two panel discussions examining key trends in the creative industry. The first, “Walking with culture: When music unites a continent,” looked at how music serves as a bridge across African borders, enabling cultural exchange and raising the profile of African creativity internationally. The second panel, “Strides in progress: Content meets culture,” explored how fashion, art and digital storytelling are creating new opportunities for African creators.
Kenyan artist Nyashinski, who serves as Brand Ambassador for Johnnie Walker, the summit’s host, attended the event and shared insights from his career as one of the country’s most influential musicians.
The summit also introduced AfroExchange, a new platform scheduled to launch in November that aims to connect African creative talent across the continent. The initiative is designed to encourage collaboration and co-creation among artists, musicians, designers and other creators.
“This summit has been an incredible opportunity to celebrate Kenya’s immense talent and creativity. We are proud to stand alongside artists, creators, and innovators who are redefining what it means to be African on the global stage. It also serves as a launchpad for the upcoming AfroExchange event, which will build on this momentum and create even more opportunities for collaboration across the continent,” said Alvin Mbugua, General Manager, Spirits, EABL.
AfroExchange will showcase African creativity on a continental scale, following a similar event held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in June this year. The platform is intended to highlight Africa’s growing impact on global culture and create connections between creative professionals across different countries.
“At Johnnie Walker, our excitement lies in continuing to champion talent and supporting their progress, because when this creativity thrives, Africa walks taller, in line with our brand ethos of Keep Walking,” Mbugua added.
The event highlighted how Kenya’s creative sector is being recognized not just as entertainment, but as a serious economic force with the potential to put the country on the global cultural map.
