Conflict to creativity: South Sudan defying expectations and showcasing talents

But a more surprising market is poised to capture attention in 2024: South Sudan.

Despite its hard-won independence and emergence as the world’s newest country in 2011, not much is celebrated globally for South Sudan. Instead, a familiar story is told. Outbreaks of civil conflict in 2013 and 2016 undermined post-independence development plans and created humanitarian challenges. Moreover, persistent political and economic instability, poor infrastructure, and inflation have only worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yet it would be a mistake to overlook the country in the conversation on Africa’s emerging creative economies. South Sudan is gifted with the youngest population in the world (more than 70% of its people are less than 30 years old). Its nascent creative sector showcases the convergence of digitally enabled content creation, entertainment, and sports. South Sudan is emblematic of how creativity is deeply embedded across the continent.

Africa’s creative industries are witnessing remarkable growth.

According to law firm Adams & Adams, the creative sector in Africa generates around US$4.2 billion annually, with a growth rate outpacing other sectors on the continent.

Sub-Saharan Africa became the fastest-growing region for recorded music revenues in 2022, according to the IFPI Global Music Report 2023. South African singer Tyla won the inaugural award for Best African Music Performance at the 2024 GRAMMYs. In February 2024, it was announced that Universal Music Group (UMG), one of the world’s biggest music corporations, acquired the majority stake in a leading Nigerian record label, Mavin Global (Rema, Arya Starr, Ladipoe).

Spurred by Nigeria’s Nollywood, the film industry has become the second largest in the world in terms of output. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, in 2021, the film industry contributed 2.3% and about 239 billion naira (or $660 million) to Nigeria’s GDP.

Three hundred million Africans are active on social media.

“I’ve always said that content is the new crude oil. Similar to the oil industry’s success, the creative industry requires a lot of refineries to produce the finest oil product. The same refining is highly needed for our creative industry now,” D’Banj, a prominent Nigerian musician, told CNN last year during the Africa Walk event in Lagos.

Barriers to the creative sector’s growth within South Sudan are pronounced but not due to a lack of creative energy.

This is reflected in the success of South Sudanese at home and in the diaspora, with many climbing to the pinnacle of their creative fields.

South Sudanese models have long dominated fashion runways and magazine covers. 11 of the current Top 50 Models on model.com are of South Sudanese origin (Nyagua Ruea, Mary Ukech, Aweng Chuol, Awar Odhiang, Adit Priscilla, Abény Nhial, Ajok Daing, Akon Changkou, Alaato Jazyper, Amar Akway, and Aweng Chuol), appearing on advertising campaigns for the most prominent fashion houses and brands on the planet.

Like Manute Bol before them, many male and female basketball players have ascended to the NCAA, WNBA, NBA, Australian, and European leagues. American author John Grisham fictionalized a version of this story in his New York Times Bestselling novel, Sooley.

South Sudanese music artists often sing in Juba Arabic and English, providing crossover potential into Arabic-speaking markets if MENA market audiences crave the Afrobeat sound and can tolerate the patois. So far, artists have found broader success regionally by teaming up with neighboring East African powerhouses.

For example, John Frog’s Guondo Sakit Remix featuring Tanzania’s Harmonize has amassed 5.2 million views on YouTube. His slick 2022 hit Action n Energy gained viral traction independently, with commercial success solidified by the remix featuring Uganda’s Eddy Kenzo broadcast on East African airwaves well into 2023. It is just one of many quality songs from Junubin music acts that are garnering streams and views.

South Sudanese artists have extended themselves beyond the creative sphere and into politics. Artists are the force behind the Ana Taban movement, launched after renewed fighting broke out in 2016. Meaning “I am Tired,” the collective uses a variety of art mediums to stand up against social injustice and demand government accountability.

If you find yourself in Juba, you can pass by Abul Oyay’s Baobab House (profiled last year by Le Monde [French]). A simple compound with a few tukuls, a cafe, a garden, and a brick house, the Baobab House has hosted more than 20 artists in its gallery in addition to performances, exhibitions, workshops, and other events.

Abul, a painter and one of the co-founders of Ana Taban, told The East African: “Some people think there are no artists in South Sudan. On the contrary, there are many. The only problem is that there is limited space to showcase their work so that it can be seen.”

After establishing the Good Vibes Business Network to facilitate events and exchanges with the Juba-based business community, founder and Chief Executive Officer Deng Kon launched Good Vibes Magazine to keep South Sudan and East Africa informed on current business issues—with a particular focus on profiling South Sudanese artists and entrepreneurs. Since launching the magazine, Good Vibes has featured retired NBA player and current President of the South Sudan Basketball Federation, Luol Deng, model Duckie Thot, video game entrepreneur Lual Mayen, and media personality Eva Lopa.

“Investment-wise in South Sudan, people are still tailoring their businesses or creative entities more to winning donor funding rather than establishing for-profit endeavors. It seems there are donors interested in creatives, but they face a group of people who know how to write up projects solely to win funding. Then, when the funding stops, the projects or the ideas also fail,” said Deng.

Not unique to South Sudan, grant capital is the most prominent form of funding available to Africa’s creative industries. This has led to the sector being viewed as a philanthropic or lifestyle investment instead of a viable source of economic growth and financial returns.

Relying on grant capital over other forms of investment often leads to unsustainable projects that dissolve once the initial funding dries up. This assertion is backed up by private sector feedback gathered by CrossBoundary Advisory for Prosper Africa’s Investment and Partnership Opportunities in Africa’s Creative Industries sector study.

The report quoted a distribution company founder as saying, “Strategic investors have a long-term view of the creative industry and are willing to take their time before expecting returns…capital needs to be a bit more patient and strategic.”

Yine Yenki is a co-founder of the Go Girls ICT Initiative and an appointed board member of the South Sudan National Communications Authority. She caught up recently with the founder of Gogo Play, Rachel Hakim, who shared that her company is facing numerous challenges in the South Sudanese creative industry.

Designed as a one-stop destination for entertainment and as a platform for content self-distribution, Gogo Play struggles with copyright infringement and intellectual property rights violations. Intellectual property laws across African markets are either underdeveloped or not enforced, leaving creators vulnerable and discouraging innovation.

Additionally, the costs of app development, marketing, taxes, and document renewal are taking a toll on the company. A lack of payment gateway options for international subscribers further hinders Gogo Play’s growth. Hakim is acutely aware that the South Sudanese economy is fragile, and finding skilled employees remains challenging. As a result, Gogo Play’s founder has had to work extremely hard to sustain the startup.

“I fully agree with Rachel’s concerns that technology and innovation are still not receiving the attention they deserve in South Sudan. While development partners are involved in other sectors, they tend to overlook tech-related and creative initiatives by young people,” says Yine. She highlighted MTN MoMo’s recent announcement that it would be rolling out API access to its platform for South Sudanese creatives. The news came during a town hall hosted by the National Communications Authority in March 2024.

Since founding the GoGirls ICT Initiative almost nine years ago, Yine says they have seen progress in the sector, particularly in its focus on mentoring girls and women in STEM. However, over-dependence on a few development partners who understand technology continues.

“We have observed that some development partners bring in consultants who don’t understand the ecosystem and context of South Sudan. In fact, most of them only consider South Sudan as a last-minute addition to their activities, and they often miss out on the critical issues faced by innovators like Rachel,” says Yine.

“There’s not a lot of domestic spending power in South Sudan right now for the creative industries. It’s easier to invest in artists or creatives with a stronger home base,” says Kon.

In Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, and Kenya, creative industries benefit from more sustained investment, policy frameworks, and an established global presence. The opportunities for local and international investors in these markets are substantial, with developed ecosystems ready to support scalability and innovation.

Promoting and fostering a robust creative ecosystem requires intergovernmental efforts and public-private partnerships. Lessons learned are being shared across markets in Africa. Last year, the Communication Authority of Kenya invited the National Communication Authority of South Sudan to be part of its annual #KuzaAwards2023, a broadcasting award under the theme “Shaping the future of broadcasting: towards a creative economy.” The event’s objectives focused on celebrating the excellence of Kenya’s broadcasting, rewarding responsible broadcasting, enabling consumer participation, and encouraging the use of the broadcasting platform for social and economic development.

“South Sudan must learn and relearn, avoid regional countries’ mistakes, and better position itself globally,” said Managing Director of the South Sudan Media Authority Elijah Alier Kuai during the event.

Still, South Sudan features network limitations, low internet penetration, and high data bundle costs, all of which stifle digital content creation and distribution. As of January 2024, South Sudan had 1.36 million internet users, with a penetration rate of just 12.1 percent, making it harder for creators to grow their audience.

“To truly transform the dynamics and narrative of South Sudan, it is crucial to prioritize investment in the Telecommunication and ICT sector. This will enable the development of a strong and innovative creative economy that can drive growth, progress, and prosperity in the country,” says Yine.

“ln a country like South Sudan where unity is crucial for progress, basketball serves as a unifying force bringing people together irrespective of their differences,” former NBA star Luol Deng shared during a February conversation at the Scenius Hub, a youth space in Juba that supports entrepreneurship, creativity, innovation, and collaboration.

In July, South Sudan will have a chance to step onto the international stage in a positive light—this time at the Paris Olympics. Last year, South Sudan’s men’s basketball team won their first FIBA World Cup game, earning themselves a qualifying spot for the Olympics. This accomplishment comes after Luol Deng assumed leadership of the program (primarily funding it himself) and less than a decade after its basketball federation was inaugurated.

Sports in Africa garner high levels of consumer interest, and with it, advertising campaigns. In turn, this creates new opportunities to feature creatives. If the South Sudan team’s performance on the court this summer grabs even a fraction of the attention of the recent African Cup of Nations, the country will gain a considerable boost in visibility. According to reporting by Semafor, this year’s AFCON included 17 commercial partners and is expected to earn approximately $75 million in sponsorship revenue.

“When I was watching AFCON, I was most impressed by the quality of the adverts—for everything from mobile to tech to fast-moving consumer goods—done by Africans for Africans, or at least with Africa in mind. Sports broadcasts provide a great outlet with many eyeballs for advertisers to warrant investing in creatives and creating the attention or buzz they can plug into,” says Kon.

Celebrating African teams and athletes on international stages like the AFCON and the Olympics provides a spotlight under which the creative arts flourish—sports events are now soundtracks featuring Afrobeat musicians, canvases for fashion designers’ team kits, and narratives for filmmakers documenting inspiring journeys. This synergy between sports and the creative sector extends beyond the games, fueling a surge in economic activity and presenting a vibrant, trendsetting image of Africa to the world.

Beyond the Olympics, keeping an eye on South Sudan’s resilient creative output in the coming years is worthwhile. While significant barriers remain, the country undeniably offers untapped creative sector potential. Expanding funding opportunities beyond grantmaking requires diligent research and strategic relationships to understand the local ecosystem. Despite risks, investing in South Sudan’s creative economy would not just be about financial returns; it’s about participating in a broader movement that can play a pivotal role in diversifying Africa’s creative economy, driving growth, and better showcasing the continent’s talent globally.

Explore more from our CrossBoundary Quarterly on Creative Economies