WHY THIS, WHY NOW
The strategist's case that culture is the missing variable in African brand communications — and that 'owning your story' is a measurable discipline, not a slogan. Kalinda (25+ years; LinkedIn Top Voice; IE University adjunct) wrote 'Talking to Africa: Considering Culture in Communications for a Complex Continent'. As generative AI floods every market with culturally flat content and AfCFTA pushes brands across borders, her two-decade argument has become acutely practical: the 'one message, many cultures' failure mode is about to get expensive.
THE QUESTIONS WE’D PUT
- 01
You wrote 'Talking to Africa' in 2017 arguing culture is the missing variable. Nearly a decade on, which of your warnings did the industry ignore — and what did it cost?
- 02
'Own your narrative' has become a slogan. As a practitioner, how do you make narrative ownership measurable for a client who needs a business case, not a manifesto?
- 03
AI now generates culturally flat content at infinite scale. Does that make the cultural strategist more valuable — or does it just raise the floor for everyone? Be specific about where the human work still lives.
- 04
Across Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia and South Africa, what's the single most common assumption foreign brands make that quietly sinks their campaigns?
- 05
If a young African communications professional wanted to build authority the way you have, what would you tell them to stop doing on day one?
A conversation we’re pursuing — the brief and questions, openly. Sourced, never fabricated.