One of fashion’s most recognisable creative forces is coming to Gaborone, but IB Kamara’s appearance is less about the glamour of the guest list and more about the economics behind African creativity.
GAZETTE REPORTER
IB Kamara has spent years turning images into cultural currency. Now, the internationally recognised creative director, stylist, editor and image-maker is bringing that conversation to Gaborone.
Kamara will open the Banana Club Economic Inclusion Forum 2026 on October 16, joining founder and director Tanlume Enyatseng for Culture as Economic Power — a conversation exploring what creativity can become when it moves beyond aesthetics and into economic and institutional power.
FROM COVERS TO CULTURE
Born in Sierra Leone, raised in The Gambia and based in London, Kamara has built a career that refuses to stay in one lane. His portfolio stretches across fashion, photography, film, publishing and creative direction.
He served as editor-in-chief of Dazed from 2021 to 2025 and joined Off-White in 2022 to oversee its creative direction following founder Virgil Abloh’s death. His work has appeared in British Vogue and Vogue US, while his creative portfolio includes work for Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Dior, Nike and Ferragamo.
During his Dazed tenure, he created cover shoots featuring Rihanna, Harry Styles, Rosalía, Dua Lipa, Doja Cat and A$AP Rocky.
But the Gaborone conversation goes deeper than celebrity and fashion.
AFTER THE INVITATION
The forum’s theme, Access: Beyond Inclusion, asks what happens after representation when creatives finally get inside the room.
Enyatseng says access must involve more than visibility: “It is about having the agency, resources and ownership required to participate in shaping them.”
He adds: “This year, we want to move beyond representation and ask more difficult questions about who gets opportunity, who receives capital, who owns the value being created and, ultimately, who gets to build.”
That question will run through the forum, including a Digital Futures Lab exploring music, technology and digital culture.
The programme culminates on October 17 with the Banana Club Block Party, bringing the forum’s conversations into a public cultural space centred on music, community and nightlife.
Additional speakers, collaborators and programme details will be announced in the coming weeks.
The 2026 forum builds on Banana Club’s inaugural Economic Inclusion Forum, which brought together regional delegates, workshop participants and cross-sector conversations around economic inclusion.