In an interview with Emi Eleode for ARTnews, Richmond Orlando Mensah discusses the launch of the New Africa Cultural Initiative (NACI), the nonprofit extension of Manju Journal, and its mission to build sustainable cultural infrastructure across the African continent. The article introduces NACI’s inaugural programming, including Preserving Legacies – Creative Futures, a textile-focused workshop series beginning in Accra and expanding to Lagos, Dakar, and Abidjan. Central to the initiative’s first program is artist Zohra Opoku, who will lead the inaugural workshop in collaboration with the Foundation for Contemporary Art—Ghana and the Vlisco Foundation.
Mensah describes Opoku as “one of my favorite multidisciplinary artists,” emphasizing her longstanding engagement with textiles, material culture, and archival photography. He explains that inviting Opoku to lead the first workshop was a natural fit given her practice and her ability to connect craftsmanship with cultural preservation. The program marks Opoku’s first time leading this type of workshop and aims to create a bridge between established artists and emerging creatives.
Opoku’s participation also reflects NACI’s broader interest in shifting conversations around African textiles beyond fashion and toward their artistic, historical, and cultural significance. Through her workshop, the initiative seeks to foreground craftsmanship and preservation while creating opportunities for younger artists to learn directly from established practitioners.
