PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

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PROGRAMME OVERVIEW *

Morning Sessions

  • Start with music – hip-hop, funk, afrobeats, and house to set the perfect vibe for our Afro Futuristic Convention x Reeperbahn Festival 2025

  • Onejiru (FFA x AFC - Founder x Creative Director) and Paula Essam (Host) officially opens the program, setting the tone for a day of inspiration, dialogue and collective vision.

  • Alex Schulz (CEO RBX GmbH, Founder Reeperbahn Festival x Co-Founder Keychange) highlights the power of collaboration and why partnerships are key to lasting transformation.

  • Juliet Owino and Naisula Lepariyo explore how innovation in tech and finance reshapes access, equity and empowerment.

    Moderator: Paula Essam

  • Onejiru Arfmann, Founder and Creative Director of FUTURE FEMALE AFRICA, and initiator of the Afro Futuristic Convention and the “PUSH THE RED BUTTON – Activate Change” campaign, highlights in her keynote how African creativity and cross-disciplinary collaboration serve as powerful drivers of global change.

  • Nicole Hadfield (ESWATINI / GER) takes the stage to ignite the vibe, blending beats, rhythms, and melodies that keep the energy flowing. Her performance bridges moments, lifts spirits, and sets the tone for creativity, connection, and celebration across the Afro Futuristic Convention.

Sessions I

  • Femi One (KEN), mari.ama (SIERRA LEONE/GER) and Bijou Fortunate (UGANDA) share how lyrics, performances and festivals break taboos and inspire cultural change.

    Moderator: Paula Essam.

  • Sheebah Karungi (Uganda), Blandine Umuziranenge (Ruanda) & Janina Breitling (Germany) discuss fashion as a statement of dignity, sustainability and transformation.

    Moderator: Paula Essam

  • A moment to connect, exchange and recharge, accompanied by Miss Leema’s eclectic beats.

  • Connie Kau - Choreographer x Dancer (SOUTH AFRICA) brings spoken word x contemporary dance to the stage of the Afro Futuristic Convention x Reeperbahn Festival as an expression of empowerment, emotion and freedom.

  • Doreen Nabwire (Founder, Girls Unlimited / KEN), Krysteen Savane (Founder, Anno’s One Fine Day / KEN), and Onejiru Arfmann (Founder, FUTURE FEMALE AFRICA; Initiator of the Afro Futuristic Convention and Push The Red Button campaign) join forces as athletes, artists, and changemakers to explore how storytelling and creativity challenge stigma and shape new narratives around menstrual health.

    Moderator: Paula Essam

  • mari.ama embodies Afropean culture, blending influences from Sierra Leone, Guinea, Germany, France, the Czech Republic, and Norway. Her musical journey through Freetown, Cologne, Paris, and Berlin weaves together folk, soul, pop, and West African instruments.

    Through this fusion, she tells deeply personal stories of melancholy and joy—creating a sound that is both rooted and globally resonant.

Sessions II

  • Onejiru and Miss Leema explore African sounds as a cultural force, tracing their influence across the past, present, and future of global music.

  • From the perspective of creatives, this panel brings together speakers, artists, policymakers, and funders to reimagine menstrual equity as a cultural and social force. Together, they envision a future of freedom, dignity, and participation beyond barriers—where creativity drives awareness, shifts narratives, and sparks lasting change.

    Moderator: Belinda Abraham

  • Feat.: Sheebah Karungi, Femi One, Die P., Onejiru, Mayonde, Anna Bassy, Nicole Hadfield, mari.ama, and Miss Leema, this anthem celebrates women’s leadership, empowerment, and creative agency. It addresses Menstrual Health & Hygiene (MHH) while inspiring systemic change and social equity.

    “The Time Is Now” embodies the spirit of Future Female Africa: a call to show up, connect, rise, and speak out—for yourself, for each other, and for a shared future. In a changing world, the song amplifies the voices of Sheros—women who create, lead, challenge structures, and inspire generations to come

  • The day’s key impulses are brought together in a final reflection that highlights the connections, creativity, and collaborations emerging throughout the convention. The closing offers perspectives for the future, pointing toward new possibilities and the next chapter of the Afro Futuristic movement.

    Moderator: Paula Essam

    Host: Onejiru

  • The day ends with an open floor for encounters, dialogue and dance, carried by Miss Leema’s closing set.

PROGRAMME

  • TECH x ACCESS TO FINANCE

    How Innovation is Redefining Menstrual Care

    11:40 – 12:10 PM (PANEL)

    Technology is redefining menstrual health from smart wearables and digital tracking apps to automated pad dispensers and fintech solutions for menstruators in underserved communities. This panel highlights how innovation is breaking down barriers, advancing global equity, and opening new perspectives on menstrual products. Our SHEROS and speakers will explore how tech is reshaping care and why the intersection of technology and financial access is key to empowerment and sustainable change.

  • ARTISTS x MUSIC × STAGE

    How Artists Are Tackling Shame and Stigma Through Lyrics and Stage

    12:40 – 13:10 PM (PANEL)

    Music has the power to break taboos. This panel explores how artists are using lyrics, performances and artistic projects to confront shame and stigma around menstruation. From music videos and songs to creative stage formats, art becomes a tool for raising awareness and sparking cultural dialogue. Sheebah, Poundo and Femi One share their journeys of merging music with advocacy, showing how festivals and creative spaces can become platforms for empowerment and cultural change

  • FASHION FOR DIGNITY x AWARENESS

    How Fashion and Menstrual Hygiene Health Can Be Innovative, Sustainable, and Transformative

    13:20 – 13:50 PM (PANEL)

    Fashion becomes a statement for dignity and awareness. This panel explores how period underwear, menstrual apparel and fashion activism are opening new perspectives on menstrual health.

    Innovative, sustainable and transformative, fashion emerges not only as a form of expression but also as a tool for education and cultural change.

  • BODIES IN MOTION

    How Bodies in Motion Highlight MHH’s Impact on Life, Empowerment, and Sports Performance

    14:15–14:25 PM (DANCE PERFORMANCE)

    Dance becomes a language of the body in this captivating performance. Drawing on contemporary techniques and rich emotional expression, the choreography explores empowerment, body awareness, and freedom. Each movement creates moments that are not only seen but deeply felt, inviting the audience to immerse themselves in the transformative power of dance.

    This performance embodies the spirit of Bodies in Motion, connecting artistic expression with human experience and using movement as a medium for cultural dialogue, storytelling, and shared emotional resonance.on goes here

  • THE ART OF STORYTELLING: MHH IN MOTION

    How Art, Sport, and Storytelling Ignite Action for Menstrual Equity and WASH Access

    14:25-15:00 PM (PANEL)

    This dynamic session combines sports, art, and storytelling to explore how creative expression can transform conversations around Menstrual Health & Hygiene (MHH) and broader Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) issues.

    A moderated panel discussion brings together athletes, artists, and changemakers to share how they use their platforms to break taboos, challenge stigma, and inspire new perspectives, demonstrating how creativity, culture, and lived experiences can activate awareness, policy dialogue, and collective action for menstrual equity and access to WASH.

  • AFRICAN MUSIC (R)EVOLUTION

    How African Music Shapes Culture, Empowers Voices, and Drives Global Change

    15:15–15:45 PM

    African music shapes culture, society, and global soundscapes. This panel explores the current state of African music, the role of Black artists, and the lasting impact of groundbreaking genres, illustrated with music samples tracing its evolution. Looking ahead, it examines emerging trends, evolving industry structures, and the future of key voices. The discussion highlights how African music drives empowerment, inspires social dialogue, and transforms cultural expression.

  • FUTURE FREQUENCIES: EQUITY, PERIOD

    How Menstrual Freedom Drives Justice, Dignity, and Collective Action

    16:00–16:45 PM (PANEL)

    What does true freedom mean when it comes to menstruation?

    This closing panel brings together policymakers, funders, and investors to collectively envision a future without taboos, barriers, or inequalities. At its core is the vision of menstrual freedom as a matter of justice, dignity, and full participation in society.

    From cultural narratives to political frameworks, the discussion transforms ideas into actionable pathways for equity and impact.

  • FUTURE FEMALE AFRICA – THE TIME IS NOW (FFA ANTHEM)

    How Music and Performance Activate Change for MHH and Gender Equity

    16:45 – 16:55 PM (SHOWCASE)

    The FFA Anthem, curated by Onejiru Arfmann, Founder of Future Female Africa (FFA) and the Afro Futuristic Convention (AFC), unites powerful voices including Sheebah Karungi, Femi One, Die P., Onejiru, Mayonde, Anna Bassy, Poundo, Nicole Hadfield, and mari.ama to celebrate female creativity, resilience, and collective action.

    The anthem is a centerpiece of the FFA “Push the Red Button – Activate Change” campaign, launching in 2025 to enhance equity for women in Menstrual Hygiene Health (MHH).

    Anchored within this year’s Afro Futuristic Convention x Reeperbahn Festival, it transforms music, performance, and culture into a call for empowerment and tangible social impact.