Скачать или смотреть Memes and Music: The Race to Power the Creator Economy

The global creator economy, valued at over US$250 billion and growing rapidly, is reshaping how culture, content, and ideas move across borders. Yet while the music, fashion, film, and digital trends of the Global South increasingly shape global culture, the creators themselves often remain excluded from global recognition and revenue. Platforms and markets in the developed world capture most of the value, while the originators of this cultural wealth struggle to gain global status or a fair share. For developing countries, this represents a multi-billion-dollar opportunity: to localise and monetise their creative industries, and to ensure digital transformation produces not only consumers but also innovators, owners, and storytellers. From Nollywood in Nigeria and gaming studios in Southeast Asia to digital musicians in Latin America, creative sectors are already demonstrating global reach. The challenge is how to scale these successes, capture more value locally, and create ecosystems where creators thrive

How can developing countries capture more economic value and revenue from the globalised creator economy instead of just exporting culture?

Can institutionalising the creator economy act as a substantial job creation opportunity for the developing world?

What policy incentives and institutional assistance can help the creators in the developing world emerge as billion-dollar industries and the underwriters of soft power for their respective countries?

Speakers

Lindiwe Matlali, Chief Executive Officer, Africa Teen Geeks, South Africa

Asha Bhat, Co-founder, Hightable, India

Bolanle Olukanni, TV Host, Nigeria

Gavin Haynes, Visiting Fellow, Danube Institute, Hungary

Moderator

Pranjal Sharma, Non-Resident Fellow, ORF Middle East, India

#geopolitics #india #globalsouth #capetownconversation