Colours of Africa

A kaleidoscope of 60 artists from across the continent, curated by Design Indaba

Experiment

Collect the Colours in a Brand New Interactive Experience

Launch the new bespoke online experience

60 new artworks to explore

Poetry

"Bold as cobalt, ochre as ancestry"

Listen to award-winning poet, Lebo Mashile's, never-before-heard piece

Art

60 Artworks, By 60 African Artists

Paintings, sculptures, films and more from across the continent

What's your favourite colour?

Explore through the African kaleidoscope

Red

The colour of passion and power

See all the red artworks

What does red mean to you?

The Colour of Freedom

Fashion designer Bisrat Negrassi tells the herstory of Eritrean women

The Vibrant Red of Egypt's Capital

Filmmaker Ghada Wali takes you on a personal journey to her hometown

Red is history

Four women explore the past through tones of nature

Red is flavour

The distinct taste of red

A Magic Moroccan Root

Chef Najat Kaanache explores the transformative power of beetroot

The Taste of Childhood

Author Juan Tomás Ávila Laure remembers the hot red chillies of his youth in Equatorial Guinea

The red heart of Africa

Stories of power, love, and life

The Warm Heart of Malawi

Artist Eva Chikabadwa celebrates the passionate people of the country

The Beating Heart of Mali

Musician Fatoumata Diawara dissects how the colour red unites us

Women United in Burkina Faso

Choreographer Irène Tassembédo explores the movement

Ghana's Fight For Independence

Ghanaian illustrator Kobby Toons tells a story of love and sacrifice

Red is earth

How two artists use natural red pigments from their home countries

The Beauty of Rust

Hakim Idriss creates art from the pigments found in rust

Uncovering Ancient Pigments

How the oldest Chadian civilisation inspired Salma Khalil Alio's work

Orange

The colour of the earth and sand

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Orange is earth

Five creatives use the rich hues of the earth to uncover their roots

The Colour of Care

Scholar and cook Fozia Ismail celebrates the intimacy of henna

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Is sand the oldest colour?

Stories from the sandbanks

The Cow Made With Colours of River Sand

Created by Eswatini collective Ngwenya Glass

The Beauty of Libyan Landscapes

Artist Abdullah Hadia invites you to enjoy a desert fruit

The Shimmering Hues of Niger

Architect Mariam Kamara explores the constant colour of the desert

Yellow, Gold, and Copper

Is sand the oldest colour?

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What is the colour of...

Vitality

Cameroonian architect Herman Kamte on energy and hope

Dreams

Artist Aaron Mlunga explores why Zambia is the country of copper

The Future

View Zimbabwean artist Mudiwa Marasa's animation on youth

Joy

Beninese collaborative Grand-Popo Painting Salon honor the power of African women

Using the City as a Canvas

Fashion designer Selly Raby Kane explores Medina's thriving art scene

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Yellow is survival

Creatives use colour to bring attention to the plight of African biodiversity

Memorializing a Namibian Marshland

Artist Frauke Stegmann delves into the past through the colour gold

Yellow is the Colour of Resilience

Mauritian photographer Vincent Montocchio outlines the threat of industrialisation

Yellow is fashion and food

Two African women use yellow to explore heritage and tradition

Materials Inspired by Mountains

Basotho fashion designer Mapiso Thaisi illustrates ancient attire

Layers of Flavour and Colour

Ghanaian chef Selassie Atadika celebrates the versatility plantains

Black and White

Darkness and light

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The colour of protest

Liberian women demand an end to injustice

How Black Unified a Liberian Movement

Learn with civil engineer and entrepreneur Jefferson Krua

An Ecosystem of Electronic Waste

Togolese architect Sénamé Koffi Agbodjinou sees hope in burnt silicone

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To a brighter future...

Artist Jean Katambayi Mukendi creates collages of electronic waste

Zoom Into the Work

A poem for the present

Learn About the Collages

Energy, environment, and electricity in Africa

Discover the Details

See how African electrical resources are mined for the west

The spirit of Sudan

Explore with fashion designer Mayada Adil El Sayed Mohamedalazrag

White in Movement

A poem for Sudan

The Colour's Multiple Meanings

From revolution to peace

The History of White

Throughout Sudanese's past and memory

White is hope

Safeguarding Peace

How jewellery designer Margaux Wong's uses her craft to celebrate peace in Burundi

Hope and Harmony

Artist Ngadi Smart shows the unity of Sierra Leoneans

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Green

Trees and growth

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Green is nature

Discover stories from two African countries

Glimpses of green

Architect Issa Diabaté's photographs the lush life of the Ivory Coast

Learn more

The colour of growth

Two creatives recall the greens of their childhood

The Memory of Green

Songwriter Boddhi Satva memorializes the green trees of his childhood

Colours Are Part of Us

Artist Kwame Sousa on the colours that have always been with him

Blue

The colour of sky and water

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Blue is love

Why blue is the colour of love

Love and Empowerment in the Colour Blue

Nigerian artist Mama Nike explores gender roles

Stories Woven With Threads of Blue

Read Gambian writer Ya Mallen Jagne's short story about love and tradition

Blue is story

Stories told through the colour blue

From the sky to the sea

The universal meanings of blue

Blue = Loss

Creative Daniel Hugelman's story of loss

Blue = Hope

Architect Christian Benimana's blue beginnings

Blue = Freedom

Designer Renne Roussouw on the desert sky

Blue = Future

Creative Stella Pucurutcha on Africa's oceans

Overcoming Afrophobia

Discover filmmaker Akuol Garang de Mabior's digital collage 'Blue Black'

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Blue is water

Four creatives unearth the significance in their countries

South Africa's Troubled History of Blue

Artist Lady Skollie explores from it's earliest uses to it's difficult past

South Africa's Seeds of Strength

See the work of artist Luke Rudman

Cape Verde's Misleading Blue Waters

Is blue really the colour of Cape Verde?

The Shades of a Botswana

Artist Kim Karabo Makin unpacks the significance of the shade

Purple

The colour of tradition and royalty

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Inspired by Tradition

Fashion designer Anyango Mpinga celebrates her heritage

30 Shades of Purple

Zoom into the work by Anyango Mpinga

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Selim Harbi

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Selim Harbi

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Selim Harbi

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Selim Harbi

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Selim Harbi

Artist Selmi Harbi's Invisible Colours

Click on the dots to zoom into the details

click on the dots to zoom into the details
View the full work

Keep exploring the Colours of Africa....

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Take in the details

Learn more about Design Indaba

Creativity driving change

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Emerging creatives

How Design Indaba nurtures young talent

Antenna

Bringing together the world's best design graduates

Online Exhibit

The Young, The Curious and The Brave

Today's graduates create a new tomorrow

How Design Changes our World

From ancient relics to music on the moon

Online Exhibit

With Great Design Comes Great Responsibility

Designers shaping the future

The most beautiful object in South Africa

A Design Indaba initiative celebrating our diverse opinions of beauty

The Beautiful Thing About Beauty

Beauty in the new decade

Exploring Beauty Accross Media

From poetry to medicine to fashion

Art creating change

The social impact of creativity in Africa

Online Exhibit

Another Light Up

Community level change through art-based social impact

Online Exhibit

Discover What Design Can Do

One designer's response to homelessness in South Africa

Lasting legacies

Two projects honouring South African heros

Online Exhibit

Arch for Arch

A tribute to Desmond Tutu

Online Exhibit

Music, memory, monument

Commemorating the life and work of Bra Hugh Masekela

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