- AB InBev presents culture shifting panel masterclass
- Specificity Over Sameness
- When Culture Leads, ROI Follows
- Export Without Dilution
- The New Creative Economy
At Loeries 2025, the Culture as Currency panel set the record straight: culture isn’t decoration, it’s capital. Presented by AB InBev and moderated by Davin Phillips (CSA.Global), the masterclass brought together leading voices shaping Africa’s creative economy, Fabiana Pereira (AB InBev), Joel Rao (Dentsu Kenya), Russell “Yay Abe” Abrahams (Art+Design), Focalistic (Music), Shaun Duwe (Anything Goes Promoter/Events), and Star Kachisa (Spotify).
Across advertising, fashion, music, and design, one truth echoed through every story: African creativity is not niche, it’s a premium, exportable asset.
Specificity Over Sameness
The first chapter unpacked what makes African creativity different. Instead of chasing mass appeal, the panelists championed specificity as signal.
“Understanding nuance gives a more global impact,” said Phillips, setting the tone. “It’s not about excess; it’s about being specific.”
For Focalistic, who’s taken Amapiano from Pretoria to Paris, staying rooted is the secret. “Keeping it local makes it flow,” he shared. “African rhythm, history, and culture, when you bring it back home, that’s the true currency.”
Artist and Designer Yay Abe echoed this: “When brands trust artists to do what they truly want, that’s when authenticity shines. There’s beauty in going back to basics, even hand-painting again.”
Each story illustrated how local codes create global resonance. Or as Phillips reminded the crowd: “Specificity doesn’t shrink the audience, it sharpens the signal.”
When Culture Leads, ROI Follows
The conversation then shifted to the metrics that matter, how culture drives measurable business growth.
“Culture can move numbers and drive growth,” said Joel Rao, noting how Dentsu Kenya uses data storytelling to prove that emotion and insight outperform media weight.
Fabiana Pereira of AB InBev added, “We work harder to understand true local insights. It’s about telling the stories behind the numbers, seeing the brand through the community’s eyes, not our own.”
Moderator Phillips linked these insights to a growing truth: “When culture leads, KPIs follow.”
For Star Kachisa, cultural ROI is now quantifiable: “With Spotify, we track cultural heat, brand relevance, playlist growth, festival impact. It’s not abstract anymore, it’s measurable.”
And Shaun Duwe gave the events perspective: “Talent sells tickets, but cultural heat fills venues. When all-African line-ups connect with local pride, the energy is unstoppable.”
Export Without Dilution
A defining question emerged: How do we scale African stories without softening them?
The consensus: teach it, don’t translate it.
“Diaspora audiences, not remixes, took Amapiano global,” said Focalistic. “They understood the codes, they felt it.”
Yay Abe agreed: “Brands should learn the language of the culture instead of rewriting it. That’s how you build relevance that travels.”
Spotify’s Kachisa pointed to data proving this global appetite: “The sound of discovery today is African. Our playlists show that these stories don’t need translation, just amplification.”
The New Creative Economy
“Culture as Currency is about recognising creativity not as decoration, but as a driver of real impact, social, cultural, and commercial,” closed Phillips.
The message was clear: Africa’s stories are no longer waiting for validation; they’re setting the global standard.
The question isn’t if culture converts. It’s whether your brand knows how to bank it.
At CSA.Global, we help brands connect culture and commerce, transforming creative heat into measurable business growth.
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