Amarachi Nwosu Explained

Amarachi Nwosu
Birth Place:Washington, D.C., U.S.
Nationality:Nigerian–American
Works:Black in Tokyo
Occupation:Photographer, film maker
Education:Temple University

Amarachi Nwosu (; born 29 September 1994) is a Nigerian-American photographer, visual artist, and filmmaker currently based in New York City.[1] [2] She is also the founder of Melanin Unscripted,[3] a creative platform and agency which aims to dismantle stereotypes and blur cultural lines by exposing complex identities and cultures around the world.[4] Her debut documentary "Black in Tokyo"[5] premiered at the International Center of Photography at the ICP Museum in New York City in 2017. She also screened the film in Tokyo, Japan at Ultra Super New Gallery in Harajuku.[6] [7]

Personal life

Born to Nigerian Igbo parents, Itsekiri and Ghanaian heritage,[8] Nwosu grew up in Washington D.C. and lived some of her early years in Port Harcourt, Nigeria and New York City.

Nwosu went to school at Temple University in Philadelphia but moved to Tokyo during her junior year after winning six scholarships to study a year abroad as an international student, where she pursued a degree in International Communications. She finished her degree in the US and returned to Tokyo to learn Japanese and work as a full-time creative, where she was part of the launch of Highsnobiety in Japan and worked with clients like Beats and Sony Music Japan.

Career

She shot a fashion story, ‘Sankofa’ at the Cape Coast Castle in Ghana for Vogue. Activist Malala Yousafzai, commissioned her to document her visit to Tokyo in 2019.[9] [10] Other powerful figures she's shadowed and shot include supermodel Naomi Campbell during her trip to Lagos, Nigeria[11] [12] and Ebonee Davi.s[13] She has also directed short films on the power of women in sports for companies like Nike in Nigeria.[14]

Nwosu has been involved in pushing the Afrobeats and afrofusion sound as a visual artist, music journalist, creative director and brand manager. She has worked with artists like Mr Eazi, Yxng Bane, Nonso Amadi, Odunsi The Engine, Santi, Kwesi Arthur and Tobi Lou.[15] [16] She also worked as the tour photographer for Childish Gambino during his 2018 ‘This is America’ tour.[17] [18]

In 2018, she directed the launch of Budweiser in Nigeria through their Budx platform[19] by curating the homecoming exhibition for Nigerian-American Hip Hop documentarian Chi Modu within her Melanin Unscripted platform as a way to bridge the golden era of Hip Hop in America and the current space of Hip Hop in Nigeria.[20] The event was a two-day exhibition, workshop, panel, concert and party.[21]

She has also bridged music and youth culture in Japan, where she shot the first feature for The Fader highlighting the contemporary music scene in Tokyo[22] and the first African woman to appear on Adidas Tokyo's Instagram page as a way to highlight diversity in Japan.[23]

Social media and advocacy

In 2017,[24] Nwosu tweeted about the plagiarism and cultural appropriation of African prints[25] by British designer Stella McCartney during its showcase at Paris Fashion Week, sparking an outrage on the social media platform.[26] OkayAfrica called it "Cultural Colonialism"[27] and in a viral tweet, she bemoaned the use of African designs by the brand "but using only one African model on her runway".[28] [29] [30] [31] [32]

Despite backlash, McCartney failed to apologize and issued a statement to Fashionista that gave credit to textile brand Vlisco in the Netherlands rather than indigenous African women.

“The prints were about celebrating a unique textile craftsmanship, its culture and highlighting its heritage. We designed the prints in collaboration with Vlisco in the Netherlands, the company that has been creating unique Real Dutch Wax fabrics in Holland since 1846 and helps maintain its heritage." it wrote.[33]

Notable mentions

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Meet the Nigerian-American Photographer Tackling Fashion's Complicated Relationship With Race. Vogue. 26 June 2019 . en. 2019-08-08.
  2. Web site: Amarachi Nwosu. OKAYAFRICA's 100 WOMEN. en-US. 2019-08-08. 2021-03-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20210311030341/https://100women.okayafrica.com/editorial/amarachinwosu. dead.
  3. Web site: 9-to-5: A Jet-Setting Documentarian Shares Her Tokyo Shopping Tips and the Secrets Behind Her Style. Vogue. 19 April 2018 . en. 2019-08-12.
  4. Web site: Global Voices – Black In Tokyo: a Documentary About Life in Japan. Johnmarlon. 2018-03-04. Global Voices. en. 2019-08-12.
  5. Web site: I, Tokyo: Amarachi Nwosu. Time Out Tokyo. 12 October 2018 . en. 2019-08-08.
  6. Web site: Filmmaker Seeks to Use Movies to Impact Cultural Representation. Jamison. Shantell E.. 2017-12-08. EBONY. en-US. 2019-08-08.
  7. Web site: Filmmaker Amarachi Nwosu explores beauty and being black in Tokyo. Mic. 6 December 2017 . en. 2019-08-08.
  8. Web site: 'Black in Tokyo' Explores Life as a Black Person Living in Japan. HYPEBAE. 2019-08-12. 2020-11-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20201125060204/https://hypebae.com/2017/12/black-in-tokyo-documentary-watch-amarachi-nwosu-interview. dead.
  9. News: At Tokyo summit, Malala Yousafzai urges world leaders to expand educational opportunities for women. Murakami. Sakura. 2019-03-23. The Japan Times Online. 2019-08-12. en-US. 0447-5763.
  10. Web site: Pioneering sushi chef Yuki Chizui is cutting away at Japan's patriarchy, one sashimi at a time — Assembly Malala Fund. Assembly. 4 April 2019 . en-GB. 2019-08-12.
  11. Web site: Naomi Campbell and Imaan Hammam Take on Arise Fashion Week in Lagos. 2018-04-09. Vogue Arabia. en-GB. 2019-08-12.
  12. Web site: Amarachi Nwosu speaks on Nigeria's creative renaissance and using visual storytelling to create diverse narratives. 2018-05-25. www.pulse.ng. en-US. 2019-08-12.
  13. Web site: Ebonee Davis on Reclaiming Her African Identity and Seeing Ghana for the First Time. www.yahoo.com. 8 February 2019 . en-US. 2019-08-12.
  14. Web site: This Nike Short Highlights the Power of Women Soccer Players In Nigeria. 2019-07-31. OkayAfrica. en. 2019-08-12.
  15. Web site: Kwesi Arthur, Ghana's King of the Youth, Wants to Take African Hip-Hop Global. 2019-03-14. OkayAfrica. en. 2019-08-12.
  16. Web site: Yxng Bane Has No Other Competition But Himself. 2018-01-11. OkayAfrica. en. 2019-08-12.
  17. Web site: Meet Ibra Ake, the Nigerian-American who produced Childish Gambino's "This is America". 2019-02-12. Africans in America. en-US. 2019-08-12.
  18. Web site: You Heard It Here First: Top 5 Illest Hip-Hop Tours of 2018. BET.com. 2019-08-12.
  19. Web site: "Chi Modu: The Eye of the Golden Era" Highlights One of Hip-Hop's Most Iconic Photographers. 2019-02-01. Okayplayer. en-US. 2019-08-12.
  20. Web site: Budweiser presents 'Uncategorized' with hip hop photographer Chi Modu at BUDX Lagos. 2018-11-12. www.pulse.ng. en-US. 2019-08-12.
  21. Web site: Photography, Music, Beer Lovers Revel in Budx's Exhibition, Workshop. editor. 2018-12-07. THISDAYLIVE. en-US. 2019-08-12.
  22. Web site: Watch Black in Tokyo, a short documentary about living in Japan as a black person. The FADER. en. 2019-08-12.
  23. Web site: Amarachi Nwosu Archives . 2024-03-07 . Paper Journal . en.
  24. Web site: Stella McCartney Sparks Outrage With African Inspired Runway Looks. sourcestaff. 2017-10-05. The Source. en-US. 2019-08-12.
  25. Web site: Stella McCartney Has Pissed Africans Off (Again) With Their New Collection. Animashaun. Damilola. 2017-10-03. Konbini Nigeria. en-NG. 2019-08-12.
  26. Web site: This designer allegedly copied African prints and Black Twitter is furious. Revelist.com. en. 2019-08-12.
  27. Web site: Folks Are Mad At Stella McCartney For Ripping Off Designs That 'African Aunties' Have Been Wearing For Years. 2017-10-03. OkayAfrica. en. 2019-08-12.
  28. Web site: Designer Stella McCartney Is Being Accused Of Cultural Appropriation. Essence. en-US. 2019-08-12.
  29. Web site: People Are NOT Happy With Stella McCartney's Show Of African Prints. 2017-10-05. HuffPost UK. en. 2019-08-12.
  30. Web site: Stella McCartney stole our look IOL. www.iol.co.za. en. 2019-08-12.
  31. Web site: Stella McCartney accused of "fashion colonialism" after showing African-inspired prints. Topics. en. 2019-08-12.
  32. Web site: Africa: Old Traditions, New Labels. Naidoo. Charmain. 2018-11-30. allAfrica.com. en. 2019-08-12.
  33. News: Bauck . Whitney . Stella McCartney Is Under Fire for Using Ankara Prints . 2019-08-12 . Fashionista . en.
  34. Web site: OKAYAFRICA – 100 WOMEN. OKAYAFRICA's 100 WOMEN. en-US. 2019-08-12. 2020-11-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20201123052705/https://100women.okayafrica.com/the-women. dead.

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