Collaboration: Just a way to make more money?

Bobby Kolade spoke to us from his fashion design studio in Kampala, Uganda with Rasheeda Nalomosa joining us from Nairobi, Kenya to talk about the circular economy in Uganda and wider in East Africa, and ways that creative enterprises are tackling climate and sustainability challenges. They gave insights into the need to unlearn, that running successful creative companies for them is finding new ways to develop creative offers and then different ways of doing business. Much of the learning from universities and text books did not offer new disruptive approaches that were world withing (Haraway, 1988) so they were creating radically different ways of working.

Rasheeda spoke of the optimism that she had about the new networks across the continent, and the opportunities to think bigger and acknowledge the potential through and with others. Bobby told us that his optimism was fuelled by his team, but that when he reflected on collaboration he first thought of the collaborations between large scale brands, and how these were less about mutual exchange and more about ways to increase sales and encourage people to buy more.

The session reminded me that the optimism I have for the creative industries and for ways of “doing” business better, more ethically with less harm to people and the planet come from the radical but gentle innovations in East Africa.

In the afternoon Ashley Evenson gave a workshop that encouraged participants to find new ways of developing relationships with clients, customers and other collaborators by finding ways to tell stories with alternative main characters. Ashley reflected that compassion is about taking yourself out of the main character role, and about meeting people where they are.