African luxury: aesthetics and politics

Abstract

African Luxury: Aesthetics and Politics, is a collection of nine essays edited by Mehita Iqani and Simidele Dosekun. It is one of the first modern scholarly examinations of luxury that focuses exclusively on Africa. In the book, ‘African luxury’ is used to describe both African consumption of luxury, from the continent and outside it, as well as the creation of luxury in Africa, for consumption on the continent and outside it. The book was published in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic but reading it in 2022 its case studies and conclusions about the validity of African luxury, the agency of Africans in luxury, and the self-determination Africans bring to our consumption of luxury carry more weight, not less. For example, more Africans turned to the joys of domestic luxury tourism, with hotels and tour companies lowering prices to become more accessible as international tourism lagged. Additionally, during lulls in the pandemic Africans participated in communal experiences with luxury elements, Aida Sykes is a private sector development specialist working in East Africa, where she helps provide development financing to mature and high-potential companies in the region. Ms. Sykes also advises leading financial institutions in the region on gender equality and women’s economic empowerment. She is passionate about creating opportunity for all Africans, in traditional fields as well as in creative industries. Ms. Sykes holds an MBA specializing in management, marketing and luxury marketing from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University, and a BA in Political Science from Yale University. Lu xu ry D O I: 10 .1 08 0/ 20 51 18 17 .2 02 2. 20 34 27 3