Afrofuturist Osborne Macharia's Magadi takes a fantastical look at a pressing issue

At Design Indaba 2017, Osborne Macharia introduced the audience to Magadi, a new series which focusses on a group of former female circumcisers.

Posted 16 Jan 18 By Katie de Klee African Design • Art & Photography Creative Work / Design News Design Indaba Conference 2017 Comments

From the Series

Through an African lens

At Design Indaba Conference 2017, Osborne Macharia introduced the audience to a stunning Afrofuturist series Magadi, which imagines a group of former female circumcisers who abandoned their former practice to educate young girls escaping early marriage in the art of fashion.

"This is the story of a group of former female circumcisers living in the vast salty plains of lake Magadi who abandoned their former practice and took up Ethnic Fashion as an alternative livelihood," explains Macharia. "They now shelter young girls escaping early marriage, teaching them on fashion skills such as styling, fashion design, print work and modelling for both local and international runways."

"Little is known about them till now…"

Welcome to the fantastical world of Magadi.

Below, check out "ATIE" – the official video for Nairobi-based alternative music maker Blinky Bill's new song and featuring the Magadi characters. It is Macharia's directorial debut, and the video has as much artistic and conceptual merit as his photographic work. We're just days weeks away from the next Design Indaba Festival.

Find out more here