The project brings online and showcases 60 specially-curated artworks produced by over 60 unique African creatives chosen by Design Indaba – each invited to contribute a work that captures the ‘colour’ and character of their home country.

Selected by Design Indaba’s founder Ravi Naidoo, the creatives will showcase the best of African craft, product, industrial design, fashion, film, animation, graphic, food, music, jewellery and architecture. “Africa is known for its bold, unapologetic use of colour. Each country, city and community is identifiable by its unique palette. As Africans, we can tell powerful stories through colour. This project tells a story of a continent through the universally accessible lens,” says Naidoo.

The first artistic undertaking of this scale, the project will allow viewers to discover stories of Africa as told by the African creative community. The artworks will be showcased online where users are invited to spin the kaleidoscope to explore the works in an effort to take users on a journey through Africa,  inviting them to view each country through the  eyes of a local artist.

“Google has always been acutely aware and in full support of the immense creative melting pot that exists on the continent. Collaborating with Design Indaba on this project allows us to bring this support to fruition. By empowering and amplifying African voices to tell the unique stories of their cultures through their work and creativity, we hope to provide much-needed exposure, cultivate a newfound curiosity, and window into the vast beauty that exists on the continent,” says Nitin Gajria, Managing Director at Google.

The project involves creatives from almost every discipline imaginable, from architecture, illustration, painting and ceramics through to writing, engineering, the performing arts and visual communications. Their creations have been converted into images, videos, texts and illustrations. The multidisciplinary mix of 60 artists includes Algerian photographer Ramzy Bensaadi, fashion designer Bisrat Negassi from Eritrea, filmmaker Archange Kiyindou “Yamakasi” from the Republic of Congo and visual artist Ngadi Smart from Sierra Leone.

To bring the project to life, Design Indaba collaborated with former Design Indaba conference speaker Noel Pretorius and his creative partner, Elin Sjöberg, who collaborated with Google Arts & Culture Lab to create the design concept and interface for the digital exhibition. The exhibition features a kaleidoscopic navigation tool that can be used to explore the art in a randomised way, giving the visitor a unique experience, while allowing the art itself to shine.

“Nothing like this exists to date, so we’re very excited to break new ground. This is an important artistic catalogue, the first of its kind to plot the expanse of African artistry on Google Arts & Culture. We salute Google for taking this important step to provide the world with a resource like this – not everyone can afford to travel here, or access physical art fairs and museums to view this kind of work,” continues Naidoo.

In addition to the Colours of Africa platform, the initiative will also see the launch of over 4 000 images, videos and 20 carefully curated exhibits from Design Indaba’s extensive archive. Award-winning initiatives like Sheltersuit, Arch for Arch and Emerging Creatives will be profiled extensively for the first time online.

New works by some of the most important creatives working on the continent and abroad will also be displayed. These include Fozia Ismail (featured creative on Serpentine Gallery’s Creative Exchange programme), Mayada Adil El Sayed (represented Sudanese women at the Generation Equality Forum) and Lady Skollie (winner of 10th FNB art prize).

Design Indaba, which celebrated its 25th year in 2020, draws top thinkers and guests from across the globe. Acknowledged as the world’s best design conference, it continues to be a leader in foregrounding African creativity, making it the logical ‘home’ for this project.

“We look forward to giving viewers a ticket to experiencing a whole new world, one that is outside of their everyday surroundings and creative knowledge. This project answers the vital call for all to notice and embrace African art in all its wonder,” concludes Nitin Gajria at Google.

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As part of the project launch, Design Indaba commissioned Nigerian multi-talented creative and  accomplished professional artist, Chief Nike Monica Okundaye to capture the unique spirit of her country in a colour which represents home to her. She created an original painting titled ‘The Female Drummer/Àyánbìnrin’.

Colour: Royal Blue

Country: Nigeria

Artwork Rationale:

The colour blue in Nigerian indigenous cultures is the colour of love. Before a king ascends the throne, he often has to wear the royal indigo blue. In Yorùbá, this is called ẹtù. In northern Nigeria, the colour is also used for the chief or the king. Same in eastern Nigeria. In the north, they sometimes even pound the blue into the turban when they marry a new wife. The whole face is sometimes blue to show love to the new bride. During their Durba, they sometimes wear the shining blue colour into the turbans to show love to the people at the festival.

“I used blue for this painting titled ‘The Female Drummer/Àyánbìnrin’ to illustrate both the love you see here between the drummer and her lover and the love desperately needed in the time of the coronavirus lockdown. In Yorùbá societies, the talking drummer is usually at the front of the palace sending messages to the king through the medium of the drum — messages that the visitor themselves might not understand. 

The unique thing about this painting, done during the lockdown, is the use of the female drummer instead of the typical male ones seen in traditional Yorùbá art. My work involves female empowerment — I have trained disadvantaged women, widows, and young women for many years on fabric art — so I am always happy to put women at the forefront of my artistic philosophy”, says Nike Okundaye, Founder and Managing Director of Nike Center for Art and Culture.

Explore the continent through the eyes of the inspired. To view Colours of Africa, visit the website on Google Arts & Culture. 

The launch, which marks the digital preservation of one of Nigeria’s last remaining sacred groves, is part of Google Arts & Culture ’s wider Heritage on the Edge project.

The project seeks to support site managers in digitally documenting heritage sites at risk due to climate change, using the imagery captured to further support community maintenance and conservation.

The Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove project can be explored via goo.gle/osun-osogbo. Highlights include  a 75ha Street View of the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove, including the Busanyin Shrine before it was affected by the flood and 3D models of four of the site’s dynamic shrines.

The collection allows people to view 900 high-resolution photographs of the site, contemporary and historical artworks and sculptures, artists and spiritual leaders.

It also tells 28 stories about art, community and spirituality at the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove, and the effect of climate change at the site and includes three audio interviews, including one with popular artist Jimoh Buraimoh about Susanne Wenger. 

The project also allows visitors to watch 27 video interviews and see aerial views and 3D views of the site while annotated 3D tours of the Busanyin and Iya Moopo shrines showcase the legacy of art and spirituality at the sacred grove.

“Google Arts & Culture’s mission is to preserve and promote the world’s art and culture online, allowing anyone, anywhere in the world to share in it. We are grateful that through partnerships we are now able to preserve one of the most recognised, culturally rich Yoruba heritage sites,  known for active traditional worship and contemporary art movements,” says Chance Coughenour, Program Manager and Digital Archaeologist, Google Arts & Culture.

“Through the use of state-of-the-art technologies, site managers will be able to monitor and mitigate the effects of the changing climate and more broadly provide resources to support growing the capacity for the preservation of heritage sites” added Coughenour.

Located on the forested banks of the Osun river in the city of Osogbo, in Osun State of Nigeria, the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove, a  UNESCO World Heritage site is several centuries old and among the last sacred groves of their kind which joined the edges of most Yoruba cities before the mass shift from rural to urban areas.

In the site, Yoruba deities are embodied in shapely, sculpted shrines where creativity and spirituality come to life. Recently, the Grove has been in danger of destruction due to flooding, heavy rain and climate change.  The  Busanyin Shrine was damaged in floods shortly after being digitally captured. 

“The Yoruba community is one of the largest in Nigeria and the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove is truly a unique and special place that embodies the essence of the Yoruba culture and heritage. We are excited about the digital preservation of the site and the partnership with Google Arts & Culture. It offers a noteworthy body of work that portrays the admirable culture of the Yoruba people to the world,” says Olufemi A. Akinsanya Akinsanya, Chair, Save Our Art! Save Our Heritage! Campaign.

“CyArk’s work in Osogbo has been a true collaboration between Nigerian government officials, local NGOs, the community of Osogbo, and His Royal Highness Jimoh Oyetunji Olanipekun Larooye II, who are all working together to share the stories of Osogbo with a wider audience,” says Kacey Hadick, Director of Programs and Development, CyArk. 

Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture, Federal Republic of Nigeria, adds: “I am truly delighted that, for the first time ever, the Osun Osogbo Grove has been brought online, thanks to Google Arts and Culture, which has partnered with CyArk and the Adunni Olorisa Trust/Osun Foundation to digitise the shrine and its surroundings, thus protecting both for posterity.”

“I said during the visit to the Grove in 2019 that it was important to refocus national and global attention on this world heritage site, and I am glad we achieved our purpose, as can be attested to by this project digitising the shrine and its surroundings. I wish to most sincerely commend all the partners for this monumental work,” Alhaji Lai Mohammed says.

Through past projects like Taste of Nigeria and Eko for Show, Google Arts and Culture has helped people across the world experience Nigeria heritage and history. 

The launch of the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove project allows new audiences locally and internationally an opportunity to experience its past, present and future, reinforcing Google’s commitment to preserving Nigeria’s cultural heritage.

Google Arts & Culture is available free to everyone on the web or via the Arts & Culture App on iOS and Android. Google Arts & Culture is a new way to experience art, history, culture, and world wonders from over 1000 organisations worldwide. 

Here are some photos from the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove project: