Earlier this year, Schön! visited Casablanca for an intimate soiree inside the Sacré Cœur Cathedral. It was here that Habyba Thiero, founder of the Africa Currency Network (ACN) and the visionary behind Orun, gathered a formidable cohort for the launch of ‘Heirs of Greatness.’ This was not a gala in the traditional sense: the event marked, indeed, the debut of a comprehensive strategy to revitalise African cultural industries, culminating with the screening of its manifesto film ‘Build to Outlast Time.’
Orun, a Pan-African organisation operating under the ACN holding company, acts as both an architect and a catalyst. Its mission is deceptively simple yet immense: to build a cultural legacy that becomes a strategic asset for future generations. At the heart of this mission lies ‘The Sovereign Code,’ a foundational method built on three strict pillars: Memory, Structure and Transmission. By applying this code, Orun aims to professionalise informal sectors that have long been dismissed as mere folklore, turning ancestral know-how into sustainable economic systems.
“The Sacré Cœur Cathedral is a place built to outlast time, carrying layers of memory, silence and continuity. The immersive artistic opening and the manifesto film were conceived as a dialogue with the space. We were not trying to fill it, but to listen to it,” she explains.
The atmosphere inside the cathedral reflected this seriousness, which was also the perfect backdrop for the unveiling of the looks created by designers Roméo Moukagny, Kader Diaby (Olooh), Anil Padia (Yoshita 1967), Jennifer Mulli (Jiamini), Henri Philippe Maidou (IMI & KIMI), Sonia Ahmimou (Aswad) and Lucette Holland and Johanna Bramble.
The evening brought together designers, journalists, politicians and royalty, with Nigerian Queen, Temitope Morenike Enitan-Ogunwusi, also in attendance. Olivia Yacé, Miss Ivory Coast, as well as singer Singuila, all came together to celebrate.
Thiero observed a distinct change in the room’s energy, noting that the architecture itself imposed a certain discipline. “The cathedral forced the audience to shift from consumption to contemplation. ‘Build to Outlast Time’ is a commitment. In that setting, the message could not be decorative or performative. It had to be truthful.”
Guests were introduced to the ‘7 Houses of Art,’ a pilot ecosystem representing crafts ranging from the delicate loops of the House of Crochet to the intense heat of the House of Foundry, alongside weaving, tannery, dyeing, ceramics and couture. These seven disciplines were selected for their technical depth and their precarious position between heritage and erasure. Thiero explains that the selection was strategic, targeting practices that sit at the intersection of heritage, risk and potential.
“Some are endangered, others underestimated. All of them are deeply technical and capable of operating within contemporary value chains if properly structured,” she explains. “They are a starting architecture, a pilot to prove that heritage can be organised into modern systems without losing its soul.”
Thiero recalls a specific moment of the evening that crystallised the organisation’s mission to restore dignity to these trades. “When a Master Artisan was explaining his process to a designer and an institutional guest. He talked about time, mistakes, repetition and discipline. That, for me, is dignity restored. When knowledge speaks for itself and commands respect without asking for it,” she says.
This shift in hierarchy is central to Orun’s philosophy. By creating environments where the artisan is the undisputed expert, the social stigma surrounding manual labour begins to dissolve. Thiero emphasises that dignity is not restored through visibility alone, but through the recognition of mastery.
Orun’s manifesto touches on the grim reality of youth migration, citing that nearly 9,000 young people were lost on migratory routes in 2024. The initiative seeks to counter this by offering viable economic alternatives at home, with a roadmap to 2030 that includes certifying 1,000 artisans and establishing 50 African brands. Thiero argues that despair transforms into vocation only when a tangible model exists.
“The first step is exposure to a model. A young apprentice entering one of our Houses encounters a Master Artisan who is respected, structured and economically viable. That alone changes perception. Then comes training, discipline and progression,” she explains.
To achieve this, Orun is moving beyond the event to the unglamorous work of standardisation. The goal is to create standards of quality, remuneration and certification that protect the artisan and ensure the longevity of the craft. Thiero is pragmatic about the road ahead.
“Structuring means formalising value chains: it means creating conditions where artisans can plan, invest, train apprentices and live from their work with stability.”
As the evening concluded, the ‘Circle of Heirs’ – comprising ambassadors, institutions and partners – was left with a clear mandate. Thiero felt the room understood that the title was not an accolade but a burden of duty.
“What struck me was not applause or enthusiasm, but silence. A listening silence. The Circle of Heirs is not meant to flatter or to create symbolic prestige. It is a moral and strategic responsibility,” she says. “That silence was a form of consent. It signalled a shared understanding that responsibility cannot be delegated or postponed.”
The launch in Casablanca served as the foundation. Following the ‘Awakening’ of the launch, the project shifts immediately into Phase 2: ‘The Creation.’ This is the operational engine of the initiative, defined by intensive technical training and business strategy modules. It is here that the abstract concept of sovereignty becomes concrete production.
“Casablanca allowed us to align vision and stakeholders. Phase 2 is about execution, discipline and continuity. The real work happens now.”
Find out more here.
photography. courtesy of Orun
words. Gennaro Costanzo
