In respective industries that are dominated by men, these five women are continuously making the choice to chart their own creative paths and pave the way for more women like them to receive the support, knowledge, and resources they need to either follow in their footsteps or chart their own paths. The goal in the long run is to make strong and influential women in creative industries the norm as opposed to the rarity we often have to seek out. For International Women’s Day, these five influential change-makers tell us a piece of their story and each leaves us with important takeaways.
Nikita Chauhan
CEO of TranslateNC, A Talent Management And Strategic Service Agency.
“Being a human in the creative space is cool but being a woman is incredible! I am surrounded by women who just get shit done, they’re focused, determined, powerful, and constantly breaking down barriers. It’s what inspires me, it’s what keeps me going, and what makes me feel confident about the future of the creative landscape.
I can’t pinpoint one moment or ‘low’ (I call them lessons) that has defined me. Navigating the creative space as a brown woman has been filled with experiences that helped me evolve, adapt, grow, and learn, that’s the most important thing. No matter what, you have to be yourself. Being me has got me this far and it’s what is going to take me further.
Yes, it’s not easy navigating the creative space as a woman, especially as a brown woman. But you know that we are doing it, and whilst doing so we are writing our own new narratives. The real beauty of it is that those stories are becoming more and more collaborative and intertwined, crossing borders and breaking ceilings whilst doing so.”
Gracey Mae
Head of Publicity, Public Relations | Mae Management Consultancy Group
“The global theme for International Women’s Day this year is ‘Embracing Equity’. Equity is defined as “the quality of being fair and impartial”. It speaks to extending passed equality (having the same access to the same opportunities, options, benefits, pay, education, healthcare, and more) and focuses on compensating for past inequities. An increase in both is so desperately needed in the creative industry. While there are many women in this space, the positions of power are still predominantly held by men. In African music, list the most influential label owners, artist managers, artists, producers, A&R, sound engineers, promoters, lawyers, accountants, and publishers. The first faces you see are largely men. This creates an unconscious bias that women like me are less formidable or knowledgeable which is absolutely not true.
A few key organizations are taking steps to embrace equity. Sony Music UK’s Director of Africa (Taponeswa Mavunga), all of the directors at Mavin Records (Emmanuella Nnadozie, Jennifer Imion, Rima Tahini, Ifeoma Okonkwo), Chocolate City’s EVP (Aibee Abidoye), Empire’s Director of Operations (Titi Adesanya), and One RPM’s Director of A&R and Operations (Osagie Osarenz) are all women. Let’s build on their legacy and make this a norm, not a token. I push organizations to create equity through affirmative actions, I ask men to listen to women and believe them the first time with no preconceptions or assumptions, and I encourage every woman to take time to deliberately and intentionally create her own narrative and voice.”
Bonita Darkoh
Global Strategist, BMW | Looping Group, Brand Director, ÁJÍFA, Editor-in-Chief, iMullar
“As a woman in any working environment, navigating can be pressing for many reasons. Now, when it comes to experiencing lows, there is a lesson in every situation. What is the lesson here? I do not allow any obstacle I face when it comes to business to consume me. I know where I am headed. I know my purpose; that is what keeps me grounded. Whatever is for you will never pass you. This outlook keeps me level-headed regarding the creative industry’s lows and highs.
The future is BRIGHT for women in the creative industry. And I can truly say this because of the number of incredible women I know doing the groundwork behind the scenes that are due to receive their flowers. The future is BRIGHT.”
Natalie Narh
Co-Founder and CEO of NewComma
“I’m fortunate to have grown up in an environment where my parents nurtured my sister and my creative endeavors and empowered us to go after what we want regardless of how we identified ourselves. My mission throughout my career has been to extend this freedom of expression to other Africans.
My career in the creative industry started off as a freelancer in uni, and I quickly came to the realization that I was entering a space that wasn’t created for women (or Africans in general) to immediately thrive in. It was frustrating because I recognized the lack of resources and talent management created a facade of incompetence. Almost a decade later, everything we’re building with NewComma is set on giving creatives what they need to always put their best foot forward, and women especially need to be given the space to do that.
I see a future of autonomy in women shaping their own narratives via creative channels. It’s an exciting time ahead!
The quote “you must know yourself to grow yourself” always sticks with me because how can you solve a problem you don’t know exists in the first place? Introspection is crucial in this field of work.”
Ademeso Olamide-Adeola
Product Manager, EMPIRE Africa. Head of Operations & Marketing, KVLT WRLD
“I came into the creative space at a time when opportunities were not so easy to access, especially for young girls like myself. The ‘gatekeepers’ had a stronghold on everything and would never share contacts or access to opportunities. At some point, we just learned to create our own opportunities, and take charge. I think it helped us grow a lot faster because we became problem solvers and just perfected our crafts on the job. These days, you see more young women (myself included) taking up executive roles that they never would have gotten some 4/5 years ago and I love it for us! Because we understand firsthand how much damage the lack of resources can do, many of us are passionate about creating more opportunities and opening more doors for the younger generation and even people around us. The future is ours!
Find your voice and never let anyone talk down on your ideas. Never lose sight of your true purpose because it’s easy to get distracted by this fast-paced scene.”
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