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This article was originally published by the Jamaica Observer.
Standing an imposing six feet, nine inches, Nigerian Bakare Mubarak is determined to become a giant in African commerce. Early this year, he launched BILATERAL, a Lagos-based company which hopes to establish ties with Caribbean creatives. Pointing to global acceptance of the country’s culture, the 28 year-old Mubarak is projecting Jamaica for his first stop in the region.
“I absolutely intend to visit Jamaica for the first time, next year during summer. It will be a holistic networking, research and business development trip, the ultimate goal will be to integrate into the Jamaican creative market, to foster and drive cultural application and cultural exchange in art between Jamaica and her West-African origin,” he told Observer Online.
Based on his research, Mubarak believes most black Jamaicans are from Sub-Saharan Africa which includes West Africa, where Nigeria, Ghana and The Gambia are located. Reggae and Jamaican artistes including the Marleys, Mad Professor, Third World and Frankie Paul have strong connections with those countries.
In recent years, with the rise of Afrobeats, Nigerian stars like Burna Boy have found a large audience in Jamaica. In December 2022, he performed to over 20,000 fans at the National Stadium.
It is that enthusiasm Mubarak is keen to capitalise on through BILATERAL.
“We promote and amplify the voices of emerging and established creative artistes through exhibitions, art fairs, dialogues and media whilst leveraging technology, for global awareness and even more acceptability of African and African Diaspora arts, fostering growth, learning and effective talent management within the African and African Diaspora art scene,” he said.
A former model who excelled on the African fashion scene, Mubarak was recently named by the Most Important People of African Descent (MIPAD) among its persons under 40 to watch. MIPAD was established by Nigerian Kamil Olufowobi in 2015, when the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2015-24 the International Decade For People of African Descent.
From September 26-29, MIPAD will honour its awardees including Mubarak in New York City, during its Most Influential 100 Recognition Week.