Africa’s Creative Goldmine: Unlocking Growth Amid Gendered Challenges

This article originally appeared in Art Africa Magazine
This article was authored by Chimaraoke Izugbara, Kerryn Magak, and Venantius Kirwana from the International Center for Research on Women; Catherine Boasiako from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana; and Kadiata Gueye from Université Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD), Senegal. 

Once considered a fringe, low-margin sector with limited or no economic impact, the creative sector has become sub-Saharan Africa’s next goldmine and most dynamic economic growth area. Reports indicate that creative economy exports have outpaced those of other industries in the region for the last two decades. Broadly defined as those industries rooted in individual creativity, skill and talent and potentially able to create wealth and jobs by exploiting intellectual property, the creative sector currently contributes substantially to the region’s economy, offering vast opportunities for employment and prosperity. From the actress and actor in a local movie, through the comedian telling jokes to live audiences, to the young dancer, documentarian, Instagrammer, fashion designer, photographer, TikTok skit performer, social media influencer, or vlogger, creative and cultural productions currently employ millions of Africans, generate billions of dollars in revenue, and have birthed a thriving new generation of African entrepreneurs who generate livable, sometimes abundant wages.

Evidence suggests that since 2019, SSA’s creative sector has contributed nearly 4% of sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP and generated more than US$58 billion in revenue. Currently, the sector accounts for 8.2 per cent of all jobs in the region, more than any other continent and greater than the global average. Africa’s audiovisual sub-sector alone employs 5 million people and generates US$5 billion of the continent’s annual GDP. It is also widely acknowledged that the sub-sector has the potential to generate over US$20 billion in revenue and create 20 million jobs over the next few years. In 2022 alone, the region’s live music sector generated nearly US$200 million, which is expected to double before this decade ends. CNBC reports that Africa’s annual music streaming revenues will hit US$314.6 million by 2026, up from US$92.9 million in 2021. While the value of Africa’s digital media and entertainment market is estimated at US$35.86bn, its fashion industry is booming and valued at $31 billion. Africa’s book market generates over US$2 billion annually, while the region’s art market is worth about US$1.5 billion. Alone, cultural tourism contributes US$168 billion yearly to the region’s GDP and supports over 18 million jobs. By 2030, forecasts show that Africa will produce up to 10% of global creative goods exports, valued at around US$$200 billion (or 4% of the region’s GDP).

Notwithstanding these encouraging developments, SSA’s creative sector is fraught with many challenges. Gender inequity, which prevents women creatives from having productive, dignified, and meaningful careers in the sector, remains one of the major and persistent challenges for the sector in Africa.   Our ongoing multi-country research, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, seeks to understand these challenges better and engage key stakeholders to identify solutions to address them. As part of the research, we reviewed existing literature to generate insights into gendered obstacles that Africa’s female creatives encounter. Evidence from the research can inform new research questions and the design and delivery of policy and programmatic action.

The creative persona in SSA is commonly constituted as a masculine subject, resulting in the widespread undervaluation of the contributions of women creatives in many sectors. The notion of creativity as a masculine domain contributes to discrimination and the gender pay gap in the region’s sector. Though often equally talented and educated as their male counterparts, women creatives in Africa often earn less for comparable work or roles, resulting in their invisibility and limited recognition and masking their artistic identities behind those of men. Ghanaian broadcaster Akua Sika has written about her experience of being sidelined, despite her education and expertise, from prime-time slots based on gender stereotypes by male managers who regarded drive-time shows as “men’s territory”. 

Gender inequality in the region’s creative sector also manifests in taboos that prohibit women from participating in some creative pursuits, such as weaving, carving, and sculpture, or playing certain musical instruments. Odidi writes that among the Abagusi of Kenya, a local lyre called Ebokano remains the exclusive domain of men. Through generations, it has been used to compose songs that celebrate men’s strength and wisdom while denigrating women. In Ghana, as Boateng reports, men almost exclusively produce the famous and profitable kente and adinkra crafts. Cultural taboos threaten women with infertility if they perform these crafts. Furthermore, the drum and nyatiti are still widely regarded as male musical instruments by the Yoruba people of Nigeria and the Luo people of Kenya, respectively.

The gender-related bias that manifests in common concerns that female creatives would become married or pregnant and abandon an assignment or role is also a significant reason they are overlooked for some roles in the industry. Iwuchukwu suggests that gender stereotypes lie at the root of some men’s resistance or refusal to be led or directed by women in specific creative contexts. During the production of one of her plays, a prominent African playwright reported that some male actors she worked with willfully disobeyed her or intentionally did things wrongly to undermine her play production. Another female university teacher in the region was denied the opportunity to stage her play by her male colleagues. They trashed her second play similarly, accusing it of contaminating and stinking up the theatre. There are also reports that female creatives, particularly DJs or performers in Africa endure increased scrutiny, discrimination, and doubt about their technical talents or ability to command a crowd. Such biases raise questions and doubt about these creatives’ technical talents or abilities, making it difficult for them to find jobs or establish themselves in the sector.

Women creatives in SSA also frequently juggle professional employment with gender roles and responsibilities, such as housework and childcare, with significant adverse implications for their career progression. Many of them have to take their children to rehearsals, put their professions on hold until their children are older, take long breaks after marriage, or end their marriages to focus on their careers. They also often work late and unsafe hours without security or childcare support. In South Africa, for instance, Female DJs routinely report safety concerns, including hijackings or attacks, on their way to and from work, limiting their capacity to work or take up opportunities.

GIZ reports that female performers in Africa who are also mothers are subject to increased scrutiny and bias. They are frequently expected to put their careers first and be available for tours, shows, and promotional events. Because of the perceived contradiction between these two responsibilities, women who choose to mix motherhood and music careers frequently lose support and suffer criticism, pressure to fit in, and barriers to job advancement. Generally, women dancers, musicians, and actresses in the region are frequently depicted as available for sex and or as sexually decadent persons. As a result, women in these creative careers often lack the social support to continue their work after marriage.

Unwanted verbal comments and jokes, trolling, coercive attempts to initiate a sexual relationship, and ‘quid pro quo’ harassment, in which sexual compliance is made a condition for jobs or roles, are regular experiences for several SSA’s female creatives. In South Africa, hairdressers, particularly migrant hairdressers, face harassment from both the police and local men who regard them as vulnerable, with inadequate support networks and minimal legal protection.  Powerful men in the sector in Africa have also been known to sexually harass female creatives, ask young female musicians to dress and dance more provocatively to get concert opportunities, make it difficult for female creatives to obtain financial and other support for their work, or pressure them into accepting predatory management contracts.  In their study of women journalists in Nigeria, Oreoluwa and colleagues found pervasive online harassment and trolling involving unwanted sexual advances, rape and death threats, as well as intimidation, heightened surveillance, impersonation, and other digital dangers.

Historic gendered inequities in access to education, credits, networks and other critical resources in Africa explain women creatives’ minimal job security, over-representation in informal or freelance creative roles, which have irregular incomes and lack formal contracts. Low-level education also explains several women creatives’ inability to register businesses or access venture capital. In Tanzania’s handicraft industry, research shows that men fare better than women creatives regarding product development information and market accessibility due largely to gender roles. 

In SSA, the creative sector is at risk of leaving women creatives behind due to gendered barriers. In addition to stifling women creatives’ capacity to work on their terms in the sector, these barriers result in slow progression, work dissatisfaction, lack of capacity to expand businesses, feelings of helplessness, and career interruptions among women creatives. Overcoming gender inequality in Africa’s creative sector requires multi-pronged efforts, such as addressing societal norms, providing better access to funding and mentorship, ensuring equal representation and recognition, and promoting policies that foster more inclusive and equitable creative workplaces and environments for women. A credible and inclusive growth trajectory can be created in SSA’s creative industry through improved governance, addressing persistent inequality, and delivering gender-sensitive initiatives through strategic collaborations with creative sector institutions and intermediaries such as guilds and networks. Lessons can be drawn from existing efforts in the region supporting innovative women-led artistic projects, creating platforms for inclusive gender representation in the cultural sector, and assisting women to challenge and overcome some of the norms and stereotypes that have held them back. Global programs such as Women in Music also offer practical lessons and insights for increasing the visibility of women creatives through education, empowerment, and recognition, and for providing them opportunities for networking and collaborations with peers and mentors.