African entertainment has moved decisively into global view. Music released in Lagos charts in cities thousands of miles away. Films shot locally premiere on international platforms. Fashion, language, and storytelling circulate widely, shaping culture in real time. Attention arrives quickly, and recognition follows.
What has been slower to stabilise is how value settles once that attention lands.
Visibility has expanded faster than the systems designed to support it. Creators and businesses step into global spaces with momentum, yet the speed of access often outpaces preparation. Deals arrive early. Distribution widens quickly. Ownership conversations lag behind. The result is an industry where influence is broad, but economic participation remains uneven.
Deola Art Alade, Group CEO of Livespot360 and Convener of Entertainment Week Africa, often frames this moment as one of transition rather than deficit. African creativity, she notes, has already proven its global relevance. The work now is ensuring that relevance translates into agency. In her words, “Exposure opens doors, but structure determines what happens once you walk through them. Without clarity around ownership, rights, and participation, growth stays loud but shallow.”
This tension plays out repeatedly across the ecosystem. Cultural products travel easily, but the value they generate often settles far from their point of origin. Revenue flows through layered intermediaries. Contract terms remain complex. Many creators find themselves learning the economics of their industries while already operating inside them.
Darey Art Alade, creative entrepreneur, Co-Founder of Livespot360 and Convener of Entertainment Week Africa, speaks to the cost of that imbalance from a long-term perspective. “We have spent years proving that our stories travel,” he says. “The next phase is proving that our systems can hold them. Longevity in entertainment comes from understanding how value moves, not only how culture spreads.” Continue reading...