Protect The Future: Building Legacy in a Room Full of 20-Years-Old
Author: Teresa Lubano
Date: March, 25, 2026
This article is my attempt to unpack a few of the nuggets of wisdom I had the privilege of hearing from some incredibly thoughtful women at the event. The first panel, in particular, stayed with me, and I’d like to reflect on some of the insights that resonated deeply, not only with me personally, but with the creative industry more broadly.
Fair warning: this piece leans more heavily on quotes than prose because, quite honestly, the speakers said many things far better than I ever could.
On The Power of Collaboration
The panel discussion was themed: “Women Creatives Leading Social Change”. The panel opened with a conversation on the power of the collective, what collaboration really means, and why it matters so much in creative work. Right from the start, one particular framing stopped me in my tracks:
“Collaboration is protection.” – Nyamuoch Girwath
I felt that immediately. It is not just about holding each other’s hands. It is about holding each other accountable, building strong networks, and, thank goodness someone in the room said it plainly, “stop competing for space.” That survivalist mentality? That is “Flintstones thinking”. The businesses and creators who will thrive in the future are the ones embracing collaboration fully, and the examples shared in the room made that abundantly clear.
Linda Murithi, founder of The Core Fashion Kenya and the
and co-founder of Hub of Africa Fashion Week, which recently took place in Addis Ababa, put it plainly:
“We ought to empower each other. We also ought to support the fashion industry, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, and specifically in Kenya.”
She also posed a pointed question that lingered in the air: “Why is it that, to date, we still do not have a homegrown franchise in the way South Africa has Woolworths?” It is the kind of question that makes you shift in your seat, in the best possible way.
Then there was Debra Ngetich, representing Tangaza Magazine, who came with equal fire:
“We need to blow up our stories.”
Through the magazine, she explained, her agenda is to make our stories visible to the world, so that people know extraordinary creative talent and innovative thinking are coming out of this part of the world. She spoke about it as a form of paying it forward: creating visibility, pathways, and opportunities for other women to thrive. But she also widened the lens:
“We need to create these opportunities not just for ourselves, but for the next generation.”
And she is absolutely right. With Africa, already the youngest continent, projected to become the world’s most populous by 2050, the conversation around job creation and economic transformation is not just important. It is urgent.
There were also rich reflections on building legacy, being intentional about who you work with, and embracing a multidisciplinary attitude as a way of deepening collaboration.
One panelist put it beautifully: “Multidisciplinary thinking expands not only our minds, but also our creativity and our craft”. That feels especially relevant as we move further into a century being shaped, and often disrupted, by technology and AI.
That thread closed on a note that had, quite honestly, the whole room nodding in agreement: Women are really good to work with. We are intuitive entrepreneurs. We are nurturers. We are creative, and we are resilient.
And power to the woman, right?
On The Power of Alchemy
The second thread running through that first panel was perhaps the more philosophical one, and it centred on the idea of alchemy: the transformation of creative energy into something meaningful.
The conversation acknowledged something many creatives know intimately, that creativity is often born out of survival. There is a real struggle involved in producing beautiful work. But then a brilliant question was posed:
Can beautiful creativity also be bred from a point of abundance?
That question stayed with me.
The suggestion was that we need to become more introspective, not only creating from pain or difficulty, but also from beauty. From joy. From encouragement. From the things that are going right. Yes, the dark times can make your work deeply relatable. There is a strange and powerful energy that difficult seasons can produce. But we also need to consciously balance that with the light.
One of the most memorable analogies shared was around self-expression on social media, and how a seed of an idea, documented consistently over time, can slowly undergo its own alchemy. What begins as a passing thought, perhaps logged in fragments on Instagram, can eventually evolve into a fully realised creative language or body of work.
Small idea.
Consistent documentation.
Transformation.
And then came a question I am still sitting with:
Is art making a comeback, by design?
Are we witnessing a growing, almost primal need to create, one that has perhaps been suppressed for years because so many of us have mainly been consuming? And is that inner urge now rising to the surface, louder and louder? The panel seemed to think so, and honestly, I think they may be right.
The call to action was clear: tap into your consciousness. Know who you are. Know what you are going through. Know your history, your culture, your struggle, your desires, your point of view. Then transform that energy into something meaningful. Something beautiful. Something that can create impact. Something someone can pay for.
The closing reflections on this thread were perhaps the most human of all: do not be afraid to be seen during your dark times. Do not isolate yourself when life gets difficult. Keep creating. Ask for help. Resources, including knowledge, can be exchanged. But first, you have to be willing to seek them.
And then, in a moment I genuinely did not see coming, a woman stood up from the audience. She was the mother of one of the panellists, visibly moved and absolutely bursting with pride. She spoke about how, in her day, there were hardly any mentors, no one to reach out to, no real forum for sharing ideas like these. The opportunities simply were not there in the same way. But today, she sees something different. And she left us with this:
“The talents we have as creators come from God. We must look towards that light, that power we’ve been given, continue honing our expressions, be tasteful in how we craft, always listen to our instincts, and never plagiarize.”
I thought that was such a beautiful point to close on.
In Closing
All in all, I had an absolutely fabulous time.
The event was organised by PE$OS, an organisation I had never heard of before, but whose name immediately caught my attention. In Kenya, we have the word pesa, which in Swahili translates to money in English. I found that linguistic pull really interesting, especially for a fashion brand entering this space with the intention of elevating the creative arts. Meaningful word. Powerful intention.
The experiential side of the event was also something else entirely: skateboarding challenges, music, art, fashion merchandise, jerseys and shoes branded Protect The Future by PESOS in collaboration with an iconic South African fashion streetwear brand Grade Africa. There was energy in that room. Real, tangible energy.
And of course, being the show-stopper that I am, at around 7 PM, just as the after-party was getting started, I quietly made my exit.
But I left with something valuable.
I left with insight.
I left with admiration.
And I left with a deep sense of joy.
Because what moved me most was this: we are not sitting back and waiting for permission. We are seeing designers as young as 20 owning their space, making indelible marks in the creative economy, and actively thinking about legacy, authorship, and the future they want to shape. That gave me so much pride.
To the organisers and all the speakers, thank you for building the kind of room that needed to exist. We hope to see many more.
And if a grandma in her 40s could leave that room feeling like the future of Africa’s creative economy is in very good hands, trust me, it is.
