A Conversation with Lindsay Handler of Delta40
The Battle for Authenticity
When ElewaTV brought The Creative Chat: Kenya Edition to Nairobi, in collaboration with Intro Africa and hosted at Antler East Africa, the goal was clear: to create a working room, a place where filmmakers, gamers, designers, and founders could sit together and ask a serious question; in the age of AI, who is shaping the story?
By the end of the night, that question no longer felt abstract.
People walked out saying, “AI is democratizing knowledge,” and realizing that every job, every workflow, is already starting to integrate AI. For many, it was a moment of clarity – that as creatives, they have a huge opportunity to engage, learn, and jump in.
Attendees left with practical tools, sharper language for their rights, and a grounded understanding that AI is already embedded in their workflows, contracts, and pitches. And with the right knowledge, it can be turned to their advantage.
The Mission Behind The Creative Chat
The Creative Chat is an ElewaTV initiative built on a simple but urgent mission: to connect Africa’s creative talent across borders, equip them with practical knowledge, and ensure that technology strengthens authenticity.
It started as an intimate conversation series. Over time it became a cross-continental platform, where underrepresented creatives can exchange ideas with investors, legal experts, and technologists on equal footing. At its core is a belief that Africa’s creative economy will grow where culture, technology, and ownership meet.
For the Nairobi edition, the focus on AI was intentional. Algorithms are already influencing what gets seen, funded, and remembered. Generative tools are entering film, sound, gaming, and design faster than regulation or ethics frameworks.
As Andrew Wanjohi puts it, “Africa is the place to be. We have the context, we have the next billion youth- and Kenya is the spot where this conversation will accelerate.”
ElewaTV’s position remains clear: African creators cannot afford to be passive users of these tools. They need to understand them, question them, and bend them toward their realities.
Or as the event framed it: creatives should shape AI, not only be shaped by it.
A Room That Refused to Stay Superficial
The evening opened with conviction: AI is democratizing knowledge. Every workflow is shifting. And for creatives, this is the moment to explore.
The panel on “The Battle for Authenticity: Can AI Be Truly Creative?” went beyond theory. Speakers unpacked issues of authorship, rights, and originality. “When you use AI as a creator, you can’t claim ownership,” Javé Samson reflected. “But when you use AI as an assistant, then your IP is protected.”
It was a night where creatives weren’t just inspired. They were educated.
The gamers, builders, and storytellers pushed the discussion further during the fireside chat with Afrigamer, Kunta Content, and esports host Eugene Karuri. Their advice was direct: “Make more games. Make more art. Release often. Don’t be a slave to the process. Be diverse – try everything, because you are a creative.”
Abisola Sanya summed up the spirit of the room: “Collaboration over competition. That’s the mission, that’s the goal.”
Ownership, Value and Being Investable
One of the strongest segments of the night tackled a quiet but crucial question: how do I turn this into a real business?
The NairobiAngels Network led a candid discussion on “What Makes Creative Entrepreneurs Investable?” with Barrack Bukusi, Rachel Macauley, and Chris Maclay.
Their message was unfiltered: talent matters, vision matters, but none of it replaces the discipline of knowing your numbers, your structure, and your scale.
Participants connected the dots between creativity and commerce. As Abisola Sanya said, “As a talent or founder, you can run a business, but if you’re not making money or don’t know how to scale, you’re doing it all wrong.”
For others, the highlight was learning directly from the investor side: “It was interesting to hear how they think about backing creatives,” shared Dean Gichukie.
A Learning Space
What truly set this Creative Chat apart was its balance of philosophy and practicality. Attendees didn’t just listen; they learned.
They saw firsthand how AI can:
- Develop scripts, storyboards, and visuals for AI-assisted films.
- Design immersive soundscapes and environments.
- Prototype game assets and mechanics grounded in African aesthetics.
- Analyze new AI tools and interpret what they mean for creative businesses.
Many left with new vocabulary for collaboration: “AI as a creative assistant. AI as a collaborator. Never AI as a silent owner.”
For some, the day’s biggest lesson was about exposure. As one creative put it, “You can only dream to the level of your exposure.”
Why This Matters Now
Africa holds the youngest population in the world. Nairobi is a testing ground for both technology and storytelling.
If AI is silently writing the rules elsewhere, then gatherings like The Creative Chat are where African creatives start writing their own.
As Kelelo Khuluse from South Africa said, “I came here to establish my company in Kenya, and I found exactly what I was looking for: collaboration.”
ElewaTV’s broader mission came through clearly in this edition:
- Build a networked, inter-African creative ecosystem.
- Give creators access to serious, practical conversations.
- Ensure African stories inform how AI tools are built, not just how they’re used.
The night closed on a high note with creatives lingering, swapping contacts, pitching ideas, sharing workflows, and planning collaborations.
That’s why The Creative Chat exists: to convene, to inform, and to protect the idea that in an AI-driven world, Africa’s greatest advantage isn’t speed or novelty – it’s identity, collaboration, and shared power.
The Kenya Edition did its job. It proved that when you give creatives a serious room, with serious people, and real tools, they don’t wait for permission to shape the future – they start.
