Recognising the prevalent gender gap in the African music industry, Femme Africa was established with the ultimate goal to "create a safe community for African women in music". The women-led organisation first gained interest following its music showcase in 2018, which provided a platform for budding female artists such as Tems, Dami Oniru, Solis, Goodgirl La and more. Since then, it has grown into an elaborate ecosystem providing infrastructure for women in different sectors of the music industry through webinars, workshops, mentorship programmes as well as a one of a kind annual music festival to celebrate women.
Where Were All the Black Women at the BRIT Awards?
AMAKA sat down with Femme Africa founder, Ayomide Dokunmu, to learn more about the power of community, building sustainable futures for African women in music, and more.
How did your journey in the music industry begin?
I have always been drawn to music and the people who create music. During my time schooling in America, I was a big fan of Mr Eazi. This was at the time when he had just put out "Skin Tight". We met during his intimate show in London called "69 with Eazi." There, I also got to meet Juls and Eugy. We all loosely kept in contact afterwards, and when I came back [to London], I just sort of became close to them.
My first real experience working in the industry came when I became a part of the planning committee of their first major show. I quickly learnt that event curation was up my alley. My best friend owns Native Magazine, and when Nativeland Festival was happening for the second time that year in Lagos, I got to work on that as well. Finally, I graduated and moved back to Nigeria. From working at Spice TV as a Social Media Manager, I became the assistant to the Event Producer of XChange, which is an event company that was just starting at the time. I was involved in booking all the artists, booking the talents for award shows, and liaising with them. It was crazy. We produced six shows in like five days.
Tell us about Femme Africa.
Femme Africa is a community and a platform for African women in creative industries. Under Femme Africa, we currently have our media platform, Femme Magazine and the annual festival Femme Fest. We are in the process of building Femme Digital, which will be the parent company housing these two platforms with the inclusion of Femme Music. On a day-to-day basis, create a lot of content-focused work at Femme Mag as well as foster brand partnerships that align with our ethos.
When did you begin conceiving the idea for Femme Africa?
I feel like all of my previous experiences shaped me because even when I got close to Mr Eazi's team and worked with them on the shows, I did get a lot of side-eyes. If I were a guy, no one would have said things like, 'What is she doing with them?' It felt like it just wasn't enough that I was interested in music. I had to be side-eyed because I was a woman. Besides that, on the shows that I worked on, there weren't that many women, and even when there were women, they were usually supporting artists, and they still weren't that many.
I didn't have an idea for Femme Africa per se, but I did have an idea for a music showcase for women artists. When I thought about what I wanted and how to go about it, I spoke to a few people. They also reiterated that there aren't enough women artists out there for it to be a sustainable thing. They were like, 'How many are you going to do?' But when I have an idea, you can't tell me anything.
How were you able to pull through?
I'll be honest with you and say that as many people [that] didn't believe, people believed, [which was] enough to give me hope. It wasn't anything crazy to do the first show. I had like a hundred and fifty thousand Naira, and that money was given to me by people who bought into the idea. For the others, I wasn't thinking much about them. I had to focus on the one show. The show was called "Femme: The Showcase".
What informed your decision to grow Femme beyond the showcase and into an ecosystem?
After the first show in December 2018, all the guests and artists who performed were wowed and got to discover new artists. Through the show, I met Tems and Dami Oniru, and the three of us became quite friendly. From speaking to them, I got to understand that there was hardly any support for women upcoming artists in the industry. If I decided today that I wanted to get into music, how would I go about it? The music industry here is such an informal space. The structure is simply not there, and where there is no structure, it is quite hard for women to feel safe and thrive.
Is there a part for men to play in creating structure and spaces for women to thrive?
100% because men are the ones with all the power. They are the ones that control the majority of the industry. I think it's up to them to take active steps to correct the problems, whether it's by giving money to people who are already doing the work or just doing more.
There is a rise in visibility for women artists right now. Do you think solutions are being made for other issues that women artists face, such as pay inequality?
I'll be honest and say that I don't know much about the inner workings of the music industry, but I can't imagine that it will completely evolve in 2022. I think it has become a fancy soundbite to say, 'We support women. We do this and that', but I don't feel like anyone is actively trying to do the work. People here just think that if they say that they love women, It will cover itself. No one is trying to walk the talk.
Community is ingrained in the ethos of Femme Africa. Why is it important for women in music to build communities?
You get to learn that you are not alone. For so long, we haven't been able to speak about the things we go through as women. I mean, we are in 2022, and we still have to hide our pads when we go to the bathroom. We are still worried about our bra straps showing. There's just so much shame centred around women. Being around people who understand what you are going through provides space for your reality to be validated. You come to certain realisations like 'It's not only me that this producer did XYZ to. It's not just me who is finding it hard to get signed to a label", etc.
From your experience, what are effective ways to build community?
I believe the most crucial thing is vulnerability. You have to be open and honest to find people who will resonate with you.
What accomplishments are you most proud of?
I'd say joining the board for Spotify's Equal Programme and winning the programme’s $50,000 grant. Also, all the feedback I get from our mentorship programme. I had someone tell me that she hired one of her mentees. Every time I go on social media, I see a new one, and I'm just wowed. That's definitely a big one for me.
The mentorship programme sounds interesting. Can you tell us more about it?
The Femme Mentorship programme seeks to equip women with the conversations, tools, and encouragement needed to succeed in their creative careers. We launched our maiden edition in March 2021 with 20 trailblazing mentors and 34 mentees. Some of the mentors include Director of A&R at Mavin Records, Rima Tahini; Managing Director at Warner Music South Africa, Temilade Adeniji; Head of Media and Brand Partnerships at Audiomack Africa, Charlotte Bwana; Marketing Manager Africa & Diaspora at EMPIRE; Stephanie Adamu, and more.
What are your thoughts on this new era of women entertainers coming up right now?
I'm excited! During our rehearsal for Femme Fest 2021, my team and I were just smiling back and forth because our lineup was so long. I honestly cannot wait for everyone to see how good the music these women are making across different genres. I love Tomilola, Ezi Emela, Tomi Owo, Ria Sean, Liya, Somadina, Solis, SGaWd oh my God.
When you think of the future of African music, what do you envision for women?
I envision a safer space, more representation, more female artists thriving at the same time. I want there to be enough space for everyone. I'd like to see more female producers, sound engineers, and even event curators.