Dumela Creative Stock is an image, video and audio bank that curates creative works from Africa’s photographers, videographers and sound engineers and markets and retails them to the world.
After having observed advertising agencies struggle with sourcing local images for their campaigns, and seeing tweets and social media posts demanding that Botswana hosts local images that can be used in films, billboards and other communications mediums, the founders of Dumela Creative Stock took the bold step to pioneer the image bank and serve the interests and needs of the creative industry.
“Having been a head of client services for a top local ad agency, and then running my own communications agency, I was tired of being disappointed by designers having to use images I couldn’t relate to, to depict the look and feel my strategies would require”, said co-founder of the bank, Primrose Mimi Modimakwane. “Photoshoots can be costly, and sometimes we need relatable images on demand and at the click of a button, and the international image banks just weren’t meeting the needs of the Botswana and African market”, Modimakwane continued.
As creative entrepreneurs themselves, the founders of the online bank, Tech Entrepreneur and Software Development Pioneer, Itumeleng Garebatshabe and Strategist and Communications Specialist, Primrose Mimi Modimakwane, joined efforts to not only provide a solution for the African creative in terms of an online bank to find relatable and authentic African images from African creators, but also to generate a source of revenue for the creator. “The Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA) has come up with new guidelines for the Botswana based entrepreneur, and one of the significant opportunities for the creative industry is the inclusion of Intellectual Property (IP) as a mode of security for financing. We believe that having ones IP marketed and sold both locally and internationally will significantly increase its value and further increase the creators’ potential to grow their business and income through strategic financing” Modimakwane summed.
When asked about the process of generating revenue for the creative, Garebatshabe showcased how simple it is to register as a seller, upload content, and see when money comes into ones account on the platform. “It has taken us almost 3 years to develop this online bank because our aim was to make it seamless and easy for the creative to create, engage and earn without taking time away from what they do best. We wanted to construct a simple payment gateway that was instant, and able to show the seller when real money comes into their account after a sale” he said. “After testing out a few different models, we ended up selecting the one that works best and makes it easy for anyone to purchase, sell and also earn in an international currency from Dumela Creative Stock”, he added.
During the extreme social distancing restrictions and lockdowns as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic from March, 2020, internet penetration in Africa was sitting at 39.3%, and 47.5% in Botswana, according to Statista.org. Botswana Social media usage on Facebook increased from 48.6% in July 2019 to 60.13% in the same period in 2020, meaning an increased viewership of images, videos and audios by the Botswana audience. “This means, to us, that the African market is ripe and ready to engage not only in viewing and sharing, but also in online transactions of and for local and relatable content”, highlighted Modimakwane. “Because we are spending more time online, developing a culture of transacting online as well as cultivating a keen appetite for local content, there has never been a more opportune time to curate, market and sell Botswana and African content inter-continentally; in alignment with African free trade discussions, and position our creativity globally” said Modimakwane.
If you are a photographer, videographer or sound engineer, the founders of Dumela Creative Stock encourage you to take charge of your intellectual property and earn income from your creativity by registering on the website as a seller and uploading your images, videos and audios onto the bank. For the advertising executive, and the media practitioner, go onto the site to register as a buyer to produce locally and culturally relevant campaigns and visual products using creative works from your local industry.
“Simply log onto www.dumelacreativestock.com to enter the world of artistic expression, and create, engage and earn” concluded Garebatshabe.