By the time we met richmond orlando mensahrevealing a label like this: editor, curatoror creative director is insufficient. Mensah belongs to a rare lineage of cultural architects, people who not only participate in world culture but also quietly reshape the way it is built, preserved, and understood.
From Accra to Paris to Milan, Mensah’s work moves with the confidence of someone who understands both the intimate local context and the demands of global institutions. As the founder of MANJU Journal, he transformed what began as a platform spotlighting emerging African creatives into a globally respected cultural publication cited, collected and referenced by some of the world’s most influential fashion houses, museums and foundations.
But to understand Mensah’s impact, we need to look beyond the headlines and collaborations.
A different kind of global creative
While many creators pursue visibility, Mensah has. infrastructure. archive. document. Intellectual rigor. Long-form storytelling. His beliefs are simple but fundamental. African creativity does not suffer from a lack of talent, but from a lack of systems that protect authors, preserve memory, and enable longevity.
“What the world still misunderstands about Africa” Mensah says, “The most powerful creative work being done on the continent is that it’s not improvised. It’s intentional. It’s studied. It’s built with intention. Often without permission.”
It is this philosophy that makes MANJU Journal resonate beyond Africa. Rather than flattening culture for global consumption, Mensah insists on depth. context. author. Every project is as much an act of cultural preservation as it is a creative expression.
Work with force without losing the plot
Mensah’s collaborations are like an index of world culture, including Gucci, Burberry, BMW, the Loewe Foundation, and major international organizations. But the hallmark of his work is not access, but control.
In a partnership that often risks diluting cultural specificity, Mensah flips the equation.
“Authenticity is not aesthetics” he explains. “It’s about authorship. If African creators don’t control the narrative, the work is already compromised.”
The definitive example is: together and as oneMANJU Journal’s 2021 collaboration with Burberry—a project that traces contemporary black identity through the legacy of Kwame Brathwaite and Ghanaian image-maker Philip Kwame Apagya. The result was not branding. It was a scholarship. Culture meets commerce without surrender.
A global vision rooted in Ghana
Although Mensah is undeniably cosmopolitan, he remains deeply rooted in Ghana. Not as a limitation, but as an advantage.
“Being Ghanaian means understanding diversity.” he says. “We exist at the intersection of tradition and futurism. It’s from that tension that the most interesting ideas emerge.”
This foundation shapes his approach to global cultural management. When it comes to curating conversations around African photography, fashion and film, Mensah sees herself less as a gatekeeper and more as a conduit, striving to ensure that African creatives are seen not as trends but as intellectual contributors to world culture.
Building the next decade of storytelling
That vision took institutional form with the AFMAC international media trip launched earlier this year by artist Julie Meretu, producer Meretu Mandrefo and BMW in 2025 (Orlando is committed to supporting and enhancing this initiative as a media partner. Courtesy BMW/BMW Group Culture). AFMAC places African filmmakers and media artists at the center of world cinema, not the margins.
“African stories don’t need permission to exist.” Mensah says. “What you need are the conditions to scale: ownership, resources, and time.”
It’s a long-term game mindset, focused on legacy rather than temporary relevance.
Aiming for permanence beyond visibility
Mr. Mensah’s first book, VOICES – Ghanaian Artists in Their Own Words, documents the work of over 95 Ghanaian visual artists, curators and gallerists from home and abroad, and it was revealed that even he was surprised. It’s a community imperative.
“This generation doesn’t just work.” he reflects. “They’re building ecosystems. They understand that survival is collective.”
That insight now underpins everything he does, from publishing to partnerships and mentorship. For Mensah, success is not measured by personal recognition, but by whether African creativity can overcome trends, algorithms and external judgment.
Why is the world paying attention now?
At a time when Africa’s creative output is increasingly visible but still structurally undervalued, Richmond Orlando-Mensah stands out as someone who is thinking decades ahead.
“Africa’s creative renaissance is not new” he says. “What’s new is ownership. And once you own your story, the future becomes complicated.”
In that sense, Mensah is not just shaping the culture, but designing its operating system. And if the global creative industry is paying attention now, it’s because people like him are no longer looking to be a part of it.
They are building something too strong to ignore.
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