June 16, 2025 • 41 mins
In this week's episode, Isha Gaye shares her journey from aspiring lawyer to founder and CEO of Afrique Noire Magazine, a print publication celebrating African creativity and connecting the diaspora to the continent.
As a 2020 college graduate, nothing unfolded as planned for Isha and so lockdown forced her to reflect on her true wishes for her own future. Isha has always known that she wanted to stay connected to the African continent and to bridge the gap between the continent and the diaspora. That's when she came up with the idea for the Afrique Noire social media platform, which evolved into a recently launched print and digital publication. The magazine fosters dialogue by showcasing African designers, artists, and visionaries.
Here is a summary of the main topics in our conversation:
• Founded to address the disconnect between African immigrants and Black Americans in the US
• Launched as a social media platform before evolving into a print magazine by popular demand
• Publishes three times annually with a focus on sustainability, inclusivity, and traditional arts
• Self-funded with a creative fund that supports featured artists' projects
• Designed as an art piece meant to be kept and shared rather than quickly consumed
• Creating "Afrique Noire Edits," an e-commerce platform launching soon for African creatives to sell their work
• Committed to never charging creatives to be featured in the publication
• Deeply personal connection to African heritage despite 15 years of separation from her homeland
Isha Gaye also talks about how she's managing her newfound role as an entrepreneur and the leader of an organization. She also speaks more about her mentors and the family dynamics that have led her down this path.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Isha Gaye (00:03):
internally, there was this like issue that I saw
between, like my black friendsand my african friends, and I
kind of found myself in themiddle because I feel like I
grew up in the states for themost part of my life but I still
really felt connected to myculture, spoke my language, but
I also felt very americanizedand so afric.
Actually, I created it tobridge that gap.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (00:26):
Hello and welcome to Shades and Layers
.
I'm your host, Kutloano Skosana Ricci.
Today, my guest is Isha Gaye,founder and CEO of a recently
launched publication calledAfrique Noire Magazine.
Yes, it is a print magazinewith a mission to drive a
different conversation about theAfrican continent and celebrate
its creativity.
(00:47):
It's a celebration of designers, artists and visionaries who
are reshaping the narrativeabout the African continent.
Isha and her team have centeredissues like sustainability,
inclusion, human rights andrespect for traditional arts and
craft.
Afrique Noire magazine isavailable in digital format, but
I was curious about launching aprint magazine in the age of
(01:09):
digital, so I had to sit downwith Isha and get a look behind
the scenes and also find outmore about the person behind
this project.
Here is Isha story.
Isha Gaye (01:22):
My name is Isha, Isha Gaye.
I am the founder of AfriqueNoire magazine.
Afrique Noire came into, Iguess, fruition about two years
ago, but it was always somethingthat I had grappled with.
I didn't really know exactlyhow I wanted it to, what I
wanted to create, but I knewthat I wanted to create
(01:43):
something.
I did not anticipate that itwould be a magazine.
I honestly don't.
I for the longest time I didn'treally consider myself a
creative person, somebody thatvery much.
I was into my books.
I was, you know, studyingeconomics in uni.
I wanted to go to law school,so I was never really introduced
to.
I don't even know how to drawthe sun, for example, so I was
never really introduced to.
(02:04):
I don't even know how to drawthe sun, for example.
So I was never really introducedto anything creative.
I didn't draw when I wasyounger.
My father was very into yourbooks, just read.
So that was something that Idid.
But I did realize throughreading a lot.
I did have a very activeimagination.
I always had all of these ideasabout what I wanted to do.
(02:25):
I knew I wanted to work in theAfrican space, but in my mind,
you know, I kind of created thistrajectory of I would go to law
school, I'd work ininternational human rights law.
That was what I thought Iwanted to do, and when I
graduated university it wasduring the pandemic, so I was a
2020 grad.
(02:46):
So I didn't get a graduationyes, it was interesting.
Yeah, yeah, what a strange time,yeah yes, very strange, but I
think, like most people, was atime of introspection.
So I was able to move back homeand during that time nothing
was going on right.
Like the job offer that I hadwas rescinded.
(03:06):
I kind of felt lost.
So I was studying, I hadstudied for the LSAT, I took the
LSAT and I just didn't knowwhat to do.
And I have a very intentionaland spiritual aunt who raised me
when I moved to the US and shealways asked me why do you want
to be a lawyer?
And I never had an answer forher.
I didn't, you know, I just Iwould just.
(03:27):
So I was like, because I do, orI, you know.
There were very surface levelanswers and I actually realized,
even when I was applying forlaw school, as I started doing
these questions and you knowit's very rigorous, so they want
to make sure that you're goingthere for the right reasons and
I, so they want to make surethat you're going there for the
right reasons, of course.
Of course I couldn't for thelife of me figure out what to
say, and so I was like, ok,maybe I just need to be honest
(03:50):
with myself and just, you know,take a gap year and see what it
is that I want to do.
And during that gap year Irealized that I didn't want to
go to law school.
You can imagine, yay, auntie.
I know she was very, very happyabout that.
She was like I knew you didn'twant to go, but it just seemed.
You know, it seemed like thepath.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (04:11):
But it's the traditional path that you
take as an immigrant, forexample.
Isha Gaye (04:16):
Exactly, and I think it was either doctor, lawyer,
engineer, absolutely so.
I think that's just where Ifound myself and during that
time I was, you know, doing alot of reading, a lot of
exploring just Africa, thediaspora, really reading
literature.
That I felt was just reallyfascinating.
(04:36):
And I think, growing up in theUS, something that I realized
was this gap between people inthe diaspora and people back
home.
I think something that was clearwas that, historically, black
Americans are marginalized.
When we moved to the US asimmigrants, we are also
marginalized.
(04:57):
Right, they don't say you'reAfrican, you're Black, we're all
lumped into the same category.
But internally there was thislike issue that I saw between,
like my Black friends and myAfrican friends, and I kind of
found myself in the middlebecause I feel like I grew up in
the States for the most part ofmy life but I still really felt
connected to my culture, spokemy language, but I also felt
(05:18):
very Americanized.
And so Afrique Noire actually Icreated it to bridge that gap
(05:47):
between the diaspora and backhome and it's Africa and
showcase the, you know,different creatives and have
these conversations amongst eachother.
We have current day events.
We have, you know, thebeautiful, beautiful creatives
and artists that are on thecontinent and the goal was
(06:08):
really to bring them on a globalstage, to change the narrative
of what people felt.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (06:13):
About the African continent.
This is you translating Africato the American side.
So how?
Isha Gaye (06:22):
are you fostering the echo from this side to the
other side?
Yeah, I mean, in the beginningI was very intentional, so I
knew who my audience was, and myaudience was the diaspora to
begin.
So I so I guess it was twofoldthe art was coming from Africa
and the creatives were comingfrom Africa, but the audience
was the diaspora.
So that was what that's how Ibegan.
So it was interesting to seethe feedback, like people like I
(06:46):
didn't know that.
Oh, this is so interesting.
We have something similar inHaiti, or we have something
similar in Brazil and you know,brazil has a huge population of
Blacks, and so just that linkand constant and, as the page
started to evolve, just seeinghow interested people were
because they don't teach this inschool and you know, I schooled
(07:08):
here for the better part of mylife and you know the things
that we learn about Africa isit's just sad.
You know it's sad and it's wrong, you know, so it's just.
It makes me.
I think I have empathy for thelack of understanding and
there's no anger there, I thinksometimes, you know, people get
angry.
Why do they view us this way?
(07:28):
Well, this is what we weretalking about.
No, absolutely.
Yeah, yeah, I have school goingchildren in the.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (07:33):
American system and you know I have to
drum into them African capitals.
Isha Gaye (07:41):
I love that you're doing that.
I love that you're doing that.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (07:45):
Yeah, it's an important connection to
make, but let's you know, goingback to Afrique Noire, why a
magazine?
Why do you think it's?
You know a magazine, not youknow a YouTube channel or?
Isha Gaye (07:57):
whatever you know travel channel.
You know, I think the way that Isee it in the work that I do, I
try to be forward thinking, Ido and I try to be pragmatic.
So, yes, I did recognize thatnobody was reading magazines
anymore, but I also I'mchronically online,
unfortunately so I feel like Ialso saw this wave of people who
(08:21):
wanted tangible things, whowanted to connect with art in a
different way than how weconnect with it now on the
screen.
So, even if everybody wasn't mytarget audience, there was the
audience there that wanted tofeel what they were reading.
Like the people that readhardcover books, right, like, I
still read books.
I have my Kindle, exactly.
(08:43):
You know, and I did see this.
You know, and I'm still seeingit there's this wave of people
who almost want to regress backinto that age where we were
physically holding things andphysically having things,
because I feel, like theinternet and social media and
all of these things, it's agreat way to connect, but it
also, I think, takes away thatintimacy behind a lot of things,
(09:05):
and so I wanted people to seeit digitally.
So the magazine is availabledigitally, but also will be
available physically.
I wanted people to buy it, Iwanted them to feel it, I wanted
them to really see it and theway that it's designed.
It's designed for longevity.
So I want it.
You know, you can put it onyour table.
People come.
I want them.
So I just felt like that wasthe best way to really showcase
(09:28):
this art, not just.
You know our social media.
You see all the beautifulphotos there.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (09:33):
Yeah, then it's grown within and it's
gone.
Isha Gaye (09:36):
Yeah, within seconds.
So that was really the ideabehind that.
It was I wanted.
I wanted something that feltreal.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (09:42):
It's kind of like a record, yeah,
physical record.
Yeah, I hear you.
And what's the response been tothe printed copy?
Isha Gaye (09:52):
It's been great.
I mean, from the beginning,that was the request.
Actually, many people were likecan I get this in print, can I
get this in print?
So we continue to build inprint, so we'll have the
magazines that are released inprint and then we're also
working on a coffee table bookthat will be more hardcover,
bigger and also feature morecreative.
(10:13):
So it was from the beginning.
So many people were interestedin print.
Actually, it was funny.
I thought more people wouldwant it digitally but, like I
said from the beginning, ouraudience, which is mainly in the
diaspora, they all want it inprint.
So we are still trying to meetthe demands.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (10:30):
So are all your contributors from the
African continent About 95% ofthem.
Isha Gaye (10:36):
And then we also have , like a poetry and creative
writing section of the magazineand those we explored, different
creatives that were from thediaspora but had African
heritage.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (10:46):
Great, that's fantastic.
And what's your plannedfrequency of publication?
Isha Gaye (10:52):
Yeah, so right now we're going three times a year
with the potential of a seasonalor extra issue.
So my team and I were doingthree times a year for now.
Eventually I'd love for it tobe four times a year, as we get
more subscribers, as it becomesnecessary.
But I also want to beintentional, not just
overproduce.
I want people to really sit withthe issue that they have.
(11:15):
I mean, it's very it's not justphotos, right.
Like we do the research, wetalk to these creatives so you
really get to see their storieson the magazine.
So I wanted people to actuallysit with it and read through it.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (11:27):
Read it again.
Sure yeah.
Isha Gaye (11:30):
Yeah, before we come out with, you know, here's more.
I think that's just the pacethat people are used to with
social media.
It's next more, next more, yeah, what's next.
It's like we just posted this,what's next?
So I, I, I want it to, you know, be more sustainable.
I want to slow it down.
So, even with this issue, thisyear we'll only because it's our
(11:51):
first year, we're onlyreleasing two issues and that's
because I really wanted peopleto sit with this very first
issue, because we spent eightmonths creating it.
I was like, if we spent eightmonths creating it, we're not
going to release something rightafter.
So that, yeah, so we'll releaseanother issue in the fall and
then potentially another onebefore the year is over, if we
(12:12):
have the capacity or if we feelthere's a need to, and then next
year we'll start with the threeum a year need to.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (12:25):
And then next year we'll start with the
three year.
Hey, it's Shades and Layers,and I'm talking to the founder
of a new print publicationcalled Afrique Noire, Isha Gaye.
She is originally from theGambia and is now on a mission
to connect the diaspora to theAfrican continent through
storytelling and sharing Africancreativity.
Up next we get into thenitty-gritty of how the magazine
(12:46):
was created, financed andvarious aspects that have
resulted in something beautifulenough to want to keep and to
share.
So let's get behind the scenes.
You come up with this idea fora magazine.
What does your research processlook like?
Your outreach?
You know?
(13:07):
How did you go about creating?
Isha Gaye (13:08):
it totally.
I mean, when I first started, Iknew that I needed a platform
first, prior to launching themagazine.
So the goal was always to havea magazine.
But I created the social mediapage first and that was my way
of reaching out to creatives onthe continent.
So in the beginning I was theone I was just like sending out,
you know, dms, like I reallylike the work that you're doing.
Is it okay if I post it on mypage?
(13:30):
Would you like to sit down foran interview?
Can I learn more about the workthat you're doing?
And so it started like that.
So gradually, you know, wentfrom five, 10, 15, and then
people started reaching out tome and I think that's when I
realized, okay, I think I needsome help.
Yeah, to be very intentionalabout making sure that there was
(14:01):
still that representation andthat voice from people that were
living actively in thecontinent.
So I didn't want it just to bemy ideas and the way that I saw
things.
So from the beginning, I knewthat I would create a team.
I just didn't know how or when.
But thankfully, honestly andthis is why I say I'm very
spiritual and I really believein things aligning as I started
to do this work, you know peoplewould reach out to me.
(14:22):
I really like the work thatyou're doing, like, do you need
support?
Or I'm a creative director, oryou know I handle social media
and just from there you know myteam kind of just grew.
So I wasn't even necessarilylike looking or doing posts
trying to find people.
It was just my work resonatedwith people we met, we clicked
(14:43):
and I was like okay, like yeahcome on, fantastic, yeah, that's
great, and traditionally thesethings take money to make.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (14:51):
So what about the funding part?
How did you go about raisingfunds or bootstrapping?
Isha Gaye (14:59):
Yes, so I definitely raised funds in the beginning.
I have a team of grant writerswho do a lot of grant writing
for the creatives that we workwith.
So essentially, we havesomething called the Creative
Fund and this is the fund thatwe use to help creatives create
projects.
So if they want to do a photoshoot, we'll help fund that
(15:19):
photo shoot.
If they, you know, have acreative endeavor that they're
looking to pursue and it alignswith what we're looking for and
we have the budget for it, we'llhelp them.
So that's the creative fund,but with grants it's very you
know, it's very specific.
So for everything else outsideof grants, I actually just
self-funded, right.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (15:37):
Okay, yes, gotta have skin in the game
, man just self-funded.
Isha Gaye (15:41):
Right, Okay, yes, Gotta have skin in the game.
Man, I have a lot of skin inthe game.
I'm like, listen, I have a lotof skin in the game.
So but I think something thatI'm I'm happy about is I'm just
surrounded with people who arevery much like you're young,
Like this is the time you knowmake mistakes, you know go all
in.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (15:58):
I think that is the right attitude, yeah
.
Isha Gaye (16:00):
Yeah, so I have, I've gone all in, definitely I.
You know I manage this.
I work full time still.
So it really feels like I havetwo jobs, but it doesn't feel a
lot like work because I reallyjust love the work that I'm
doing with Noor.
But yeah, I'm all in.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (16:15):
So at this point, I'm like, I have no
choice, I'm all in.
So at this point I'm like.
Isha Gaye (16:19):
I have no choice.
I'm here.
What's your other full-time job?
So I'm a communicationstrategist.
I work for a nonprofit.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (16:27):
Okay, fantastic.
So you've got these grantsgoing for the creatives that you
work with Any ambitions to do.
You know commercials or youknow what's the plan there?
Isha Gaye (16:38):
I definitely think so in the future.
We are working on a differentendeavor right now.
That's taking up a lot of mytime, so my team is the one
that's kind of communicatingwith the creatives, kind of
holding that creative section ofit.
We are launching Afrique NoireEdits in about three months.
Busy yeah it's very busy, andthis will be our e-commerce leg
(17:05):
of the company that allowscreatives, brands, to actually
sell their products, their art,their fashion, on our e-commerce
site, so really taking itfurther in terms of connection
and actually monetizing it forthe creatives.
So that is one of the thingsthat we're working on right now.
That has been taking up a lotof my time, right.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (17:27):
So I mean, how do you position
yourself differently or makes itdifferent from other
publications?
Isha Gaye (17:33):
Yeah, absolutely.
I think for us we're just veryintentional about storytelling.
I think for us that I'm veryintentional about, because
(18:01):
that's how I started and Ididn't want the momentum or the
growth to change the core valuesof why I started this
publication to begin with, andthat was really about
storytelling.
I wanted people to have aplatform where they could tell
their stories and what broughtthem to where they are.
You know, a lot of thecreatives that we work with have
(18:22):
such hard lives or have livedhard lives and even within those
trials, they still found timeto create because the art that
they were doing or whatevercreative endeavor they were
pursuing was their lifeline.
And I really want to reposition, you know, creatives in Africa
and, honestly, in general, in away that isn't so shunned or
(18:46):
isn't so second class, right.
Like you know it's not reallyseen as, and I think, especially
in, you know, africa, and a lotof that is due to scarcity,
right, like I understand,because the ones that pay our
business, our law, like whatwe're talking about, engineering
, which are all great things,but I would dare to say in the
(19:06):
work that I me want to be abetter person or want to change
the world.
All of these things are reallylike art, they're creative
things, they're music, they're,and I think, in telling the
(19:28):
stories of the creatives that wework with, I hope to really
showcase a different side ofwhat it means to be a creative,
because it's also a lot of hardwork.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (19:37):
Yeah, it's a serious pursuit.
Isha Gaye (19:38):
Yeah, it's very serious.
So I guess I'm trying to bringthat seriousness back into it
and really, and you know, theAfrican creative economy is
flourishing right.
And it's booming and it's goingto continue to boom and I think
it's estimated to be amulti-billion dollar industry
within the next couple of years,and I think it's important to
(20:00):
have a platform that continuesto just show the different
creatives that exist and thework that they're doing and why
they're doing the work thatthey're doing, in hopes that for
them to they continue thatpursuit.
I think the feedback that we'vegotten from creatives you know
your post really helped me gainfollowers and people were buying
my work and it's helped mecontinue to.
(20:21):
You know, and I saw that youalso have inclusion
sustainability.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (20:42):
Can you expand a little bit on those
themes and how they arereflected in the publication?
Isha Gaye (20:47):
Absolutely.
You know, sustainability ishuge for me.
One, and it's also all of thecreatives that I've worked with.
It's never something I've hadto say I have.
I've never been like you haveto be sustainable.
Most of the creatives that wework with are sustainable
creatives Right.
Even a lot of the fashiondesigners that we featured and
are now coming on our Africanedit platform.
(21:10):
They're rooted insustainability because
sustainability in Africa isalmost a way of life in a lot of
the creative pursuits that wesee, in a lot of the creative
pursuits that we see.
So, you know, we interviewed alady I remember who all of her,
the fashion that she created,it's recycled.
The intentionality behind thework that she does, it's hours
(21:30):
of actually hand-making clothes.
You know it's not fast fashion,it's very intentional creation
and she's so mindful about theway that she creates the
materials that she uses.
So most of the creatives,honestly all of the creatives
that we work with, are rooted insustainability, whether they
know it or not, and inclusivity.
(21:51):
You know, that was more so amission that I put out because I
also recognize that noteveryone is on the same playing
field, wherever you are.
So we accept submissions fromvarious creatives, wherever you
are, whatever you're doing.
We even have a series wherepeople tag us in their posts and
(22:14):
then we have, once a month,we'll repost all of the people
that have like, tagged us, andthey're not necessarily working
with us directly or maybe weweren't able to feature them,
but we want to highlight themand we want to make it easy for
them to be highlighted.
So we don't charge a fee to be apart of the publication.
We don't charge a fee.
I think a lot of pages willcharge you a dollar amount to be
(22:37):
publicized, but we want to makeit inclusive and we want to
make it accessible.
So that was always.
You know how I thought about itand, of course, you know being
profitable, it's also profitable.
You know it's, it's, we need tobe profitable and I think a lot
of times in my year, peoplelike you know you need to charge
(22:58):
.
You need to charge.
My goal was never to charge thecreatives and that isn't going
to change.
So we found different ways tomonetize and we continue to find
different ways to monetize thatdon't include, you know, take
penny pinching or like taking,you know, the money of creatives
.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (23:13):
The very people you're trying to
highlight.
Yeah, exactly.
Isha Gaye (23:16):
Yeah, it doesn't make sense.
It doesn't make sense for me,great.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (23:20):
So what magazines did you used to read
when you were a young girl?
Yeah, and which ones did youreturn to for inspiration?
Isha Gaye (23:27):
Yes, I mean, I feel like magazines have changed so
much since I first came to theStates and you know, something
that I always noticed was justthere was never any Black people
anywhere on any of thesemagazines.
And I think as a kid I washighly aware of that and I grew
up in a town where I was one ofyou know maybe two or three, and
(23:51):
my sister was the other one ofBlacks in my neighborhood and in
my school.
So it was very, I think, Ialways noticed when we weren't
being represented.
So even you know, growing up Iread Vogue and we used to have
it in our library actually atschool and I would go and then I
(24:11):
would look through it.
Or if I was ever in a waitingroom somewhere, hospital,
wherever it was doctor'sappointment I would read these
magazines.
And I would never.
I just always thought they werevery bland, and I don't mean
that in any kind of disrespectbecause I recognize that people
really love these magazines andI do think they've evolved now.
you know, they're more inclusivein a way that they were not
(24:34):
inclusive before, when I wasgrowing up.
So I do feel like they'veadjusted with the times.
But I just, even now, sometimeswhen I look through magazines,
I'm just like, okay, like isthis?
Like?
You know, it's not for me, itwas just very, it was very bland
.
So I just always thought thatyou know magazines or you know
publication should be art.
(24:55):
You know and you know so, eventhe way that we create the
magazine, it's storytelling.
We are telling a story from thebeginning to the end.
We're connecting with thereader.
It feels really personal.
It feels like you're taking thejourney with us.
Every page is unique.
Every page is like whoa, I justwant to look at this.
You know, even when I look at amagazine, I'm like this, it's
so beautiful.
(25:15):
Other magazines will be reallylike.
I think I was reading amagazine, one of the more
prominent magazines, and it waslike 200 and something pages and
like a hundred of the pageswere ads.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (25:26):
Oh gosh, it's actually really painful.
I mean, actually I'm not buyingmagazines anymore, honestly,
yeah.
Isha Gaye (25:33):
Yeah, and that's fair .
I wouldn't buy them eitherbased on how they look like
currently.
So for me, I like to use theword publication a little bit
more than I use magazine becauseit's not like from what people
would expect from a regularmagazine.
That's not what we have.
Ours is very intentional.
Ours is a piece of art, really,that you can keep, that people
(25:57):
could come over and look at andreally learn.
It's educational, it'sentertaining, and I think that's
what it should be like.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (26:06):
I think that's what these types of work
should be right, yeah, if peopleare buying it you know, yeah,
yeah, I mean I remember readingVibe magazine Source and what
really attracted me to thosemagazines was the writing, like
the really rigorous culturaljournalism that went into it.
Do you want to expand a littlebit about some of the
(26:27):
contributors you have and youknow what kind of pieces they're
bringing to the table?
Isha Gaye (26:40):
into the table?
Absolutely, yeah.
So currently we have twofull-time writing staff and then
we accept contributions fromwriters.
So actually, the very firstpage of our debut issue is a
beautiful piece that is writtenby a woman named Carmel, and she
wrote a piece about Africandesigners and how they're
reshaping the narrative of whatfashion means, and that is how
(27:01):
you begin the magazine andthat's how you begin the journey
with us in the magazine,because fashion is a central
part of this specific issue andit was such a beautiful piece.
I remember when she submittedit to us I was like wow.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (27:17):
Nice.
Isha Gaye (27:18):
So it was well written.
She uses some quotes from avery prominent Western movie
called the Devil Wears Prada.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (27:26):
I love that film actually.
Yes, it was great.
Isha Gaye (27:28):
It was great.
And she, you know, just talkingabout how an everyday person
that's looking at an outfit orsomething that's made might not
realize how much intention wasput behind finding that specific
color or sewing and weavingthis outfit in a very specific
way.
And that is what Africandesigners are doing and it's so
(27:50):
true.
I mean all of the designersthat we've spoken to.
They are so intentional aboutthe work that they're doing and
they're blending their heritage.
They're the tailors that theyhave.
They're so intentional aboutevery piece of stitch,
everything that's sewn together.
So that is actually how themagazine starts and I wanted it
(28:10):
to start with that piece becauseI think it then sets the scene
for the rest of the pages that areader would see in the
magazine.
So writers are integral to ourissue.
So we do have our full-timestaff and I give them a lot of
flexibility and freedom in whatthey want to write about, what
feels good.
Of course, if there's somethingthat's relevant now, they'll
(28:32):
write about that, but for themost part, they're writing about
culture, they're writing abouthistory.
It's very educational, but it'salso entertaining, and you'll
see a lot of these on our socialmedia or on our website.
But, yeah, writers, I feel likeare the backbone of any good
magazine.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (28:47):
For sure yeah.
Isha Gaye (28:47):
That's where the storytelling is.
So even when there's interviewsthat I do I'll collaborate with
our writers to figure out howcan we best tell the story.
And they're yeah, they'reamazing.
So we're always takingcontributions, and then, of
course, we also have ourin-house writers as well.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (29:06):
My guest today on Shades and Layers is
Isha Gaye, founder and CEO ofAfrique Noire magazine, a new
publication that aims to bringthe diaspora closer to the
African continent.
Well, as the founder of thismagazine, Isha threw herself
into a leadership role, andthat's our next topic of
discussion.
After that, we get into theShades and Layers rapid fire.
(29:29):
Talk to me about what you likemost about leading a team of
creatives and what's been someof the challenges you've faced
along the way.
Yeah, absolutely.
Isha Gaye (29:43):
There's so much that I love and, of course, there's
so much that's also hard.
But you know, I have a greatteam and I do think I'm really,
really blessed because everyonethat has gravitated to this
business and everyone who hasgravitated to me, it's because
they saw what I was putting outthere and it really resonated
(30:03):
with them and they reached outto me and that's how we built
this relationship and it's beenbuilt over time.
So I have had the same socialmedia manager for the past two
years and the same creativedirector for the past two years
and we same creative directorfor the past two years and we're
building.
So now we're a team of fiveofficially and it's everyone
that's a part of the team isvery, very intentional about the
(30:26):
work that we do and Iappreciate that so much because
I don't necessarily have to.
I'm not a micromanager, so Ihate to micromanage because I
hate being micromanaged.
Like I said, I'm still working.
So it's so funny because I feellike I have a great boss and
oftentimes I find myself takingmy bosses.
You know the way that she treatsme, and then that just echoes
(30:48):
into the way that I treat, youknow, my team and the
conversations that we have andhow our meetings are led.
But it's and it's great.
Honestly, it's hard to juggleboth, but I think because I had
I've never been a boss before Ikind of just threw myself into
this it's great to, you know,work with somebody who I can
emulate in my own business.
I would say like I'm extremelyblessed with my team and I
(31:11):
honestly haven't had too manyinstances where I was like, oh
my gosh, this is hard.
I mean, sometimes it's likepayroll and I'm like, okay, I'm
still funneling this by myself.
So but they're also just sounderstanding of where we're at
as a business and they know thatas we continue to grow, you
know they'll grow within thebusiness as well and salaries
will go up.
But yeah, they're very, veryunderstanding and I really feel
(31:35):
blessed to be surrounded by thembecause, honestly, I would not
be able to do this without them.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (31:41):
Yeah, absolutely no way.
Isha Gaye (31:43):
Even just from what you see on social media.
That is my social media teamand they're very intentional
about who they source and thework that they do, and that
allows me to also just step backand think about bigger picture
endeavors for the business.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (31:58):
I know you want to connect the diaspora
to the African continent, butyou know, for the business
itself, like, what's your,what's your vision, what do you
want to see?
Where do you want to take thisAfrique Noire concept?
Isha Gaye (32:10):
Yeah, honestly, I mean I have so many, like I said
, I have a very activeimagination.
I mean I have so many, like Isaid, I have a very active
imagination.
So I have, I have so many.
Like you know, I see thebusiness going in so many
different places.
Sometimes I have to anchor andjust be where I'm at.
I'm like you know, this iswhere I'm at today.
So genuinely I can tell you Iam taking it day by day.
(32:40):
I think if there is a way thatI can continue to create this
space that is profitable notjust for me but also for the
creatives that we work with,that really brings them onto a
global stage and also reallyconnects the diaspora back to
their roots, I think I would besatisfied.
And I don't need to have amulti-million dollar company.
That's never been my goal, butI think ultimately, what I want
(33:04):
is to just continue to bridgethe gap and have those
conversations and create thatspace for discourse and to also
just remind everyone that we'reall the same.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (33:12):
And then about you.
Yes, you grew up partially inthe Gambia and now you're in
California.
You've got this aunt, but youknow who are the other mentors
that are helping you to staygrounded and be who you are and
so connected to your culture,etc.
Thank you.
Isha Gaye (33:31):
It's such an interesting story.
So when I moved to the States,I didn't see my mom for about 15
years actually after I moved tothe US and I was here with my
dad but he was kind of absent.
So I really feel like I had tocultivate this inner person, or
this inner persona of who I was.
(33:53):
And you know, I really mysister and I, we raised
ourselves as children growing uphere.
I was very close to my maternalgrandmother before I moved to
the US and then unfortunatelyshe died while I was in the
United States.
But she was somebody in my lifewho I vividly recall was always
grounding me in who I was andalways grounding me in our
(34:13):
culture and in our music and inour language, and I've carried
that with me and a lot of what Ido I do because of what I've
learned from her.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (34:23):
And.
Isha Gaye (34:23):
I've really carried that with me and I don't know
how.
Honestly.
I don't know how, because Ifeel like I have been here for
such a long time.
I don't know why.
I didn't know why I was stillso connected to you know Africa,
or to you know the Gambia, orto my culture, like I shouldn't
have been, because there wasnobody in my life who was
actively grounding me in that orreaffirming that.
(34:46):
So even you know my language.
We speak well off in the Gambia, and that was something that I
held on to so tight, but even athome nobody was speaking it
with me, because they wanted meto really learn.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (34:57):
English.
Isha Gaye (35:03):
To speak English absolutely tight, but even at
home nobody was speaking it withme because they wanted me to
really learn English.
So even as I grew up, Iremember I found a tutor and
then I was working with himbehind my dad's back to continue
to learn more often.
So there was, there was reallythis gravitational pull that I
feel like.
I don't know how it's sustained.
I don't know where I guess itreally came from, but I've
always felt like I needed to dothis kind of work and I've
(35:23):
always found ways, I think, to.
Even when I was going to be alawyer, I knew I would want to
work in the international space,and specifically in Africa.
So I always knew that this isthe space that I wanted to be in
, and I honestly cannot tell youhow or why, because there was
really nobody at my after Imoved to the US that I wanted to
be in, and I honestly cannottell you how or why, because
there was really nobody at myafter I moved to the U?
S that was reaffirming that forme it was just me.
(35:43):
So I genuinely, you know, Ievery time somebody asks me that
question, I don't know how torespond because I genuinely
don't know what it is that keepsme so connected or that has
pushed me on this path, but thedivine.
So I just feel.
I just feel like it's where Iwas meant to be.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (36:03):
What is a piece of advice that was given
to you and you continue to liveby?
Isha Gaye (36:09):
I think there's so many.
I've definitely learned a lot.
Like I said, my aunt is a veryprominent figure in my life.
She's actually from Cameroon,so we're not blood related, but
she has.
Her and my uncle have taken meand my sister in and our cousins
were like siblings.
So she's a very godly woman,she's a very spiritual woman and
I think she's just alwaystaught me the importance of
(36:31):
listening to my inner voice andthe truth of who I am, and I
think that's something.
Even and I think we all getlost sometimes she's always
taught me the importance ofdrowning out the noise that is
everyone else and the world andreally connecting to yourself.
(36:51):
So meditation is something thatI try to do as often as I can,
because I think that allows youto really go deep within
yourself, connect to source,connect to God.
You know whoever it is that youknow people feel personally
connected to in their ownspiritual life, but I think that
relationship is more importantthan any other relationship,
right?
So just always being willing tobe introspective I think that's
(37:15):
something that she's alwaystaught me and to not be afraid
to fail and I say all of thisbecause the endeavor that I've
embarked on I haven't reallyseen anyone else do it where I
can be, like that's theblueprint, right, it's different
and it's not conventional.
(37:38):
So I say that because Irecognize that there's a
possibility that I might fail,and I have failed in many
different ways, but I think I'vemastered the art of failing and
I think I'm okay with failing,because I think things that I
have failed.
I feel like I could say that Ifailed in going to law school,
(38:00):
but now, looking back, I knowfor a fact that I would have
dreaded going to law schoolbecause that's not where my
heart was calling me to.
So I believe that I will end upwhere I'm meant to end up and
I'm just trying to have as muchfun as I can in the meantime and
impact as many lives as I candoing the work that I'm doing
and ultimately, whatever happenswill happen.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (38:22):
Perfect.
So are you a coffee or a tea?
Isha Gaye (38:24):
person.
I have tea right now.
I've been trying to sneak itinto this interview and drink it
, but I think it's cold now.
I'm not a coffee person I triedto be at one point but then it
gives me anxiety.
So I'm like why am I doing this?
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (38:39):
Fair enough, fair enough.
And how do you take your teaWith lots of sugar and lots of
cream, sweet girl?
Yes, and what's a fun factabout you that you would love to
share?
Isha Gaye (38:56):
something people don't know about me is that I'm
actually a yoga teacher.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (39:00):
Oh, wow, yes, oh that's fun.
Isha Gaye (39:02):
Yeah, it was.
It was during my, my midlifeyou know what midlife young girl
in my quarter life okay, you'recorrect.
My quarter life price I wasabout 24.
Okay With 23, 24.
Okay, yes, my quarter life is I.
You know, I was telling my auntI was like I don't know what I
want to do in my life.
(39:22):
But I really loved yoga at thetime, so, and I was really into
mindfulness in that time period,like I was trying to meditate,
move my body, be intentionalabout it.
So I became a yoga teacher.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (39:33):
Oh, that's great, yeah, so I still
teach from here.
You still teach.
Okay, that's fun, that's great.
Nice, nice.
And which famous black woman,living or dead, would you invite
to dinner tonight?
This is so hard.
You can only choose one, by theway, I know.
Isha Gaye (39:51):
Tonight only because I have been obsessed with her
lately, I would invite EmmaGreed.
Ah, yeah, and she yes.
So she's the founder of Skimsand Get American and she's just
like a really greatbusinesswoman.
I love her story and I love she.
Just seems like such a friendlyand fun person that I could
probably talk business with.
So tonight, because of where Iam currently, I would invite
(40:14):
Emma Fantastic.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (40:16):
Great.
So if people want to work withyou, contribute to the mag, you
know, just get in touch.
Where can they find you?
Isha Gaye (40:24):
Yeah, so I try not to tell people to find me.
I get so many DMs and I feel sobad sometimes because I can't,
you know, look at them andrespond to them all.
So we have a form on ourwebsite for creatives and you
can submit your form there.
We are updating our website sosoon.
(40:45):
You know.
If you want to write for us, ifyou want to work with us,
collaborate with us, all of thatwill be on the website.
But for now, if people arelistening to this, very soon
they can send us an email atNoire at gmailcom with their
request or their proposal andthe team will usually look at it
, filter through it and whateveris meant to come to me will
(41:07):
come to my inbox and I'llrespond from there.
But we can always be reachedvia email and we're pretty good
about responding to emails.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (41:16):
That is all from me this time around.
Thank you, Isha, for sharingyour own personal journey to
entrepreneurship and the storyof Afrique Noire.
Thanks to all of you listenersfor joining in this conversation
.
If you liked this episode,please spread the love and share
it with a friend.
I'm Kutlonas, kosana Ritchie,and until next time.
internally, there was this like issue that I saw
between, like my black friendsand my african friends, and I
kind of found myself in themiddle because I feel like I
grew up in the states for themost part of my life but I still
really felt connected to myculture, spoke my language, but
I also felt very americanizedand so afric.
Actually, I created it tobridge that gap.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (00:26):
Hello and welcome to Shades and Layers
.
I'm your host, Kutloano Skosana Ricci.
Today, my guest is Isha Gaye,founder and CEO of a recently
launched publication calledAfrique Noire Magazine.
Yes, it is a print magazinewith a mission to drive a
different conversation about theAfrican continent and celebrate
its creativity.
(00:47):
It's a celebration of designers, artists and visionaries who
are reshaping the narrativeabout the African continent.
Isha and her team have centeredissues like sustainability,
inclusion, human rights andrespect for traditional arts and
craft.
Afrique Noire magazine isavailable in digital format, but
I was curious about launching aprint magazine in the age of
(01:09):
digital, so I had to sit downwith Isha and get a look behind
the scenes and also find outmore about the person behind
this project.
Here is Isha story.
Isha Gaye (01:22):
My name is Isha, Isha Gaye.
I am the founder of AfriqueNoire magazine.
Afrique Noire came into, Iguess, fruition about two years
ago, but it was always somethingthat I had grappled with.
I didn't really know exactlyhow I wanted it to, what I
wanted to create, but I knewthat I wanted to create
(01:43):
something.
I did not anticipate that itwould be a magazine.
I honestly don't.
I for the longest time I didn'treally consider myself a
creative person, somebody thatvery much.
I was into my books.
I was, you know, studyingeconomics in uni.
I wanted to go to law school,so I was never really introduced
to.
I don't even know how to drawthe sun, for example, so I was
never really introduced to.
(02:04):
I don't even know how to drawthe sun, for example.
So I was never really introducedto anything creative.
I didn't draw when I wasyounger.
My father was very into yourbooks, just read.
So that was something that Idid.
But I did realize throughreading a lot.
I did have a very activeimagination.
I always had all of these ideasabout what I wanted to do.
(02:25):
I knew I wanted to work in theAfrican space, but in my mind,
you know, I kind of created thistrajectory of I would go to law
school, I'd work ininternational human rights law.
That was what I thought Iwanted to do, and when I
graduated university it wasduring the pandemic, so I was a
2020 grad.
(02:46):
So I didn't get a graduationyes, it was interesting.
Yeah, yeah, what a strange time,yeah yes, very strange, but I
think, like most people, was atime of introspection.
So I was able to move back homeand during that time nothing
was going on right.
Like the job offer that I hadwas rescinded.
(03:06):
I kind of felt lost.
So I was studying, I hadstudied for the LSAT, I took the
LSAT and I just didn't knowwhat to do.
And I have a very intentionaland spiritual aunt who raised me
when I moved to the US and shealways asked me why do you want
to be a lawyer?
And I never had an answer forher.
I didn't, you know, I just Iwould just.
(03:27):
So I was like, because I do, orI, you know.
There were very surface levelanswers and I actually realized,
even when I was applying forlaw school, as I started doing
these questions and you knowit's very rigorous, so they want
to make sure that you're goingthere for the right reasons and
I, so they want to make surethat you're going there for the
right reasons, of course.
Of course I couldn't for thelife of me figure out what to
say, and so I was like, ok,maybe I just need to be honest
(03:50):
with myself and just, you know,take a gap year and see what it
is that I want to do.
And during that gap year Irealized that I didn't want to
go to law school.
You can imagine, yay, auntie.
I know she was very, very happyabout that.
She was like I knew you didn'twant to go, but it just seemed.
You know, it seemed like thepath.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (04:11):
But it's the traditional path that you
take as an immigrant, forexample.
Isha Gaye (04:16):
Exactly, and I think it was either doctor, lawyer,
engineer, absolutely so.
I think that's just where Ifound myself and during that
time I was, you know, doing alot of reading, a lot of
exploring just Africa, thediaspora, really reading
literature.
That I felt was just reallyfascinating.
(04:36):
And I think, growing up in theUS, something that I realized
was this gap between people inthe diaspora and people back
home.
I think something that was clearwas that, historically, black
Americans are marginalized.
When we moved to the US asimmigrants, we are also
marginalized.
(04:57):
Right, they don't say you'reAfrican, you're Black, we're all
lumped into the same category.
But internally there was thislike issue that I saw between,
like my Black friends and myAfrican friends, and I kind of
found myself in the middlebecause I feel like I grew up in
the States for the most part ofmy life but I still really felt
connected to my culture, spokemy language, but I also felt
(05:18):
very Americanized.
And so Afrique Noire actually Icreated it to bridge that gap
(05:47):
between the diaspora and backhome and it's Africa and
showcase the, you know,different creatives and have
these conversations amongst eachother.
We have current day events.
We have, you know, thebeautiful, beautiful creatives
and artists that are on thecontinent and the goal was
(06:08):
really to bring them on a globalstage, to change the narrative
of what people felt.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (06:13):
About the African continent.
This is you translating Africato the American side.
So how?
Isha Gaye (06:22):
are you fostering the echo from this side to the
other side?
Yeah, I mean, in the beginningI was very intentional, so I
knew who my audience was, and myaudience was the diaspora to
begin.
So I so I guess it was twofoldthe art was coming from Africa
and the creatives were comingfrom Africa, but the audience
was the diaspora.
So that was what that's how Ibegan.
So it was interesting to seethe feedback, like people like I
(06:46):
didn't know that.
Oh, this is so interesting.
We have something similar inHaiti, or we have something
similar in Brazil and you know,brazil has a huge population of
Blacks, and so just that linkand constant and, as the page
started to evolve, just seeinghow interested people were
because they don't teach this inschool and you know, I schooled
(07:08):
here for the better part of mylife and you know the things
that we learn about Africa isit's just sad.
You know it's sad and it's wrong, you know, so it's just.
It makes me.
I think I have empathy for thelack of understanding and
there's no anger there, I thinksometimes, you know, people get
angry.
Why do they view us this way?
(07:28):
Well, this is what we weretalking about.
No, absolutely.
Yeah, yeah, I have school goingchildren in the.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (07:33):
American system and you know I have to
drum into them African capitals.
Isha Gaye (07:41):
I love that you're doing that.
I love that you're doing that.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (07:45):
Yeah, it's an important connection to
make, but let's you know, goingback to Afrique Noire, why a
magazine?
Why do you think it's?
You know a magazine, not youknow a YouTube channel or?
Isha Gaye (07:57):
whatever you know travel channel.
You know, I think the way that Isee it in the work that I do, I
try to be forward thinking, Ido and I try to be pragmatic.
So, yes, I did recognize thatnobody was reading magazines
anymore, but I also I'mchronically online,
unfortunately so I feel like Ialso saw this wave of people who
(08:21):
wanted tangible things, whowanted to connect with art in a
different way than how weconnect with it now on the
screen.
So, even if everybody wasn't mytarget audience, there was the
audience there that wanted tofeel what they were reading.
Like the people that readhardcover books, right, like, I
still read books.
I have my Kindle, exactly.
(08:43):
You know, and I did see this.
You know, and I'm still seeingit there's this wave of people
who almost want to regress backinto that age where we were
physically holding things andphysically having things,
because I feel, like theinternet and social media and
all of these things, it's agreat way to connect, but it
also, I think, takes away thatintimacy behind a lot of things,
(09:05):
and so I wanted people to seeit digitally.
So the magazine is availabledigitally, but also will be
available physically.
I wanted people to buy it, Iwanted them to feel it, I wanted
them to really see it and theway that it's designed.
It's designed for longevity.
So I want it.
You know, you can put it onyour table.
People come.
I want them.
So I just felt like that wasthe best way to really showcase
(09:28):
this art, not just.
You know our social media.
You see all the beautifulphotos there.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (09:33):
Yeah, then it's grown within and it's
gone.
Isha Gaye (09:36):
Yeah, within seconds.
So that was really the ideabehind that.
It was I wanted.
I wanted something that feltreal.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (09:42):
It's kind of like a record, yeah,
physical record.
Yeah, I hear you.
And what's the response been tothe printed copy?
Isha Gaye (09:52):
It's been great.
I mean, from the beginning,that was the request.
Actually, many people were likecan I get this in print, can I
get this in print?
So we continue to build inprint, so we'll have the
magazines that are released inprint and then we're also
working on a coffee table bookthat will be more hardcover,
bigger and also feature morecreative.
(10:13):
So it was from the beginning.
So many people were interestedin print.
Actually, it was funny.
I thought more people wouldwant it digitally but, like I
said from the beginning, ouraudience, which is mainly in the
diaspora, they all want it inprint.
So we are still trying to meetthe demands.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (10:30):
So are all your contributors from the
African continent About 95% ofthem.
Isha Gaye (10:36):
And then we also have , like a poetry and creative
writing section of the magazineand those we explored, different
creatives that were from thediaspora but had African
heritage.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (10:46):
Great, that's fantastic.
And what's your plannedfrequency of publication?
Isha Gaye (10:52):
Yeah, so right now we're going three times a year
with the potential of a seasonalor extra issue.
So my team and I were doingthree times a year for now.
Eventually I'd love for it tobe four times a year, as we get
more subscribers, as it becomesnecessary.
But I also want to beintentional, not just
overproduce.
I want people to really sit withthe issue that they have.
(11:15):
I mean, it's very it's not justphotos, right.
Like we do the research, wetalk to these creatives so you
really get to see their storieson the magazine.
So I wanted people to actuallysit with it and read through it.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (11:27):
Read it again.
Sure yeah.
Isha Gaye (11:30):
Yeah, before we come out with, you know, here's more.
I think that's just the pacethat people are used to with
social media.
It's next more, next more, yeah, what's next.
It's like we just posted this,what's next?
So I, I, I want it to, you know, be more sustainable.
I want to slow it down.
So, even with this issue, thisyear we'll only because it's our
(11:51):
first year, we're onlyreleasing two issues and that's
because I really wanted peopleto sit with this very first
issue, because we spent eightmonths creating it.
I was like, if we spent eightmonths creating it, we're not
going to release something rightafter.
So that, yeah, so we'll releaseanother issue in the fall and
then potentially another onebefore the year is over, if we
(12:12):
have the capacity or if we feelthere's a need to, and then next
year we'll start with the threeum a year need to.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (12:25):
And then next year we'll start with the
three year.
Hey, it's Shades and Layers,and I'm talking to the founder
of a new print publicationcalled Afrique Noire, Isha Gaye.
She is originally from theGambia and is now on a mission
to connect the diaspora to theAfrican continent through
storytelling and sharing Africancreativity.
Up next we get into thenitty-gritty of how the magazine
(12:46):
was created, financed andvarious aspects that have
resulted in something beautifulenough to want to keep and to
share.
So let's get behind the scenes.
You come up with this idea fora magazine.
What does your research processlook like?
Your outreach?
You know?
(13:07):
How did you go about creating?
Isha Gaye (13:08):
it totally.
I mean, when I first started, Iknew that I needed a platform
first, prior to launching themagazine.
So the goal was always to havea magazine.
But I created the social mediapage first and that was my way
of reaching out to creatives onthe continent.
So in the beginning I was theone I was just like sending out,
you know, dms, like I reallylike the work that you're doing.
Is it okay if I post it on mypage?
(13:30):
Would you like to sit down foran interview?
Can I learn more about the workthat you're doing?
And so it started like that.
So gradually, you know, wentfrom five, 10, 15, and then
people started reaching out tome and I think that's when I
realized, okay, I think I needsome help.
Yeah, to be very intentionalabout making sure that there was
(14:01):
still that representation andthat voice from people that were
living actively in thecontinent.
So I didn't want it just to bemy ideas and the way that I saw
things.
So from the beginning, I knewthat I would create a team.
I just didn't know how or when.
But thankfully, honestly andthis is why I say I'm very
spiritual and I really believein things aligning as I started
to do this work, you know peoplewould reach out to me.
(14:22):
I really like the work thatyou're doing, like, do you need
support?
Or I'm a creative director, oryou know I handle social media
and just from there you know myteam kind of just grew.
So I wasn't even necessarilylike looking or doing posts
trying to find people.
It was just my work resonatedwith people we met, we clicked
(14:43):
and I was like okay, like yeahcome on, fantastic, yeah, that's
great, and traditionally thesethings take money to make.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (14:51):
So what about the funding part?
How did you go about raisingfunds or bootstrapping?
Isha Gaye (14:59):
Yes, so I definitely raised funds in the beginning.
I have a team of grant writerswho do a lot of grant writing
for the creatives that we workwith.
So essentially, we havesomething called the Creative
Fund and this is the fund thatwe use to help creatives create
projects.
So if they want to do a photoshoot, we'll help fund that
(15:19):
photo shoot.
If they, you know, have acreative endeavor that they're
looking to pursue and it alignswith what we're looking for and
we have the budget for it, we'llhelp them.
So that's the creative fund,but with grants it's very you
know, it's very specific.
So for everything else outsideof grants, I actually just
self-funded, right.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (15:37):
Okay, yes, gotta have skin in the game
, man just self-funded.
Isha Gaye (15:41):
Right, Okay, yes, Gotta have skin in the game.
Man, I have a lot of skin inthe game.
I'm like, listen, I have a lotof skin in the game.
So but I think something thatI'm I'm happy about is I'm just
surrounded with people who arevery much like you're young,
Like this is the time you knowmake mistakes, you know go all
in.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (15:58):
I think that is the right attitude, yeah
.
Isha Gaye (16:00):
Yeah, so I have, I've gone all in, definitely I.
You know I manage this.
I work full time still.
So it really feels like I havetwo jobs, but it doesn't feel a
lot like work because I reallyjust love the work that I'm
doing with Noor.
But yeah, I'm all in.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (16:15):
So at this point, I'm like, I have no
choice, I'm all in.
So at this point I'm like.
Isha Gaye (16:19):
I have no choice.
I'm here.
What's your other full-time job?
So I'm a communicationstrategist.
I work for a nonprofit.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (16:27):
Okay, fantastic.
So you've got these grantsgoing for the creatives that you
work with Any ambitions to do.
You know commercials or youknow what's the plan there?
Isha Gaye (16:38):
I definitely think so in the future.
We are working on a differentendeavor right now.
That's taking up a lot of mytime, so my team is the one
that's kind of communicatingwith the creatives, kind of
holding that creative section ofit.
We are launching Afrique NoireEdits in about three months.
Busy yeah it's very busy, andthis will be our e-commerce leg
(17:05):
of the company that allowscreatives, brands, to actually
sell their products, their art,their fashion, on our e-commerce
site, so really taking itfurther in terms of connection
and actually monetizing it forthe creatives.
So that is one of the thingsthat we're working on right now.
That has been taking up a lotof my time, right.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (17:27):
So I mean, how do you position
yourself differently or makes itdifferent from other
publications?
Isha Gaye (17:33):
Yeah, absolutely.
I think for us we're just veryintentional about storytelling.
I think for us that I'm veryintentional about, because
(18:01):
that's how I started and Ididn't want the momentum or the
growth to change the core valuesof why I started this
publication to begin with, andthat was really about
storytelling.
I wanted people to have aplatform where they could tell
their stories and what broughtthem to where they are.
You know, a lot of thecreatives that we work with have
(18:22):
such hard lives or have livedhard lives and even within those
trials, they still found timeto create because the art that
they were doing or whatevercreative endeavor they were
pursuing was their lifeline.
And I really want to reposition, you know, creatives in Africa
and, honestly, in general, in away that isn't so shunned or
(18:46):
isn't so second class, right.
Like you know it's not reallyseen as, and I think, especially
in, you know, africa, and a lotof that is due to scarcity,
right, like I understand,because the ones that pay our
business, our law, like whatwe're talking about, engineering
, which are all great things,but I would dare to say in the
(19:06):
work that I me want to be abetter person or want to change
the world.
All of these things are reallylike art, they're creative
things, they're music, they're,and I think, in telling the
(19:28):
stories of the creatives that wework with, I hope to really
showcase a different side ofwhat it means to be a creative,
because it's also a lot of hardwork.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (19:37):
Yeah, it's a serious pursuit.
Isha Gaye (19:38):
Yeah, it's very serious.
So I guess I'm trying to bringthat seriousness back into it
and really, and you know, theAfrican creative economy is
flourishing right.
And it's booming and it's goingto continue to boom and I think
it's estimated to be amulti-billion dollar industry
within the next couple of years,and I think it's important to
(20:00):
have a platform that continuesto just show the different
creatives that exist and thework that they're doing and why
they're doing the work thatthey're doing, in hopes that for
them to they continue thatpursuit.
I think the feedback that we'vegotten from creatives you know
your post really helped me gainfollowers and people were buying
my work and it's helped mecontinue to.
(20:21):
You know, and I saw that youalso have inclusion
sustainability.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (20:42):
Can you expand a little bit on those
themes and how they arereflected in the publication?
Isha Gaye (20:47):
Absolutely.
You know, sustainability ishuge for me.
One, and it's also all of thecreatives that I've worked with.
It's never something I've hadto say I have.
I've never been like you haveto be sustainable.
Most of the creatives that wework with are sustainable
creatives Right.
Even a lot of the fashiondesigners that we featured and
are now coming on our Africanedit platform.
(21:10):
They're rooted insustainability because
sustainability in Africa isalmost a way of life in a lot of
the creative pursuits that wesee, in a lot of the creative
pursuits that we see.
So, you know, we interviewed alady I remember who all of her,
the fashion that she created,it's recycled.
The intentionality behind thework that she does, it's hours
(21:30):
of actually hand-making clothes.
You know it's not fast fashion,it's very intentional creation
and she's so mindful about theway that she creates the
materials that she uses.
So most of the creatives,honestly all of the creatives
that we work with, are rooted insustainability, whether they
know it or not, and inclusivity.
(21:51):
You know, that was more so amission that I put out because I
also recognize that noteveryone is on the same playing
field, wherever you are.
So we accept submissions fromvarious creatives, wherever you
are, whatever you're doing.
We even have a series wherepeople tag us in their posts and
(22:14):
then we have, once a month,we'll repost all of the people
that have like, tagged us, andthey're not necessarily working
with us directly or maybe weweren't able to feature them,
but we want to highlight themand we want to make it easy for
them to be highlighted.
So we don't charge a fee to be apart of the publication.
We don't charge a fee.
I think a lot of pages willcharge you a dollar amount to be
(22:37):
publicized, but we want to makeit inclusive and we want to
make it accessible.
So that was always.
You know how I thought about itand, of course, you know being
profitable, it's also profitable.
You know it's, it's, we need tobe profitable and I think a lot
of times in my year, peoplelike you know you need to charge
(22:58):
.
You need to charge.
My goal was never to charge thecreatives and that isn't going
to change.
So we found different ways tomonetize and we continue to find
different ways to monetize thatdon't include, you know, take
penny pinching or like taking,you know, the money of creatives
.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (23:13):
The very people you're trying to
highlight.
Yeah, exactly.
Isha Gaye (23:16):
Yeah, it doesn't make sense.
It doesn't make sense for me,great.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (23:20):
So what magazines did you used to read
when you were a young girl?
Yeah, and which ones did youreturn to for inspiration?
Isha Gaye (23:27):
Yes, I mean, I feel like magazines have changed so
much since I first came to theStates and you know, something
that I always noticed was justthere was never any Black people
anywhere on any of thesemagazines.
And I think as a kid I washighly aware of that and I grew
up in a town where I was one ofyou know maybe two or three, and
(23:51):
my sister was the other one ofBlacks in my neighborhood and in
my school.
So it was very, I think, Ialways noticed when we weren't
being represented.
So even you know, growing up Iread Vogue and we used to have
it in our library actually atschool and I would go and then I
(24:11):
would look through it.
Or if I was ever in a waitingroom somewhere, hospital,
wherever it was doctor'sappointment I would read these
magazines.
And I would never.
I just always thought they werevery bland, and I don't mean
that in any kind of disrespectbecause I recognize that people
really love these magazines andI do think they've evolved now.
you know, they're more inclusivein a way that they were not
(24:34):
inclusive before, when I wasgrowing up.
So I do feel like they'veadjusted with the times.
But I just, even now, sometimeswhen I look through magazines,
I'm just like, okay, like isthis?
Like?
You know, it's not for me, itwas just very, it was very bland
.
So I just always thought thatyou know magazines or you know
publication should be art.
(24:55):
You know and you know so, eventhe way that we create the
magazine, it's storytelling.
We are telling a story from thebeginning to the end.
We're connecting with thereader.
It feels really personal.
It feels like you're taking thejourney with us.
Every page is unique.
Every page is like whoa, I justwant to look at this.
You know, even when I look at amagazine, I'm like this, it's
so beautiful.
(25:15):
Other magazines will be reallylike.
I think I was reading amagazine, one of the more
prominent magazines, and it waslike 200 and something pages and
like a hundred of the pageswere ads.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (25:26):
Oh gosh, it's actually really painful.
I mean, actually I'm not buyingmagazines anymore, honestly,
yeah.
Isha Gaye (25:33):
Yeah, and that's fair .
I wouldn't buy them eitherbased on how they look like
currently.
So for me, I like to use theword publication a little bit
more than I use magazine becauseit's not like from what people
would expect from a regularmagazine.
That's not what we have.
Ours is very intentional.
Ours is a piece of art, really,that you can keep, that people
(25:57):
could come over and look at andreally learn.
It's educational, it'sentertaining, and I think that's
what it should be like.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (26:06):
I think that's what these types of work
should be right, yeah, if peopleare buying it you know, yeah,
yeah, I mean I remember readingVibe magazine Source and what
really attracted me to thosemagazines was the writing, like
the really rigorous culturaljournalism that went into it.
Do you want to expand a littlebit about some of the
(26:27):
contributors you have and youknow what kind of pieces they're
bringing to the table?
Isha Gaye (26:40):
into the table?
Absolutely, yeah.
So currently we have twofull-time writing staff and then
we accept contributions fromwriters.
So actually, the very firstpage of our debut issue is a
beautiful piece that is writtenby a woman named Carmel, and she
wrote a piece about Africandesigners and how they're
reshaping the narrative of whatfashion means, and that is how
(27:01):
you begin the magazine andthat's how you begin the journey
with us in the magazine,because fashion is a central
part of this specific issue andit was such a beautiful piece.
I remember when she submittedit to us I was like wow.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (27:17):
Nice.
Isha Gaye (27:18):
So it was well written.
She uses some quotes from avery prominent Western movie
called the Devil Wears Prada.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (27:26):
I love that film actually.
Yes, it was great.
Isha Gaye (27:28):
It was great.
And she, you know, just talkingabout how an everyday person
that's looking at an outfit orsomething that's made might not
realize how much intention wasput behind finding that specific
color or sewing and weavingthis outfit in a very specific
way.
And that is what Africandesigners are doing and it's so
(27:50):
true.
I mean all of the designersthat we've spoken to.
They are so intentional aboutthe work that they're doing and
they're blending their heritage.
They're the tailors that theyhave.
They're so intentional aboutevery piece of stitch,
everything that's sewn together.
So that is actually how themagazine starts and I wanted it
(28:10):
to start with that piece becauseI think it then sets the scene
for the rest of the pages that areader would see in the
magazine.
So writers are integral to ourissue.
So we do have our full-timestaff and I give them a lot of
flexibility and freedom in whatthey want to write about, what
feels good.
Of course, if there's somethingthat's relevant now, they'll
(28:32):
write about that, but for themost part, they're writing about
culture, they're writing abouthistory.
It's very educational, but it'salso entertaining, and you'll
see a lot of these on our socialmedia or on our website.
But, yeah, writers, I feel likeare the backbone of any good
magazine.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (28:47):
For sure yeah.
Isha Gaye (28:47):
That's where the storytelling is.
So even when there's interviewsthat I do I'll collaborate with
our writers to figure out howcan we best tell the story.
And they're yeah, they'reamazing.
So we're always takingcontributions, and then, of
course, we also have ourin-house writers as well.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (29:06):
My guest today on Shades and Layers is
Isha Gaye, founder and CEO ofAfrique Noire magazine, a new
publication that aims to bringthe diaspora closer to the
African continent.
Well, as the founder of thismagazine, Isha threw herself
into a leadership role, andthat's our next topic of
discussion.
After that, we get into theShades and Layers rapid fire.
(29:29):
Talk to me about what you likemost about leading a team of
creatives and what's been someof the challenges you've faced
along the way.
Yeah, absolutely.
Isha Gaye (29:43):
There's so much that I love and, of course, there's
so much that's also hard.
But you know, I have a greatteam and I do think I'm really,
really blessed because everyonethat has gravitated to this
business and everyone who hasgravitated to me, it's because
they saw what I was putting outthere and it really resonated
(30:03):
with them and they reached outto me and that's how we built
this relationship and it's beenbuilt over time.
So I have had the same socialmedia manager for the past two
years and the same creativedirector for the past two years
and we same creative directorfor the past two years and we're
building.
So now we're a team of fiveofficially and it's everyone
that's a part of the team isvery, very intentional about the
(30:26):
work that we do and Iappreciate that so much because
I don't necessarily have to.
I'm not a micromanager, so Ihate to micromanage because I
hate being micromanaged.
Like I said, I'm still working.
So it's so funny because I feellike I have a great boss and
oftentimes I find myself takingmy bosses.
You know the way that she treatsme, and then that just echoes
(30:48):
into the way that I treat, youknow, my team and the
conversations that we have andhow our meetings are led.
But it's and it's great.
Honestly, it's hard to juggleboth, but I think because I had
I've never been a boss before Ikind of just threw myself into
this it's great to, you know,work with somebody who I can
emulate in my own business.
I would say like I'm extremelyblessed with my team and I
(31:11):
honestly haven't had too manyinstances where I was like, oh
my gosh, this is hard.
I mean, sometimes it's likepayroll and I'm like, okay, I'm
still funneling this by myself.
So but they're also just sounderstanding of where we're at
as a business and they know thatas we continue to grow, you
know they'll grow within thebusiness as well and salaries
will go up.
But yeah, they're very, veryunderstanding and I really feel
(31:35):
blessed to be surrounded by thembecause, honestly, I would not
be able to do this without them.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (31:41):
Yeah, absolutely no way.
Isha Gaye (31:43):
Even just from what you see on social media.
That is my social media teamand they're very intentional
about who they source and thework that they do, and that
allows me to also just step backand think about bigger picture
endeavors for the business.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (31:58):
I know you want to connect the diaspora
to the African continent, butyou know, for the business
itself, like, what's your,what's your vision, what do you
want to see?
Where do you want to take thisAfrique Noire concept?
Isha Gaye (32:10):
Yeah, honestly, I mean I have so many, like I said
, I have a very activeimagination.
I mean I have so many, like Isaid, I have a very active
imagination.
So I have, I have so many.
Like you know, I see thebusiness going in so many
different places.
Sometimes I have to anchor andjust be where I'm at.
I'm like you know, this iswhere I'm at today.
So genuinely I can tell you Iam taking it day by day.
(32:40):
I think if there is a way thatI can continue to create this
space that is profitable notjust for me but also for the
creatives that we work with,that really brings them onto a
global stage and also reallyconnects the diaspora back to
their roots, I think I would besatisfied.
And I don't need to have amulti-million dollar company.
That's never been my goal, butI think ultimately, what I want
(33:04):
is to just continue to bridgethe gap and have those
conversations and create thatspace for discourse and to also
just remind everyone that we'reall the same.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (33:12):
And then about you.
Yes, you grew up partially inthe Gambia and now you're in
California.
You've got this aunt, but youknow who are the other mentors
that are helping you to staygrounded and be who you are and
so connected to your culture,etc.
Thank you.
Isha Gaye (33:31):
It's such an interesting story.
So when I moved to the States,I didn't see my mom for about 15
years actually after I moved tothe US and I was here with my
dad but he was kind of absent.
So I really feel like I had tocultivate this inner person, or
this inner persona of who I was.
(33:53):
And you know, I really mysister and I, we raised
ourselves as children growing uphere.
I was very close to my maternalgrandmother before I moved to
the US and then unfortunatelyshe died while I was in the
United States.
But she was somebody in my lifewho I vividly recall was always
grounding me in who I was andalways grounding me in our
(34:13):
culture and in our music and inour language, and I've carried
that with me and a lot of what Ido I do because of what I've
learned from her.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (34:23):
And.
Isha Gaye (34:23):
I've really carried that with me and I don't know
how.
Honestly.
I don't know how, because Ifeel like I have been here for
such a long time.
I don't know why.
I didn't know why I was stillso connected to you know Africa,
or to you know the Gambia, orto my culture, like I shouldn't
have been, because there wasnobody in my life who was
actively grounding me in that orreaffirming that.
(34:46):
So even you know my language.
We speak well off in the Gambia, and that was something that I
held on to so tight, but even athome nobody was speaking it
with me, because they wanted meto really learn.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (34:57):
English.
Isha Gaye (35:03):
To speak English absolutely tight, but even at
home nobody was speaking it withme because they wanted me to
really learn English.
So even as I grew up, Iremember I found a tutor and
then I was working with himbehind my dad's back to continue
to learn more often.
So there was, there was reallythis gravitational pull that I
feel like.
I don't know how it's sustained.
I don't know where I guess itreally came from, but I've
always felt like I needed to dothis kind of work and I've
(35:23):
always found ways, I think, to.
Even when I was going to be alawyer, I knew I would want to
work in the international space,and specifically in Africa.
So I always knew that this isthe space that I wanted to be in
, and I honestly cannot tell youhow or why, because there was
really nobody at my after Imoved to the US that I wanted to
be in, and I honestly cannottell you how or why, because
there was really nobody at myafter I moved to the U?
S that was reaffirming that forme it was just me.
(35:43):
So I genuinely, you know, Ievery time somebody asks me that
question, I don't know how torespond because I genuinely
don't know what it is that keepsme so connected or that has
pushed me on this path, but thedivine.
So I just feel.
I just feel like it's where Iwas meant to be.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (36:03):
What is a piece of advice that was given
to you and you continue to liveby?
Isha Gaye (36:09):
I think there's so many.
I've definitely learned a lot.
Like I said, my aunt is a veryprominent figure in my life.
She's actually from Cameroon,so we're not blood related, but
she has.
Her and my uncle have taken meand my sister in and our cousins
were like siblings.
So she's a very godly woman,she's a very spiritual woman and
I think she's just alwaystaught me the importance of
(36:31):
listening to my inner voice andthe truth of who I am, and I
think that's something.
Even and I think we all getlost sometimes she's always
taught me the importance ofdrowning out the noise that is
everyone else and the world andreally connecting to yourself.
(36:51):
So meditation is something thatI try to do as often as I can,
because I think that allows youto really go deep within
yourself, connect to source,connect to God.
You know whoever it is that youknow people feel personally
connected to in their ownspiritual life, but I think that
relationship is more importantthan any other relationship,
right?
So just always being willing tobe introspective I think that's
(37:15):
something that she's alwaystaught me and to not be afraid
to fail and I say all of thisbecause the endeavor that I've
embarked on I haven't reallyseen anyone else do it where I
can be, like that's theblueprint, right, it's different
and it's not conventional.
(37:38):
So I say that because Irecognize that there's a
possibility that I might fail,and I have failed in many
different ways, but I think I'vemastered the art of failing and
I think I'm okay with failing,because I think things that I
have failed.
I feel like I could say that Ifailed in going to law school,
(38:00):
but now, looking back, I knowfor a fact that I would have
dreaded going to law schoolbecause that's not where my
heart was calling me to.
So I believe that I will end upwhere I'm meant to end up and
I'm just trying to have as muchfun as I can in the meantime and
impact as many lives as I candoing the work that I'm doing
and ultimately, whatever happenswill happen.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (38:22):
Perfect.
So are you a coffee or a tea?
Isha Gaye (38:24):
person.
I have tea right now.
I've been trying to sneak itinto this interview and drink it
, but I think it's cold now.
I'm not a coffee person I triedto be at one point but then it
gives me anxiety.
So I'm like why am I doing this?
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (38:39):
Fair enough, fair enough.
And how do you take your teaWith lots of sugar and lots of
cream, sweet girl?
Yes, and what's a fun factabout you that you would love to
share?
Isha Gaye (38:56):
something people don't know about me is that I'm
actually a yoga teacher.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (39:00):
Oh, wow, yes, oh that's fun.
Isha Gaye (39:02):
Yeah, it was.
It was during my, my midlifeyou know what midlife young girl
in my quarter life okay, you'recorrect.
My quarter life price I wasabout 24.
Okay With 23, 24.
Okay, yes, my quarter life is I.
You know, I was telling my auntI was like I don't know what I
want to do in my life.
(39:22):
But I really loved yoga at thetime, so, and I was really into
mindfulness in that time period,like I was trying to meditate,
move my body, be intentionalabout it.
So I became a yoga teacher.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (39:33):
Oh, that's great, yeah, so I still
teach from here.
You still teach.
Okay, that's fun, that's great.
Nice, nice.
And which famous black woman,living or dead, would you invite
to dinner tonight?
This is so hard.
You can only choose one, by theway, I know.
Isha Gaye (39:51):
Tonight only because I have been obsessed with her
lately, I would invite EmmaGreed.
Ah, yeah, and she yes.
So she's the founder of Skimsand Get American and she's just
like a really greatbusinesswoman.
I love her story and I love she.
Just seems like such a friendlyand fun person that I could
probably talk business with.
So tonight, because of where Iam currently, I would invite
(40:14):
Emma Fantastic.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (40:16):
Great.
So if people want to work withyou, contribute to the mag, you
know, just get in touch.
Where can they find you?
Isha Gaye (40:24):
Yeah, so I try not to tell people to find me.
I get so many DMs and I feel sobad sometimes because I can't,
you know, look at them andrespond to them all.
So we have a form on ourwebsite for creatives and you
can submit your form there.
We are updating our website sosoon.
(40:45):
You know.
If you want to write for us, ifyou want to work with us,
collaborate with us, all of thatwill be on the website.
But for now, if people arelistening to this, very soon
they can send us an email atNoire at gmailcom with their
request or their proposal andthe team will usually look at it
, filter through it and whateveris meant to come to me will
(41:07):
come to my inbox and I'llrespond from there.
But we can always be reachedvia email and we're pretty good
about responding to emails.
Kutloano Skosana Ricci (41:16):
That is all from me this time around.
Thank you, Isha, for sharingyour own personal journey to
entrepreneurship and the storyof Afrique Noire.
Thanks to all of you listenersfor joining in this conversation
.
If you liked this episode,please spread the love and share
it with a friend.
I'm Kutlonas, kosana Ritchie,and until next time.
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