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Access to the internet offers opportunities to build a livelihood, but many global voices remain excluded. How have Sierra Leonean artist MUSH, Kenyan creative activist Richard “Astar” Njau, and Aicha Manai, CEO of the Finnish non-governmental organisation Startup Refugees, found their own ways to succeed in a Western-dominated digital environment?
The programme challenges prejudices and discusses digital freedom from a global perspective: the unequal distribution of freedom, and how creativity and local leadership can change who has the opportunity to create and succeed online.
The discussion will be moderated by Melina Korvenkontio, Director of the DICE program at Finn Church Aid.
The programme is in English. You can watch the programme at the festival’s Speaker’s Stage at Bio Rex or via livestream on the festival’s website.
Aicha Manai
Aicha Manai is the CEO of Startup Refugees. The non-governmental organisation supports refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants in building careers and launching businesses. With a vast network of around 5,000 members, Startup Refugees connects expertise with concrete opportunities and challenges traditional perceptions of being a refugee, immigration, and integration.
MUSH
MUSH is a Sierra Leonean artist based between Helsinki and Barcelona. He is particularly known for blending cultural narratives rooted in West African traditions with modern trap, afrobeat, and rap sounds.
Richard “Astar” Njau
Richard “Astar” Njau is a Kenyan creative activist, digital storyteller, and impact-focused media innovator known as an advocate for value-driven digital content and community agency. Across social platforms he advocates for meaningful, purpose-led digital engagement and inspires audiences globally to see digital spaces as arenas for voice, impact and cultural expression.
Melina Korvenkontio
Melina Korvenkontio leads the Digital & Creative Economy Program at Finn Church Aid, promoting inclusive digital ecosystems and supporting creative entrepreneurship globally. Her work focuses on ensuring that digital transformation creates opportunity rather than exclusion, particularly for young people and underrepresented communities in emerging and fragile contexts.
Digital creativity has given me the tools for self-reflection and, through this, has supported the way I express myself in the world—both creatively and emotionally. – MUSH
The digital transformation in rapidly growing markets like Kenya and Ethiopia should not be viewed as a minority perspective – it is becoming mainstream. Finn Church Aid works to strengthen digital and creative economy ecosystems so that we can expand opportunities in countries where the creative sector will be a significant driver of economic growth in Africa. – Melina Korvenkontio
Digital creativity expands freedom of expression. It lowers barriers and gives people the opportunity to tell their own stories in their own voices without waiting for permission or dealing with traditional gatekeepers. For many immigrants and marginalised communities, digital spaces are key platforms for visibility, agency, and participation. This is clearly evident in Generation Z movements in places like Morocco and Nepal, where digital tools have helped young people organise, mobilise, and take to the streets. At the same time, in highly authoritarian contexts, restricting access to digital platforms is a deliberate strategy to suppress dissent and constrict the space for civil society. – Aicha Manai
