African magazines and digital platforms have become more than media outlets; they're a group of cultural record-keepers and tastemakers shaping how the continent sees itself and is seen by the world. Across print, digital, video, newsletters, and physical projects, these platforms document fashion, art, music, design, architecture, and social discourse with nuance and intent. They don’t simply report on trends; they contextualise movements, spotlight emerging voices, question dominant narratives, and build archives that future generations will return to.
At a time when global attention on African creativity continues to expand, these publications play a crucial role in authorship and representation. They create space for local perspectives, regional specificity, and diasporic exchange, ensuring that storytelling is layered and self-defined rather than externally framed.
This guide is the first in a five-part series mapping the magazines and platforms contributing to that ecosystem, each list offering a cross-section of the editors, writers, curators, and image-makers shaping contemporary African cultural discourse.
Twyg Magazine
Based in South Africa, Twyg Magazine focuses on sustainable fashion, design, and lifestyle. It approaches creativity through the lens of responsibility, merging ethics with aesthetics in a way that feels thoughtful rather than excessive. Covering both print and digital formats, Twyg connects design to environmental and social accountability, positioning sustainability not as a trend but as a long-term framework for the industry.
TANGAZA Magazine
Based in Nairobi, Kenya, but focused on East Africa, TANGAZA Magazine primarily covers music while exploring the interconnected worlds of fashion, visual art, design, nightlife, and youth culture. Known for its detailed, niche-forward approach, the magazine, operating exclusively as a digital publication(articles and newsletters), highlights emerging artists and creatives shaping the region’s new wave movement.
ArtAfrica Magazine
Based in South Africa, ART AFRICA Magazine focuses on contemporary art from Africa and the diaspora, covering exhibitions, artists, galleries, and critical art discourse. Published digitally through articles and video features, ART AFRICA amplifies expressive, socially engaged practices, explores themes such as sustainability in art, and fosters dialogue that connects communities across the Global South and beyond.
Soylemag
SOYLEMAG focuses on fashion, film, and culture, telling bold visual stories across digital platforms. Beyond editorial features, the magazine releases limited-edition print pieces, blending style, art, and cultural expression into collectable forms. Its work sits at the intersection of editorial and creative direction, positioning the magazine as a cultural documentor.
Orun Africa
Based in Côte d’Ivoire, Orun Africa is a visual magazine passionate about shaping and preserving Africa’s narrative. Through its creative hub, Orun Studios in Abidjan, it primarily shares Francophone content centred on impact, art, and craft, guided by its ethos: for Africa to tell its own story and build a culture that outlasts time. Its storytelling feels intentional and sovereign, rooted in reclaiming authorship over African identity and heritage.
Contemporary and(C&)
Founded in 2013 and led by a core team across Berlin, Nairobi, and New York, Contemporary And (C&) is an international art platform centring African and diasporic perspectives. Expanding beyond its bilingual online magazine into C& Magazine, C& América Latina, print publications, education programs, and cross-disciplinary projects, it creates spaces for reflection, research, and exchange across digital and physical formats. Its work connects geographies and generations, offering depth, critical thought, and meaningful dialogue within global contemporary art.
Essential Interiors
Based in Lagos, Nigeria, Essential Interiors is a leading design publication showcasing architecture, interiors, and innovation across Africa. Published in print, it celebrates the craftsmanship behind spatial design while spotlighting artists, architects, and designers shaping the built environment. Through its platforms and initiatives such as design showcases and awards, it positions design as both cultural expression and technical excellence.
NiiMag Digital
NiiMag Digital is a media platform documenting Black cultures across fashion, art, film, photography, beauty, and knowledge. Delivered digitally through interviews, features, and cultural commentary, it covers music, brands, iconography, and visual storytelling with a distinct Y2K-inspired edge. Its tone is bold, informed, and community-driven, creating space for layered conversations around contemporary Black expression.
AfriqueNoire Magazine
Afrique Noire Magazine is an independent print and digital publication spotlighting African and diasporic stories through fashion, culture, art, and social impact. Through curated issues such as The Artist’s Dilemma and collectable pieces that celebrate African craftsmanship, it bridges continents while amplifying creative voices. Its storytelling is vibrant and unapologetic, celebrating the richness and dynamism of African cultural identity.
African Imaginary
Based in South Africa, African Imaginary is a cultural platform spotlighting work born on the continent across books, music, festivals, and podcast conversations. Through digital content, interviews, and multimedia storytelling, it recognises African brilliance with an authentic, knowledge-driven approach. Its voice feels rooted, thoughtful, and committed to documenting culture with depth and clarity.
Across regions, languages, and formats, African magazines and platforms continue to expand what cultural documentation can look like; independent, critical, and self-defined. In the next volumes, we’ll spotlight more publications shaping conversation and ensuring that the continent’s stories are told with context and care.
Member discussion