Startup Story
For many African artists, the challenge is ensuring their work is visible, getting their work and names known, and connecting with potential curators and buyers in their own countries and abroad. Estelle Dogbo, founder of the Yawoa Foundation in Nigeria, is looking to make these ambitions happen.
LoA learned more about the work of this impact driven social enterprise from its inspirational founder Estelle Dogbo.
What does your company do?
The Yawoa Foundation is a Not-For-Profit organization whose aim is to empower African Artists’ global exposure, through fundraising, community engagement and skills building. We engage directly with artists and stakeholders in the art ecosystem, to bridge the gap between art communities and their target audience. Ultimately, we believe that every African Artist should be able to develop their work using a career centric approach while exploring the depth of their creativity.
“We believe that every African Artist should be able to develop their work using a career centric approach while exploring the depth of their creativity.”
What inspired you to start your company?
I have been collecting artworks for some time and had a really good opportunity to interact with the artists and other stakeholders within the art space. I got to understand how important sustained patronage is to artists’ careers and the more I delved into the space, I also realized that we do not see and treat the Arts like other industries, with stakeholders, infrastructure and systems that need to be developed. Artists need training, tools, business advisory and above all, funding and the more I engaged with the arts ecosystem, the more I became aware of the peculiarities of the challenge’s artists face (especially in Africa). I wanted to become more than a patron and I wanted to help bring sustainability in the communities while playing my part in championing the talent and creativity of African artists. I founded the Yawoa Foundation in October 2020 to help achieve that goal.
What makes your business, service or product special?
The focus of the foundation is to support overlooked and underrepresented communities including black artists, women and minorities. We are determined to make sure that the funds we raise and the initiatives we drive, add immediate value to the ecosystem and have the potential to self-sustain the communities in the long run.
Tell us a little about your team
I’m working with people from different educational backgrounds who all have a strong interest and passion for arts. So when it comes to how we work, I encourage the team to shift their focus to learning rather than achieving. When you work with creatives, it is even more important to lead and move with empathy. It isn’t about how fast we get things done, but how much we learn while making the magic happen. I’ve always believed that a team should be a safe space for young professionals who are trying to make their mark on society so we try to be as pragmatic and fluid as possible. We run short meetings focused on what we want to learn and I try to give minimum instructions, but we hold ourselves accountable to our work commitments.
“As a champion for African Artists, one of our strategic goals is to increase the number of emerging African artists in global arts residency programs.”
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
I spent most of my career in healthcare with multinational organizations and I have also worked at startups with structures and processes. Even though most people who work with me would say that I am laser focused on results, being an entrepreneur is a totally different experience. The foundation made me understand the true meaning of being a “self-starter”: in essence, there is nobody to catch the ball before it drops, and timelines can easily be missed without focus. On the other hand, I believe that leading in corporate organizations prepared me for what is to come by giving me the balanced view and confidence required to run operations in an organization. My hope is to be able to grow the foundation into a strong and sustainable venture, while maintaining the flexibility that comes with startups.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
As a champion for African Artists, one of our strategic goals is to increase the number of emerging African artists in global arts residency programs. Creating access to top class residencies is a critical step to achieving our vision and we are working with Curators and artists directly to make that happen. In the short term, we will be officially launching our outreach programs with the objective to expose emerging artists to their audiences through workshops, mentoring and transfer of skills initiatives
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
Besides the gratification of making an immediate impact on the issues we are trying to tackle, I love the sense of accountability required to be an entrepreneur. It teaches me discipline and commitment to a level that I believe will benefit me in my personal life as well. I also like that I get to make decisions that directly align with my vision while building a venture that can become a legacy.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
There is no risk in thinking big. As women, especially black women, we are often taught to think and act with moderation. We are told to start small in whatever we do and while it pays to be cautious, having big ideas gets us closer to our goal faster. Whatever you hope to achieve, think bigger!
Contact or follow Yawoa Foundation
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | EMAIL estelledogbo@gmail.com
Why LoA loves it….
At Lionesses of Africa, we believe that passion definitely helps to drive profit, and Estelle Dogbo is certainly a passion-driven social entrepreneur. She is someone who understands the importance of championing the talent and creativity of African artists, and giving them access to exposure and opportunity. Africa has an incredible depth of creative talent but the tragedy is that many artists simply do not get the opportunity to connect with those people and markets who could help their talent to grow. Estelle is playing her part to start to change that reality. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa