Young, Famous & African is a brand new Netflix series showcasing the wild and crazy lives of the continent's biggest personalities. From DJs to socialites to musicians to film and TV stars, the reality TV show brings together creatives from Uganda, Ghana, Tanzania, Nigeria, South Africa, and beyond for laughs, tears, and lavish living. 

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AMAKA sits down with Ugandan influencer Zari Hassan, AKA Zari the Boss Lady and South African DJ, Quinton Masina, who goes by the name the Naked DJ. We touched on their rags to riches stories, the need for intra-continental collaboration to build better futures for the next generation of Africans, and, of course, the show. 

Expect drama!

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Tell us about yourselves.

Quinton: I'm a radio DJ. I work on the biggest commercial radio station in South Africa, Metro FM, with almost 6 million listeners. I'm also a radio producer. I'm a club DJ [and[ record label owner.

I just fit into the show because, just like any other African kid out there trying to be a success, every little opportunity given to them [is a chance] to turn it into something huge. I think all the other cast members can relate to this on that level.

Zari: I'm personally a former musician. I've been branded a socialite.

What motivated you to take part in the show?

Quinton: I wanted to show the world what Africa has to offer. We have a lot to offer; we're rich in culture. It's just a rich continent. There are personalities. There's big business, entertainment. There's so much that Africa has to offer.

I also wanted to take part in the show because I got to rub shoulders with some of the biggest business people and some of the biggest entertainers on the African continent. And, hey, I wanted to be part of that new revolution that is going to set trends for the next Africa that's about to come.

Zari: Being part of the show is giving us a chance to showcase what Africa is made of because a lot of people don't get to see that side of Africa. So many people Google Africa, and they think it's animals, it's your big safaris that you see, that we have lions running in the streets. But there's entertainment and the continent itself. We are so rich. We're so diverse. So for us, being part of such a big project like Young, Famous & African is such a huge opportunity, not just for us as the cast, but to inspire the next person saying, "I'm proud to be African."

Can we expect drama among the cast members this season?

Quinton: Look, this Young, Famous & African has the cream of the crop that the continent has to offer. Now, you can imagine the big personalities that are sometimes in the same room.

Zari: Egos clashing.

Quinton: Yes. We're all respected in our own spheres. So you can understand that when you put all of that together into one huge cocktail, there'll be relationship dramas. There'll be friendship dramas.

Zari: Yes.

Quinton: There'll be group dramas and some personality clashes. It was inevitable that that would happen.

Let's build on that. What's the juiciest thing that's happened? Give us the low-down.

Quinton: Wow. I think the whole season.

Zari: Every episode has a juicy thing happening. So we can't really specify because then we're giving too much away. We want people to really see what happened.

Aside from the drama, have there been any positive developments? Do you feel like you've made any life-long friendships or positive connections?

Quinton: Definitely. We are all creatives. We are trying to grow Africa into something bigger than it already is. So we do see the future, and that little networking that we did was totally phenomenal. And there are definitely things that are going to spin off from all of us business-wise.

Zari: Yeah, definitely. 

Zari, you're from Uganda. Quinton, you're from South Africa. There are cast members from Nigeria and Tanzania, as well as other places. How important is it to build these intra-community community relations in Africa?

Zari: Looking at it, I might know people in a different country, maybe Ghana, and he probably wants to do something, and I'll be like, "I know somebody that could connect you there or vice versa." So we find ourselves connecting to different countries in one way or another. It's a big opportunity and a huge platform for us to build from this.

You both expressed a desire to subvert stereotypical depictions of Africa via the show. How authentic is the presentation of everyday African lives in the series?

Zari: There's a lifestyle in Africa that is usually seen only in Hollywood. So when you come to Africa, we have the same thing. We live this same lifestyle, the glitz, the glam, the champagne, the yachts, the private jets. And these are things that people don't think exist in Africa. So for us to be able to showcase such things and say, "This is the modern Africa", for me, it's an amazing thing because [mainstream media] only show[s] the famine, the wars.

This is the modern Africa, and the next generation will be like, "Wow. I'm proudly African."

Quinton: And we do know that every society has its different classes and different circles. So this, I think, showcases young, driven people that are constantly working, constantly trying to make themselves better.

Would you describe any of yourselves as self-made successes?

Zari: Personally, yeah. Yes.

Quinton: Yeah. Look, I still call South Africa a young country. You know about South Africa's bad past (history of Apartheid). So, it's not like we come from generational wealth. I think most, if not all, of the cast members have started from nothing. We are young, hardworking, and famous Africans.

How did you both build your wealth?

Quinton: I've dedicated a lot of my life to, not necessarily making sure that I live this flamboyant, flashy life, but making sure my kids are happy. My great-grandkids should also not struggle. We are constantly building, which is why, even with us on the show, [we're] trying to erase the borders that Africa has, just to show that, listen, as Africa, we are one.

Zari: We are one.

Quinton: And when we go as a collective, we can be bigger so that our next generations don't have to starve.

Tell us more about your origins and what inspired you into the career paths that you are in right now.

Zari: Like [Quinton] said, we don't come from generational wealth, which is the case for 90%, if not 80%, of Africans. Personally, I didn't like how I grew up, living like that. I thought, "I could do better. I could live better. I can do this for myself. I can acquire that."

Gone are the days when our parents, especially mothers, didn't have options for working. Most of the time, African women were meant to stay home, take care of families, bear children, and whatnot. But with the modern-day woman, now we are allowed to work. We can acquire everything we want to acquire. So for me, having had such opportunities, I was like, "I don't want that life — my grandparents' life, my mother's life. I can create a life for myself." Hence, my motivation to say I want better.

As a Millennial woman, Zari, what do you think the future holds for up and coming Gen Z African women, especially in the media space?

Zari: The future is female. I always say this, and people always think, "Okay, she's crazy." The future is female. Women can do so much. Women have dominated areas where we thought women would never sit. Women are becoming presidents. Women are becoming leaders. Women are becoming CEOs. Women are becoming business entrepreneurs. The future is female.

Can we expect a season two?

Zari: Are you expecting season two? Definitely a yes for me. You (she asks Quinton)?

Quinton: Oh, definitely. There's a lot of drama. I'm still trying to relax and detox from season one. But to be continued. Let's just watch the space.

What's the final thing you'd like us to take away from this discussion on Young, Famous & African?

Quinton: I just want young Africans that will watch the show to get out there and make those opportunities. Whatever you dream, you can make it. And to the rest of the world, I want them to know that, hey, there's so much opportunity here. Let's work. Let's build. Let's make Africa better. Let's make the world better.