Elevated experiences celebrating the culture through dance and rhythm
Elevated experiences celebrating the culture through dance and rhythm
The Africa Creative Market 2026 just wrapped up in Lusaka, Zambia, and if you weren’t there, you missed something special. From June 29 to July 4, the Zambian capital transformed into a buzzing creative hub where Africa’s cultural innovators gathered to talk business, build connections, and celebrate the continent’s exploding creative economy.
Partnering with the Creative Industries Business Summit Zambia (CIBSZ) and KWIMBO, Africa Creative Market brought together everyone from YouTube creators and fashion designers to filmmakers, musicians, and policymakers. The conference portion ran from June 29 to July 2 at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre, before the energy spilled outdoors for the KWIMBO National Arts Festival at Lusaka Showgrounds on July 3 and 4.
The opening ceremony set the tone with the theme “Positioning Zambia as Africa’s Next Creative and Digital Economy Powerhouse.” Dr. Inya Lawal, founder of Africa Creative Market, joined representatives from the Zambian government and Nigerian High Commission to kick things off. From there, the conversations got real. Nigerian content creators Layi Wasabi and Olufemi Oguntamu (Penzaar) broke down the YouTube creator economy in “A Creator’s Roadmap to Revenue,” hosted by Digital Creator Africa’s Oma Areh. Running parallel, industry heavyweights including Trino Motion Pictures’ Uche Okocha and actor Hakeem Kae-Kazim discussed investment strategies at the Creative Capital Forum.
The event covered serious ground over its conference days. There was the Global Creative Legal Summit tackling copyright and intellectual property under the African Continental Free Trade Area, the Creative Technology Summit exploring animation and AR/VR storytelling with Slickcity Studios founder Malik Afegbua, and the Women in Film & TV Conference led by Dr. Inya Lawal championing inclusion across the screen industries. Theater professionals got their moment with actor Deyemi Okanlawon leading discussions, while the FashionEVO Summit brought designers Ejiro Amos-Tejiri, Moriam Musa, and Blessing Achu together to talk sustainability and global fashion positioning.
The Music Summit addressed what matters most to Africa’s sound creators: publishing rights, monetization strategies, and building sustainable music businesses. Malik Afegbua delivered a standout live AI filmmaking demonstration that had attendees buzzing about technology’s role in African storytelling. Another major highlight came when Ramsey Nouah and Rita Dominic attended the Zambian premiere of “77: The FESTAC Conspiracy,” bringing one of Africa’s most anticipated films to an enthusiastic Lusaka audience. The festival portion at Lusaka Showgrounds closed out the week with live performances, the FashionEVO Runway Show and Awards, and the ACM Next Level Competition showcasing emerging creative talent.
Africa Creative Market 2026 proved that when the continent’s creatives connect across borders, magic happens. The conversations, collaborations, and cultural exchange that filled those six days in Zambia showed exactly where African creativity is headed—and it’s looking bright.
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