AFKInsider: The message that this sends to the world is important from a marketing perspective, but it also builds confidence in African business.  

Swaady Martin-Leke:In creating YSWARA, the first concern was not about the marketing of Africa but – more importantly – how we preserve, promote and drive innovation into our African culture. YSWARA is a cultural business. The luxury industry is in essence a vital and key actor of the cultural industry.

Culture and history provide for the future and are powerful accelerators for urban, economic and social development. With the recent traumatic history of Africa, the deficiencies of the educational system and the rapid economic growth, culture and the knowledge of history have been left out. The wealth of the African culture, its centuries of craftsmanship and the knowledge of the continent’s history are endangered.

By creating beautiful contemporary objects made by African artisans telling African history, we are an active actor of preservation of African craftsmanship, cultural revival and promotion. Lastly, if globalisation represents a diversity of cultures, individuals without culture are not playing an active role in the contemporary era. And as Africans, we want to play an active role in defining the world in which we are all living.

AFKInsider: How important was it for you to be able to include the talents of African women?

Swaady Martin-Leke:I have been continuously inspired by my mother and other great women. In return, in everything I do, I wish to empower Africans and especially women so they can believe in themselves and know that there is no limit to what you can be and achieve in life if you purposefully apply your mind to it, and work hard in a smart way.

At YSWARA, we have a preferential hiring and procurement policy towards women. Over one-third of our suppliers are women-owned companies and about 50% of all our suppliers are SMEs (small and medium-sized businesses).

AFKInsider: How important is it to inspire new generations of entrepreneurs?

Swaady Martin-Leke:Our youth need to be inspired by contemporary leadership icons, celebrating our modern day heroes. Who are the innovators, the great political leaders, the trailblazing businessmen and women we admire and are proud of? Who is our young African generation admiring?

There is a vacuum in the media when it comes to Africa. We need to share more African stories and create more iconic leaders. It is not about the money they made or only the end result but their process, the journey they took, the challenges they overcame, the failures they learned from and the disruptive approaches they dared to have.

AFKInsider: How much pressure do you feel as a role model in terms of the need to succeed?

Swaady Martin-Leke:I am always very honest about my journey, the successes and the failures and, as such, I don’t feel any pressure to succeed as long as I continue to be honest along this journey. I always give the best of myself, operate with unyielding integrity and try to balance priorities at all times. There are great days and there are bad days. At the end, what matters most is to build something that is bigger than myself, my team and which will have a positive impact to my continent.