1st Global Ted To Be Held In Africa Only Nigerian Wale Oyejide To Participate

For the first time in a decade, TED will be held in Africa and Wale Oyejide is the only Nigerian on the list. Wale Oyejide, was born and raised in Ibadan, Nigeria and he moved to the US as a teenager. He describes himself as an Afrobeat musician, an attorney and menswear designer.

About ten out of the twenty-one TED Global Fellows are African, from countries such as Egypt, Uganda, Liberia, Botswana, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Somalia and Nigeria. Each of them will deliver a talk at TED Global this August in Arusha, Tanzania joining a growing list of 436 other Fellows from 94 countries around the world.

Wale Oyejide founded his fashion line 'Ikiré Jones' to convey stories about immigrant populations to the western world.

He said: "Too often, the issues of Sub-Saharan Africa are spoken about, and spoken to, by outsiders who don't have accurate frames of reference from which to base their judgments."

He says his designs marry West African aesthetics with artistic influences from different cultures across the globe. 

In an interview, with OkayAfrica, he revealed how he started creating saying: "For me, it was a natural evolution. The same way I began my music career several years ago by diving-in, I began my career in the menswear industry. "Creative people have a difficult time sitting on the side-lines. When we find something we are passionate about, we end up trying our hand at it, for better or worse. "I do not have any formal fashion training, no. I’m sure it would help, but I wasn’t going to let the lack of a formal education in the field stop me.

"I’m generally inspired by images of people who look at ease and comfortable with who they are. It makes me want to translate the same sentiment with my clothing. Also Kanye West lyrics.

"I am personally not aware of any brand that has combined high-end Italian construction and African elements, and presented them with the sort of inspired-narratives that I have. I don’t think it is a stretch to say that a visit to my website is a wholly unique experience."