Holding Space for the Cultural Shift: A Conversation with Kemi Ilesanmi

In this episode, Ayofemi sits down with cultural strategist and leader Kemi Ilesanmi, founder of KGI Projects, for a timely and layered conversation on creative leadership, transformation, and the power of African diasporic futures. Originally recorded in February 2025, but even more resonant today, this dialogue explores what it means to hold space for artists, communities, and institutions in a moment of deep flux.

Together, they reflect on the shifting cultural landscape—from the reconfiguration of traditional cultural, civic, and community institutions to the rise of African and Black diasporic narratives as central forces in shaping global culture. Ayofemi also shares why she chose to wait before releasing the episode, trusting the timing and sensing that this conversation would land more powerfully in a moment of even greater urgency and resonance.

Tune in for reflections on purpose, cultural care, and the creative responsibility of this moment—and why now, more than ever, inspiration and interdependence are the way forward.

🎧 Listen now and join the conversation.

Download the (unedited) transcript here.