At Marmalade Collective, community and culture have always been central to us. The people, the stories, the questions; they’re where the real work happens. Over the course of 2025, we sat down with artists, founders, creatives, thinkers, and culture-shapers across the continent and diaspora, not just to interview them, but to listen. What came out of those conversations were moments of honesty, shared memory, ambition, and care.

This compilation brings all of those interviews together in one place. It’s an archive of voices, ideas, and lived experiences that shaped our year; conversations that reminded us why storytelling still matters, and why community is something you build slowly, intentionally, and together.

Community, Culture, and Collaboration: The Driving Forces Behind MIZIZI

MIZIZI means "roots" in Swahili, and that's exactly what founder Paakow Essandoh set out to reclaim. What started as a university project in 2015 has grown into a global sportswear brand redefining what it means to wear your heritage. From Forbes collaborations to becoming a diaspora staple, MIZIZI fuses performance, style, and cultural pride into every piece. We sat down with Paakow to talk about building a movement that goes far beyond the jersey.

Finding Beauty in the Ordinary: Kashope on Love, Photography and Community

Photographer Kashope Elijah Faje doesn't need luxury to capture romance. Raised in a household where cameras were always present, he learned early that beauty lives in the everyday moments most would overlook. He challenges the idea that love requires extravagance, instead finding intimacy in the mundane. We talked to Kashope about growing up between cultures, building community through collaboration, and why the ordinary makes for the most honest storytelling.

Creating Home Away from Home: Inside ‘My Friend's House’ with Demilade

After years in Lagos and then the U.S., Demilade Aina returned to Nigeria with a simple question: where do adults go to make friends without the pressure? The answer became My Friend's House—a third space that's exactly what it sounds like. Not a bar, not a café, just a living room designed for the kind of easy connection that's surprisingly hard to find as an adult. We talked to Demilade about building a business around belonging, and how she turned her love for small gatherings into a space where strangers become regulars.

Designing for Connection: How Cherif Gueye Reimagines Everyday Objects with VIJN

Cherif Gueye believes the shape of a bowl can change how we connect. Growing up between Senegal and the U.S., he saw firsthand how objects and rituals bring people together. Now, through VIJN, he's creating everyday items—like ergonomic bowls designed specifically for shared meals—that turn functional objects into tools for connection.

Preserving Memory Through Art: Aminata on Identity, and Reclaiming the Past Through Creative Expression

Aminata's art—whether writing, photography, or ceramics—is about making feelings tangible. Through her creative house Iyeketi, she transforms memory and pain into something you can hold. She spoke to us about her artistic process, how photography preserves what words can't, and the ways colourism and identity shape the stories she needs to tell.

Healing Through Sound: Ṣẹwà on Music, Community, and Her Debut Album 'Detox'

Ṣẹ̀wà uses her voice as both refuge and weapon. The Nigerian-born, Toronto-based artist blends Afrobeat, Fuji, Jazz, and R&B into something entirely her own—a sound that's sold out shows in two countries and earned her an opening slot for Asa. Made with her community and father in mind, her album Detox reveals the full scope of her Afro-soul vision. Ṣẹ̀wà reflected on the challenges that shaped her sound, and why music became her most honest form of healing.

Naledi Modupi Creates Art as a Celebration of Strength, Vulnerability and Beauty

Naledi Tshegofatso Modupi draws African women the way they deserve to be seen; bold, layered, unapologetic. Her continuous line illustrations have gone from South Africa to London, Cape Town, and Chicago, rewriting tired narratives with every stroke. Naledi got honest about creative doubt, why collaboration fuels her work, and making sure her art actually reaches the people whose stories she's telling.

Telling Stories That Matter: Nyasha Kadandara on Film That Transcends Borders

Nyasha Kadandara left finance to pick up a camera, and hasn't looked back. The Zimbabwean director and cinematographer has since premiered films at SXSW, DOC NYC, and CPH DOX, shot for BBC, CNN, and Vice, and built a career telling African stories that complicate the narrative. Her work digs into untold histories and the women shaping its future. She broke down the leap from spreadsheets to storytelling, why she gravitates toward stories.

DJ Melzi Makes Music for the People, and Everyone’s Tuned In

DJ Melzi is pushing Amapiano into its next era. Born in South Africa and now shaking dance floors in London, his sound is spiritual, soulful, and unapologetically global. As his music travels, one thing stays constant: a deep respect for the roots that shaped it. In this conversation, Melzi opens up about ambition, genre-bending, and building something bigger than the music; a movement powered by community, intention, and sound made to travel.

Making Room: How Space Studio Is Reshaping Nigeria's Music Scene

In 2020, three creatives from different corners of the world—Yosa, Esoterica, and Olayemi Oladapo—founded Space Studio for artists who don't fit neatly into playlists. Yosa, a DJ and producer making waves in Lagos, broke down how they're balancing business with creative freedom, building community without selling out, and why carving out literal and metaphorical space matters more than ever.

Pelumi Nubi is Changing the Way We See Africa Through Travel

Pelumi Nubi drove from London to Lagos solo and the world couldn't look away. Now she’s channeling that energy into projects that let locals tell their own stories. Pelumi opened up about ditching her PhD for the road, navigating identity across borders, and why African travel is still wrapped in myths that need dismantling. This one's for the dreamers weighing safety against curiosity, and anyone ready to stop planning and just go.

Herrana Addisu Turns Lived Experience into Visual Resistance

Herrana Addisu left human rights work for filmmaking when she realized stories move people more than policy briefs. The Ethiopian-American artist founded Chucha Studios to reclaim who tells stories about Black and immigrant communities. Her debut film, The River, explores Ethiopian girlhood and the gendered danger of fetching water, drawn from her own childhood memories. In this feature, she discusses the shift from activism to art, why casting is political, and how memory fuels everything she makes

Ozoz Sokoh Finds Home and History in Every Nigerian Dish

Ozoz Sokoh tells Nigeria's story through its food. The culinary anthropologist behind Kitchen Butterfly spent a decade documenting the recipes and rituals that define Nigerian cuisine. Her new cookbook, Chop Chop, spans all six regions with over 100 recipes. But it's more than recipes; it's a cultural record for anyone reclaiming their food history. Ozoz reflects on the journey to publication, why documenting food requires nuance, and how the kitchen is a space for resistance and pride.

Kolapo Oladapo Shows That Culture Moves When Community Leads

This interview is a guided tour through Kolapo’s journey across music, media, tech, and storytelling and a call to action for everyone building within culture. Whether you’re a student, an artist, a brand manager, or just someone trying to figure things out, there’s a piece of his story that’ll resonate.

Kilubukila Is Reclaiming Congolese Design as a Tool for Power and Pride

Every now and then, we come across a creative whose work doesn’t just look good, it feels like something bigger. Jess Kilubukila is one of those people. In our conversation with Jess, we talk about everything from his journey into the creative world, to what it really means to “formalise” artisan work in Kinshasa. We explore how he’s challenging the global gaze on African design, and what he’s dreaming into existence for the future of Kilubukila.

Mercedes Benson Is the Multihyphenate Powering Culture on Her Own Terms

Mercedes Benson is the definition of a cultural architect. Moving between the DJ booth and the boardroom, she’s a London-based powerhouse who’s rewriting the industry’s DNA. In our conversation with Mercedes, we dive into her journey from a science degree to spinning for the likes of Louis Vuitton and Valentino, explore how she’s championing Black talent, the influence of her Nigerian heritage on her sound, and how she balances the world of fashion with a deep, mission-driven purpose.

Marième Mboup on Taking Fashion Beyond Aesthetics and Into Intention

Marième Mboup, known as Yumboë, is a visual storyteller redefining fashion through the lens of heritage. From Dakar to Montreal, she’s a stylist and textile artist whose work refuses to follow trends, but anchors itself in Senegalese culture and intentionality. If you're curious about how fashion can be a tool for storytelling, resistance, and cultural preservation, or just want to hear from someone who’s doing it with honesty and heart, then you should read this. Marième is building something special, and it’s only the beginning.

Words of Azia on Preserving Culture Through Song

Words of Azia is more than just a singer, she’s a mood, a ministry, and a bridge between worlds. The Ivorian artist has quickly made a name for herself by blending ethereal vocals with deep spirituality. In this conversation, we dive into how she weaves Bété, French, and English into her music to create a universal language of hope. We explore the intuition behind her 2024 debut, why she treats songwriting as a spiritual tool, and how she’s bringing Ivorian traditions into the global spotlight with nothing but love and intention.

Violeta Sofia is Taking Up Space in the Global Art World

Violeta Sofia is one of those artists who refuses to be boxed in. A Cameroonian-born, Spanish-raised photographer and activist, she blends the dramatic lighting of the Old Masters with a radically modern mission: making sure Black and female voices aren't just seen, but celebrated. Together, we trace her journey from picking up a camera at eight years old to exhibiting at the National Portrait Gallery. We explore how she turns conditions like vitiligo into poetic art, her fight for representation, and what it means to belong everywhere and nowhere at once.

A Beginner’s Guide to Collecting African Art

Art collecting still feels intimidating to most people; too expensive, too exclusive, too easy to get wrong. Lauren Demir, founder of Lofty Spot, disagrees. She built her platform to make collecting feel human, accessible, and less about insider knowledge than simply training your eye. Her latest feature explores sustainability and renewal through tactile, narrative-rich work, and she broke down how to start collecting, connect meaningfully with artists, and build something that grows with you.

Fiifi Abban’s Photography is Breathing Life into the Heart of Modern Africa

Fiifi Abban is proof that the most powerful stories often start with a simple spark. What began as a high school curiosity and a small camera has blossomed into a lens that captures the raw, warmth of contemporary Ghana. In our chat with Fiifi, we trace his evolution from the Ghanaian coast to becoming a leading voice in African photography, the quiet intimacy that defines his style, and his mission to show the world a version of Africa that feels both incredibly modern and timelessly soulful.

Cape Town Craft Club is Reviving the Joy of Crafting by Hand

Andie Reeves is on a mission to make "slow living" social. What started as a few friends crafting in her living room has blossomed into the Cape Town Craft Club; a judgment-free space where people swap screen time for crochet hooks, clay, and conversation. She shared how she turned her passion for textiles into a city-wide movement, the magic of making things by hand, the creativity of Cape Town, and how her "Kind Craft Club" initiative is proving that a simple handmade blanket can be a powerful act of community care.

A Third Space Represents "The In-Between" for Creatives

A Third Space is Nelson C.J’s answer to the beautiful chaos of Lagos. In a city that never stops moving, the writer and curator has carved out a "quiet rebellion," a sanctuary where the creative community can finally slow down, breathe, and actually connect.

Onyeka Igwe Curates a New Wave of International Moving Image at Bow Arts, London

Onyeka Igwe makes films that move, literally and emotionally. A London-born moving-image artist, she uses rhythm, archives, and everyday Black life to uncover stories that have been ignored for far too long. This winter, she leads Visions in the Nunnery – Programme 2 at Bow Arts’ Nunnery Gallery alongside works by 24 artists from around the world. We spoke to Onyeka about returning to deeply personal work, curating across borders, and what her recent showcase means to her.

The Wine Club Lagos Is Changing How Nigeria Learns, Tastes, and Feels Wine

Folakemi Alli-Balogun is rewriting Nigeria's wine story. Through The Wine Club Lagos, she's shifted wine from luxury symbol to shared cultural experience, building a 500+ member community through tastings that blend education with storytelling. Her latest move: Symphony of Wine and Sound, paired six wines with original orchestral compositions performed by a 20-piece ensemble. Folakemi discusses her journey into wine, the creative risks behind the Symphony event, and her belief that wine has a voice everyone already understands.

Conclusion

At the heart of this guide are people who care deeply about what they’re building and who they’re building it for. Different paths, different stories, but the same thread of intention, culture, and community runs through every conversation. This collection is our way of holding space for those voices. A place to come back to, to discover something new, or to simply listen.