African Digital Art Network Rolls Out Nandi NFT Marketplace: Facilitating Black Artists

• African Digital Art Network is taking a step forward in the Web3 space by introducing an NFT marketplace Nandi.

• Chinedu Enekwe co-founded the Nandi marketplace and also happens to be a co-founder of the African Digital Art Network.

• This platform strives to be a way for Black artists and creators to put forward their art and talent and get paid for their skills. 

A worldwide collective of Black Digital Artists, the African Digital Art Network, is taking a step forward in the Web3 space by rolling out its NFT marketplace Nandi. 

This new platform focuses on providing Black artists and creators with a way to showcase their talent and be a space where they could experience the monetary perks of Web3 across the scattered African population.  

African Digital Art Network announced earlier in the month about the platform during the AfricaNXT conference in Lagos, Nigeria. 

Chinedu Enekwe co-founded the Nandi marketplace and also happens to be a co-founder of the African Digital Art Network. This marketplace gets its name from Queen Nandi, the mother of Shaka, who was the legendary king of Zulus. 

According to Enekwe, who told a news website, the idea of an NFT marketplace comes from a discussion he had with Jepchumba, who is another co-founder of the African Digital Art Network. He further highlights that Jepchumba was initially hesitant to indulge with NFTs, saying no one who approached her had a real focus on the community. 

Further highlighting that he explained his idea to launch an NFT marketplace and create an ecosystem, and build one that would include a studio for creators that has the ability to fundraise. But more than anything, it is a way to facilitate brands and creators to get paid. 

The Black artists, as we all know, have a history of not being able to capitalize on their work, as several of them were forced into unfair contracts or unwillingly signed away their IP rights. 

Apart from the Nandi marketplace, the African Digital Art Network is also bringing up the Nandi Cowry Community, which according to Enekwe, is a global community of cultural leaders, tastemakers, and creators. A 10,000 NFTs collection designed by Sindiso Nyoni, a Johannesburg-based artist, would act as membership for the community. 

According to Enekwe, the membership would have three levels; the lowest tier would be tribe, Chief, and the Founding. And each of the tiers would have a price point varying from $25 to $10,000 utilizing the Celo stablecoin CUSD. 

He highlights that the use of the Celo blockchain is inspired by the commitment to be carbon negative or carbon neutral. And after Ethereum entirely shifts to the PoS model, the Nandi NFT marketplace will add that blockchain. 

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Nancy J. Allen is a crypto enthusiast and believes that cryptocurrencies inspire people to be their own banks and step aside from traditional monetary exchange systems. She is also intrigued by blockchain technology and its functioning.

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