MEDI1TV Afrique : ARTEN : 30 ans de passion pour le textile africain, un parcours d'engagement et d'authenticité - 02/02/2025
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00:00Welcome to this show dedicated to the universe of African fashion and welcome to Mediant TV.
00:19Today we are welcoming a true icon of African fashion, Aruna Chandre Beogo.
00:25Beogo, with 30 years of career, has established his brand by valuing the cultural and textile wealth of the continent.
00:33From his modest beginnings in Ouagadougou to his new collection, Aruna's white gold,
00:37commitment, creativity and authenticity are all part of his journey.
00:41We have the pleasure of welcoming him on the set of Africa Chic to discover his exceptional journey
00:47and his vision for the future of African fashion. Aruna, thank you for accepting our invitation.
00:53Thank you very much for inviting me, it's a great pleasure.
00:56Before giving you the floor, I invite you to watch this report.
01:01This is the fashion show of the Togolese stylist Jacques Logo.
01:05It was at the 17th edition of Africa Fashion Week. Let's watch and come back.
01:23Aruna Chandre Beogo
01:53Aruna Chandre Beogo
02:23Aruna Chandre Beogo
02:53Aruna Chandre Beogo
03:23Aruna Chandre Beogo
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03:43Aruna Chandre Beogo
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04:11Aruna Chandre Beogo
04:23Aruna Chandre Beogo
04:37Aruna Chandre Beogo
04:53Aruna Chandre Beogo
05:03Aruna Chandre Beogo
05:13Aruna Chandre Beogo
05:23Aruna Chandre Beogo
05:54I'm here with Aruna Chandre Beogo,
05:59who is an emblematic figure of African fashion,
06:03known for his commitment to the African style.
06:06Aruna, how would you sum up your journey in a few words?
06:12My journey in a few words?
06:16I would say that it was a difficult journey,
06:23but with the will to overcome the challenges.
06:28I have to say that it was in 1995,
06:34on the 25th of July 1995,
06:38after spending a day in Abidjan,
06:42that I decided to move to Ouagadougou.
06:46Since then, I have always wanted to enhance the African style,
06:51to allow our good mothers who weave,
06:56and our good farmers who grow cotton,
07:00so my goal was to enhance the African style,
07:05and Burkina Faso in particular.
07:08At the beginning, we had a problem with the number of shows,
07:14so I tried to organize a few shows in the different neighborhoods of Ouagadougou,
07:20in order to promote the Arten brand.
07:24In 1999, I organized my first professional show in Ouagadougou,
07:32which was very successful at the time,
07:35and I was lucky enough to be assisted by Le Feu Lac et du Verre.
07:40After that, I realized that in order to organize the show,
07:45you really need to be organized,
07:48and you also need to be well equipped.
07:52I stayed a little longer to work.
07:54We will get to that later.
07:56We understand that it was not easy for you,
08:00but you are here today,
08:022025 marks 30 years of your career,
08:0530 years that you value this African style,
08:09that you are passionate about.
08:11What is the meaning of this state for you?
08:14Indeed, 2025 marks 30 years,
08:17and I would like to point out that your channel announces the exclusivity of 30 years,
08:24because I had never talked about it on a show before.
08:27But I am also happy that it was made on your channel in Côte d'Ivoire.
08:31For me, it is Africa that wins,
08:33and Côte d'Ivoire also has a history in my career,
08:37so for me it is a good thing.
08:39For me, the first step is 30 years,
08:44not 30 days.
08:46I was able to go through ups and downs,
08:49and I have enough experience now
08:53to truly lead a very beautiful career,
08:59and above all, while remaining in the value of the African style.
09:05Why not also inspire young people who want to get into the profession?
09:10Why not?
09:11And you mentioned it,
09:13your first shows took place in the nude boxes of Ouagadougou.
09:17How did this experience mark your beginnings?
09:22This experience was really unique,
09:27because at the time there was no stage,
09:32so for most of the musicians who went there,
09:36they had never seen a show before.
09:39The only shows were just face-to-face,
09:43which were not accessible to everyone.
09:46In the box, it allows young people,
09:49a lot of people, to see how a show is presented.
09:54So it was a really beautiful experience for me,
09:58and it inspired a lot of people.
10:00In any case, for me, they really adapted to the fashion.
10:05When you go to a box,
10:07did you have time to appreciate a show?
10:11Wasn't it a big risk?
10:13Did it pay off in the end?
10:15To be more precise,
10:17it wasn't a boom time.
10:22It was a chosen time,
10:24often in the morning,
10:26where people are not hot at first.
10:29It's now that we do our shows,
10:32and then we leave room for the hot ones.
10:35Very good.
10:36In 1999, your first show took place the day before 2000.
10:40It was a big turning point for you.
10:43Can we go back to that?
10:45Yes.
10:46I can tell you that it was a big success,
10:52a big turning point.
10:55It was the first time
10:57that I tried to organize a professional show myself.
11:01I had to see the media,
11:04see how it should work.
11:07But I had the support of a big brother,
11:12who was very important to me.
11:16I don't know if I can say his name.
11:21He supported me a lot.
11:26He's a great media man.
11:28Thanks to him,
11:30all the media that had opened doors for me at the time,
11:34allowed the success of this big show.
11:39The presence of Fela Kidube also gave me a big boost in my heart,
11:46and it really propelled my career.
11:49I can say that.
11:50Very good.
11:51Your commitment to the African textile industry
11:53will never be enough.
11:55Tell us, why did you choose this terroir fabric?
12:01I will tell you that my childhood was very...
12:14I mean, I knew almost everything.
12:17And right away, Pan-Africanism for me was...
12:22I can even say that even before I was 15,
12:26I was wondering what I could bring to Africa.
12:33So when I found myself in this job,
12:37I was used to saying that I was chosen.
12:40I know that time doesn't allow me to develop everything,
12:43but I was chosen.
12:44When I found myself in this job,
12:46I said to myself,
12:47if you want to stay in this job,
12:49you have to make it as useful as possible.
12:56So right away, I tried to analyze cotton.
13:00It is cultivated in Africa.
13:03The transformation is done.
13:06The weaving is done.
13:08It now remains to be valued.
13:10So right away, I started to value this fabric,
13:14woven by our brave mothers.
13:17In its modern style, in fact.
13:20In its modern style.
13:22Without inventing myself,
13:24I am one of those who gave a much more modern touch
13:28to this fabric today,
13:30which is really the pride of all of Africa.
13:33Very good.
13:34In 30 years, this path has not run.
13:38Can we say that it paid off,
13:42having chosen this path?
13:45Yes, it paid off.
13:46But it has never been easy in any field.
13:51Now it is in difficulty
13:54that we really open a path.
13:58For me, the difficulties have always strengthened me.
14:01It never discouraged me.
14:03So even though it is difficult,
14:05it has always allowed me to bounce back
14:08to try to see what I can improve.
14:11If it leads to difficulties,
14:13instead of accusing myself,
14:14I ask myself if it is not me
14:16who has not given enough of myself.
14:19So that is what I try to do.
14:21And it has always allowed me to bounce back
14:25and do even better than yesterday.
14:27Very good.
14:28Earlier, you talked about your Pan-African vision.
14:34How do you manage to integrate
14:37this Pan-African vision into your creations?
14:41First of all, in my structure,
14:46I have a message that I convey
14:49to my employees, to my apprentices.
14:53And everyone supports the idea.
14:56And now, I try to see
15:01what I can use as a material,
15:04what kind of cuts I can make
15:06so that they are really adapted to our environment,
15:11to our culture, to our climate.
15:15And the change today is that
15:17our mothers have improved a lot.
15:19The fabrics are very light, very thin.
15:21And it really allows us to play as we want,
15:25if I can say so.
15:27Very good.
15:28But you use a lot more
15:30the coco d'onda and the faso dafani.
15:33Do you use African fabrics,
15:36for example from Togo, Mali, Bogotá, and others?
15:40Yes, yes.
15:42That means that...
15:46I told you that I perfected myself by dressing here.
15:49At the time, there were no fabrics.
15:52And even today, I continue to dress people here
15:56with fabrics.
15:59But this is the ready-to-wear that allows
16:02to choose the material we want.
16:05Because the bread,
16:07if you use bread from Togo or Ivory Coast
16:13to make a ready-to-wear outfit,
16:16the model can please the person,
16:18but the bread may not please the person.
16:22While the dafani, the coco d'onda,
16:25the base is a bit of neutral fabric.
16:28So everyone wears it.
16:30Everyone wears it.
16:31So it's the work you're going to do on it
16:34that's going to make the difference,
16:36that's going to attract the client's attention.
16:39So it's not as difficult as that, yes.
16:42Isn't it also another fight
16:45where you have to get people to adopt
16:48all the fabrics we have here in Africa?
16:52I often work with linen.
16:55I always work with bread.
16:57But it's like I said,
16:59everything that is African,
17:01I am the most absolute.
17:03If the fabric is made in Africa,
17:08whether it comes from Ivory Coast or Niger
17:12or South Africa,
17:14for me, there is no disadvantage
17:16that I value it.
17:18We often work with kita bread,
17:21the bread, as they call me,
17:24the baguette bread.
17:25It's all African material.
17:27We value it and it's completely normal.
17:29It's all that makes the beauty of Africa.
17:32In 2011, you won the prestigious
17:34Golden Scissors Prize.
17:36Has this recognition changed in your career?
17:40It has changed a lot in my career.
17:45What touched me a lot at first,
17:49I'll just go back a little bit
17:51to tell you that after the 1999 fashion show,
17:55I retired to work better,
17:58to be better structured.
18:00Why not?
18:02Because whatever they say,
18:04we are fashion entrepreneurs.
18:06You have to have the notion of entrepreneurship
18:09to be able to manage.
18:11So, in 2010,
18:16I decided to come back to the scene
18:20in the summer.
18:22It turned out that the Cisjodov Association
18:26had just resumed,
18:28because they had made a small suspension.
18:32So I decided, I even told my employees,
18:35this is the opportunity, I'm going to test myself
18:37to see if the work I have done
18:40will bear fruit.
18:42And that's how I left,
18:44without necessarily waiting for anything in return.
18:47And to my great surprise,
18:49I was proclaimed a laureate at Cisjodov.
18:52That really had an impact,
18:55because the following week,
18:58I received calls from all over the world,
19:04since the RTB was already on satellite.
19:08People I had seen 10, 15 years ago,
19:11and when I picked up the phone,
19:13they told me, it's me you saw,
19:15congratulations, you deserve it.
19:17Frankly, I even said that
19:20it was just to fulfill my duty.
19:25You know, I'm someone who always thinks
19:27about what I'm going to do tomorrow.
19:29What I did yesterday, today,
19:30that's already gone,
19:31but it's what I'm going to do tomorrow that interests me.
19:34Very good.
19:35In addition to the Cisjodov prize,
19:38did you receive other awards?
19:41I was lucky,
19:43because in 2015,
19:45I celebrated my 20th anniversary,
19:49because I wanted to take a break
19:52to see what I could bring,
19:54what worked, what didn't work,
19:57and what I could still project.
20:01In any case, I tried to get
20:05the national and international press to witness.
20:09I also invited regular authorities,
20:15politicians,
20:17especially our concerned ministries,
20:19and also with my debtors,
20:21my defenders in the fashion,
20:23I must say that I am there,
20:25in any case, they respect me as much as I can,
20:29as they should, all our seniors,
20:31because it is thanks to them that we are here.
20:35So, all this work,
20:40the authorities considered it necessary
20:44to give me a medal,
20:48Knight of the Order of Merit,
20:51of the talents of my country.
20:53And it was a great pride for you?
20:55Very, very, very great pride.
20:58But when I received the medal,
21:00the first words I said,
21:02I know it's not what I've already done,
21:05but it's what I still have to do,
21:09which is important,
21:10I know you count on me,
21:11I will do everything to not disappoint,
21:13and I think from 2015 to today,
21:16I managed to bring something.
21:21Very good.
21:22And your new collection,
21:24L'Or Blanc,
21:26that's its name,
21:27celebrates African elegance.
21:29Can you tell us a little more about this new release?
21:33My new collection, L'Or Blanc,
21:36talks a little about youth.
21:41First of all, when we say L'Or Blanc,
21:43people immediately think of cotton,
21:47but this white gold goes beyond cotton.
21:51It's all manual work.
21:54For me, it's white gold.
21:57And why white gold?
22:00You see, today, in Africa, in the sub-region,
22:04we only talk about our minerals.
22:07For me, it's an advantage,
22:09but it's also an inconvenience.
22:12And I'm someone who doesn't like...
22:17I always like to speak as an expert.
22:25Young people go to the artisanal mines,
22:28first of all, in very difficult conditions.
22:32They get sick with, if you will,
22:37a very difficult way of life.
22:42And when they come,
22:44it's still a problem for them to settle in society.
22:47In my own family, there are quite a few like that.
22:51So I said to myself,
22:52L'Or Blanc,
22:53our states have to put in place the means,
22:57and also good training.
23:00Because often, the training is just for the form.
23:04The real professionals in the field
23:06are never consulted
23:09to propose a training plan for young people.
23:12It's just a so-called theory.
23:16It depends on the money, but there's no result.
23:19So L'Or Blanc, I demand from our states
23:22to have a real training in everything that is manual work.
23:26Whether it's dyeing, sewing,
23:29hairdressing, mining, welding,
23:33and ebony.
23:35That's it.
23:36That they are really well trained.
23:38Because I think that craftsmanship
23:40can really help to raise a great challenge in Africa.
23:44Because after agriculture,
23:46it's the sector that really employs a lot.
23:50But unfortunately, it's the sector that is best regarded.
23:54I think there are even states,
23:56often when we make the annual budget,
23:58our ministries are the last.
24:01There are even countries where we qualify our ministries
24:04for the government.
24:06And I think that's not normal.
24:08Very good.
24:09So, after 30 years,
24:11what can we expect from the Arten brand?
24:15What we can expect from the Arten brand,
24:17as I've always said,
24:20what I did yesterday doesn't interest me.
24:23It's what I have to do tomorrow.
24:25The goal of the Arten
24:27is to popularize the brand,
24:32first of all, all over Africa,
24:34and also all over the world.
24:36But above all, to train as many young people as possible,
24:41and employ as many young people as possible.
24:46In any case, so that African youth
24:50can find employment,
24:53so that African fashion can shine,
24:56so that the Arten brand can shine all over the world.
25:00That's really the main goal of the Arten brand.
25:04OK.
25:05So, one last word to encourage, let's say,
25:08young talents or motor enthusiasts.
25:12I'll ask them.
25:14I've always told them,
25:15I won't stop insisting.
25:17They just have to train.
25:20You know, during the 30 years,
25:23there were several VARs who came into the business.
25:27When they came, with means,
25:30the first VAR was,
25:33I apologize for what I'm going to say,
25:36the women of our authorities.
25:39The women ministers, the women deputies,
25:41with the means and the CVs.
25:44But it can't last, because you don't have a domain.
25:48That is to say, as long as you don't train,
25:50it will catch up with you.
25:52Those who really want to make a career in our domain,
25:55they haven't trained well.
25:57You can start right away with the Internet,
25:59it will catch up with you,
26:01but in the long run, you will fall.
26:03Whereas when you are well trained,
26:05no one can stop you, only love.
26:07In any case, thank you, Aruna.
26:10We are at the end of this show.
26:13If you had a little something to add, quickly.
26:16Thank you to you.
26:17If I had something to add,
26:18it would be thanks to the VAR code that welcomed me
26:21and to the VARs who welcomed me very well.
26:24But the VAR code is full of wonderful people.
26:28But for this journey,
26:30there is one person who caught my attention.
26:33I don't want to say the name,
26:35who, by the way, blew 50 candles last night,
26:41to whom I really had the honor of being.
26:44I wish her a happy birthday,
26:47may God bless her more,
26:49and may God make the hundredth candle
26:52always stay in perfect health.
26:55Thank God.
26:56You got it.
26:57This is the end of this show.
26:59Thank you to our guest
27:01for his inspiring sharing
27:03and his commitment to African fashion.
27:05And thank you also to all our viewers.
27:07Thank you to the team, to the director.
27:09We will meet again next week for another issue.
27:11Until then, be well.
27:22You