The #Kinging Celebration crowns SA's new wave of youth culture shapeshifters

This quantum leap of millennial thinking aims to define a new struggle post-1994, that imbeds within it a powerful purpose for life, regardless of the tough economic times we are living in. This ‘woke’ thinking has resulted in the birth of a new-age movement that showcases awareness of social, political conditions through creative expressions of their own cultural beliefs and drawing a new-found attention to Africa’s youth skills in the overall creative landscape of pop culture where fashion, music, literary and performing arts are the main means of conversation.

In celebration of this new birth of like-minded consciousness, South Africa’s leading burger brand, Steers, took to the social media space to birth the #Kinging Celebration which challenged visionary creatives in the disciplines of fashion, food, art, dance and music to showcase how they are #Kinging to an ever-growing African influence. The bid, you may ask? To create meaningful opportunities for the growth of millennials in artistic career paths.

Since the campaign's inception, the #Kinging Celebration has seen a burst of captivating social media visuals from the identified creatives, which invited viewers into the kingdoms of these influencers, who have fueled their human flame to thrive as s social and creative entrepreneurs of a new age. Listeners of 5FM’s Roger Goode breakfast show were invited to take part in the challenges to win the ultimate Kinging experience in the form of a master class with the featured collaborators of the day, as well as a seat at the grand Kinging Celebration dinner hosted at the swanky Turbine Hall in Newton on Thursday the 31st of May 2018.

Considering the much-talked-about trend of collaboration within African youth urban cultures, the spectacular sensory dinner – which was actually the launch of the new 100% Boerewors King Steer burger, took place to view a production which showcased how the arts have converged in preparation for a new era expression in our continent.

Titled the #Kinging Celebration senses dinner, this gathering saw a three-course menu created from Steers ingredients by online sensation Chef Luyanda, had new school celebrity squads, media and influentials within the performing and arts spaces, pack up a purpalised Turbine Hall in Newtown – situated at Jozi’s hub of youth culture with Sandile GQ Ntshingila as the host of the collaborative sensory journey.

Also involved in the making of the #Kinging Celebration were: popular visual developer and illustrator Terence Maluleke as well as sassy dancer and Idols SA choreographer Leeche Janecke, who have both seen tremendous success after the campaign, as their schedules are entirely booked to capacity to show off their talents locally and abroad. Evidently, Terence is currently booked to showcase his talents in France at the Annecy Festival representing South Africa.

Anatii, the Electronic Bushman of South African hip-hop, not only joined the campaign as a performer, but also hosted a Kings Table conversation that evening while working on his second album. He will be jetting off to Los Angeles to further spread the #Kinging rhetoric by promoting his latest single, Thixo Onofefe.

“This #Kinging movement has given our collaborators the opportunity to throw a celebratory campaign that served to support their entrepreneurial goals as creatives. Out of that we birthed the #Kinging Collection and some amazing new-age artworks, which we believe mark the beginning of a new wave of creatives whose work will be purchased by Steers and shipped to forever remain in our Steers museum in Greece,” says Adolf Fourie, Steers Marketing Executive.

Avant-garde trending fashion designers Neo Serati of ‘Nao Serati’ and Sandile Talent Mhlongo of Uniqueiconz are said to have been a collaboration made in heaven as their #Kinging Collection forms part of the many designs that have grabbed the attention of international fashionistas and the 2019 New York Fashion Week.