Lifestyle
The This Is Africa website launch: How we threw the party of the year in Nairobi
Ain’t no party like a This Is Africa website launch party! Just ask everyone in Nairobi where last week, This Is Africa put together the launch of the year to roll out our new-look website and debut the French version of the site. The launch was so ridiculously well attended our hosts, Nairobi’s swankiest new spot the Radisson Blu, had to make adjustments to contain the overflow. We’d love to tell you that the who’s who of Nairobi’s media, entertainment, civil society and industry attended the launch but why do that when we show you? Have a look for yourself
Sometimes, you either have to go big or go home. This Is Africa certainly fully subscribes to this principle. Actually, scratch that, we live it. That’s why when it came to planning the launch of the new This Is Africa website, we spared no expense to stage the biggest launch money could buy. The results speak for themselves: we lit up Nairobi and trended all over Africa.
We wish you could all be there, but you can only fit so many people at a hotel. For those of who have you have been asking how the launch went, here’s a play by play of how we threw the party of the year in Nairobi:
Lights, camera, action…
Our MCs for the evening, Isis Nyon’go and Mark Kaigwa, both celebrities in their own right, kicked things off with a mix of funny repartee and their own personal accounts of what they have learnt from This Is Africa over the years.
Then Nancy Onyango, the Operations Director for This is Africa (TIA), took the stage. She gave the audience an abridged history of the site and how it has grown into into its current role of being the premier digital platform for young people across Africa to engage creatively and tell their stories.
Nancy was followed onto the stage by the Deputy Ambassador to the Netherlands in Kenya, Mariëlle Geraedts who spoke, partly, on how This Is Africa is uniquely placed to stir young people in Africa to be agents of positive change.
Then it was time to introduce the chief guest, South African celebrity chef Siba Mtongana. Siba sauntered onto the stage wearing a striking red and black ensemble looking every inch the Queen she is.
After bathing in the ensuing applause, Siba gave a stirring speech littered with anecdotes from her own extraordinary life. She described her journey to becoming a successful female African chef in a male dominated industry. Siba also let the audience in on what makes her tick as well as her experience in making a success in the art of food, something she has always been passionate about.
It was impossible not to feel inspired.
After Siba’s speech, it was time to open up the stage to the young talent in the room. We were lucky to be entertained by two of Kenyan’s most gifted artists, Rachel Stephanie Akinyi aka Spontaneous, a poet, and Scott the Violinist.
All the while the drinks and bite-sized hors d’oeuvres were flowing.
And yes, (almost) everyone got the memo about the afro-chic dress code.
Nancy Onyango, our aforementioned fearless leader, wrote the launch up as a success. “The This is Africa launch event really set the tone for the road ahead. The launch was energetic and inspiring,” she said.
“It was a celebration of pan-Africanism and all that this beautiful continent has to offer. First and foremost though, it was a celebration of the vitality of our youth and their strong voices, their challenging opinions and their innovative spirit,” she added.
The This Africa Team couldn’t agree more. A special thank you from all of us to everyone who helped make the launch a roaring success.
