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By Chinwendu Obienyi
The founder of Design Week Lagos (DWL), Titi Ogufere, has said merging technology with design could solve some of the challenges in the Nigerian creative industry. This is even as Ogufere disclosed that the DWL 2021 festival would hold from October 21 to October 31, 2021, and will see core programmes, including a central exhibition showcasing new work from across the continent, an awards event, and a series of talks and lectures, exploring new pathways in manufacturing methods, illuminating ingenuity and information-sharing so that a growing community of contemporary designers can better tap into a rich history of craftsmanship and unique material knowledge across the continent.
Speaking to newsmen during a media briefing in Lagos recently, Ogufere said the theme for the 2021 design week was “Design Revolution,” adding that DWL was committed to building a culture of innovation in Lagos and promoting the city as an international hub for design.
She noted that every country has experienced industrial revolution and added that one of the things Africans have is the gift of creativity, while technology has not been harnessed enough by the continent.
“For technology, we have not explored enough like our other peers in the world and, if you think about our craft, a lot of crafts are dying because the new generation prefer only technology and they do not understand that technology and creativity can be merged to develop amazing products. So, one of the things that we are doing at the Design Week is exhibition and promoting more contemporary African-inspired pieces,” she said.
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According to her, the festival will see the launch of the beta version of the “ID Buyers Guide,” which was created and designed to help people source products in the creative industry.
“People want to be able to use phones to do whatever and launching the app, people can actually source for products and services in the creative industry and that is why I think merging technology with design can even solve some of the challenges involved in the creative industry.”
The app is called the ID Buyers guide and so we are launching the beta version where we can get some people to work and understand the behavior of the consumers and the industry to know what is really needed to be used”, She said.
The DWL 2021 festival will take place in various venues across the city of Lagos and given the limitations of the global pandemic, this year’s program will be tight and targeted, with more robust digital components.
Highlights of the program include; Design Kulture exhibition, DWL 2021 prize, Made by designs docuseries launch on Netflix and the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers (IFI) African regional roundtable discussions.
