Hi Orlando! What inspired you to launch Manju Journal in 2015?
I was in my second year of studying French and Linguistics at the University of Ghana when I had the idea. I had lots of friends who were active in the creative industries, whether through fashion, music, painting, or filmmaking. All of them had wonderful projects that they were trying to get on platforms and publications outside of Ghana, but it was difficult to find editors to pitch them to. I was like, “let me set something up on Instagram to spotlight your work.” That’s how Manju started. In the beginning there was no clear direction. I just wanted to support the beautiful things I was seeing around me.
Over time, I started to spotlight artists from other regions in Africa, and in the diaspora as well. I wanted to create a larger community of artists outside of my hometown of Accra.
Where did the name Manju come from?
My godfather was Indian. When he passed away, I wanted to do something to honor his memory. I did some research and discovered the Sanskrit word, Manju, which means beautiful, sweet, or pleasant. It felt like a fitting name for the platform.
How did Manju grow from a passion project to the well-known arts and cultural platform it is today?
I started reaching out to other publications offering to do cross-cultural collaborations. I began by working with Paper Journal, an Australian photography magazine. Then, with i-D, I created “The Hot List”, an annual list of the top 20 creatives from Africa and the diaspora people should have on their radar. Later, I worked with Vogue Italia to write a list of 20 female African photographers to support.
Fast forward to 2020 and you were approached by an agency working with Gucci to create a project surrounding the relaunch of their Jackie 1961 bag! Tell us more about that.
When I first got the email I thought it was spam! Through talks with the agency, we came up with the idea for a film titled ‘We Are All They’. It celebrated the fact that in Ghanaian dialects there are no words for “he” and “she.”
Working with Gucci was a breakthrough for Manju. It showed people that we don’t just curate images online. We’re also able to create our own authentic, original content and storytelling about the Africa, the creatives living here, and our diaspora.