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Outsiders Rising: Elsa Majimbo
Photo credit: Forbes Magazine
It was during the first hard coronavirus “lockdown” of 2020 that I first stumbled upon a video by Elsa Majimbo on Twitter. I don’t remember what she was talking about exactly in the video but I remember that she was eating a bag of Lays chips while wearing sunglasses and cracking her jokes.
In hindsight, I think what made an impression on me at the time was her authenticity. She seemed so comfortable in her own skin.
Majimbo is a 20 year old young lady who was born and raised in Kenya who has taken the world by storm since the Covid-19 pandemic upended our lives. In just 18 months, Majimbo has gone from posting videos on social media making people laugh to stepping into the world of high fashion and content creation magnificently.
In her fast growing international modeling career she has already worked with global brands like MAC, Valentino, and Rihanna’s Fenty. She’s also been strategically creating content like the book she wrote titled ‘The Alphabet for Kids and Adults’ (https://www.valentino.com/en-us/experience/the-alphabet-for-kids-and-adults-elsa-majimbo), the song ‘Snack Queen’ she released in time for Thanksgiving in the United States in 2020, and a show called ‘Ask Elsa’ produced for the Bumble dating app.
I was pleasantly surprised when I learned that she has insisted on owning the intellectual property of all her projects and the brands working with her have acquiesced.
In an August 2021 interview with Forbes magazine, Majimbo had this to say:
“The importance of owning IP is also because what I do makes me so happy. And having someone grab that away from me and have the power to own my creativity, or tell me what I can and can't do? That’s the red line. For me, it's the deal breaker — it's the one thing I don't compromise on. And also, owning your own IP just generally makes you more money. And so many people drown because they don't have the IP — musicians, even people with reality shows. And I never want to be in that space. So I wouldn't compromise my happiness for a few dollars now, when I can secure a really big bag, later.”
What is fascinating about Majimbo’s story is that it highlights how much power individual creators now have in the world. Internet access coupled with smartphone proliferation over the past decade in developing countries has created opportunities for people who would have previously had no chance of being noticed. A young lady can go from making selfie videos in her home in Nairobi to shooting haute couture campaigns in less than 12 months. Technology is making it so much easier for outsiders to rise.
You can follow Elsa Majimbo at:
https://www.instagram.com/majimb.o/?hl=en
https://twitter.com/ElsaAngel19
That’s the brief story of Elsa Majimbo. A true rising outsider.
Until next time… ✌🏾
Munatsi
Twitter: @Munatsi_
Twitter: @OutsiderRising
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