The Afmaade association is organizing the third edition of the International Festival of Young Talents from May 4th to 7th, 2023, in Rabat, Morocco under the High Patronage of His Majesty Mohammed VI, may God assist him. According to Mrs. Zaïneb Karroumi El Kadiri, founder of the Afrifata festival and president of the Afmaade association, this initiative is a social incubator dedicated to design and fashion professions for emerging and talented creators. Afrifata was created in May 2018 in Casablanca.
“It is the first pan-African program dedicated to its youth on the African and European continents. Building on its success in Casablanca, Morocco, we wish to extend it beyond the borders of the African continent to create this bridge. Our objective is to develop economically and provide support and guidance to young emerging talents and small emerging businesses in the fields of culture, crafts, textiles, and social entrepreneurship,” said the Moroccan Zaïneb Karroumi El Kadiri, Designer, committed businesswoman, and president of the Afmaade association in Morocco.
As a reminder, the creative industry is one of the most dynamic sectors in the world. In 2012, UNCTAD estimated that the global market for goods and services exported by this sector was approximately $473 billion. According to the same report, in this sector of creative industries, it is noted that 69% consisted of media and design. But what is Africa’s share in this business, and how can we capture the maximum flow?
Afrifata is an African response to this question. This is how the Afrifata Festival and its partners mobilize to give young African stylists who wish to emerge a chance. By participating in the economic transformation of communities and our countries, it would be important to promote and develop young talents, especially in the creative field. It is also a way to unite and strengthen the bonds between our young people on the continent, to get to know each other kindly through our cultures that resemble each other but bring us together, and to develop together beyond borders.
This year, the festival will be based in Rabat, the African capital of culture. Afrifata Rabat is thus a festival celebrating fashion and showcasing the richness and diversity of the culture of the African continent. Young talents will be at the center of the four days of meetings, in the form of a fashion show competition, roundtable discussions, a gala dinner fashion show, and an artisanal exhibition in the African fashion village.
Rabat-Salé and the surrounding areas are one of the largest Moroccan artisan production zones. The program “Rabat, African Capital of Culture 2022,” organized under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him.
This will be in partnership with the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa, the Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication, and the Municipal Council of the city of Rabat, which will see the organization of 100 cultural and artistic events in the capital between June 2022 and May 2023.
Zaineb Karroumi El Kadiri indicates that an industry is essential for the sustainable development and growth of the continent. In her opinion, this industry has the potential to contribute to millions of jobs in the long term in the African continent, of which 60% are under the age of 25.