Described as the next revolution of the Internet, or Web 3.0 as the technology initiates call it, the metaverse raises a lot of questions just as it opens a whole new evolving world for the human race and artists and creatives in particular. The possibilities and use cases are endless, but one thing that is clear today is that the metaverse holds a goldmine for artists and creatives, especially African artists who have been hugely underrepresented in the global art circuit despite their immense and exceptional talent and artistry.

But what exactly is the Metaverse?

When the concept of NFTs (Non-fungible tokens) and the metaverse started popping up in relation to digital art, we at Aworanka were just as curious as everyone. And as an art platform dedicated to promoting and elevating African art and African artists, we went in search of the knowledge and application of it to bring it to you in one place to save you the stress of scouring multiple websites and resources and use that time instead to focus on creating your art.

Metaverse is a portmanteau of “meta” and “universe” and it is simply the combination of multiple types of technology, including VR (Virtual Reality), AI (Artificial Intelligence), and AR (Augmented Reality), to create a network of virtual worlds where users exist within an online digital universe. Basically, it is a shared 3D virtual universe where humans (users) exist as avatars (a digital representation of the self) and interact through sensory stimulations, primarily sight, touch, and auditory, with one another and the environment. 

The idea of a Metaverse is to advance social interactions and make the way we socialize, interact, and work in a virtual world as close enough to how it is in the real world. A simulation of the real universe, sci-fi film lovers will immediately recognize the composition of this digital universe from its depiction in movies such as Ready Player One, The Matrix series, Inception, Source Code, Free Guy, and Wreck-It Ralph.

So how can African artists take advantage of the metaverse and make money from their works?

A major component of the metaverse, which has moved it into a more feasible concept and not just some futurist idea of techies, is the advancement of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology which has made incorporating commerce into this virtual world a reality. It is this development and the investment of top corporations such as Facebook, Microsoft, and most recently, African telecommunications giants MTN, into the metaverse that has stamped it as a lucrative avenue to create wealth for digital artists.

Aside from digital artists being employed by companies creating their metaverse to create avatars and sets for the virtual universe, independent artists and galleries can also make their artwork into an NFT and sell in the metaverse, making thousands and sometimes millions of dollars. For African artists, this is especially auspicious as they can bypass the gatekeepers of global art auctions and sales and get value for their work. South African artist Norman Catherine is creating 3D avatars for the first African metaverse, Africarare, while Nigerian artist Jacon Osinachi, hailed as Africa’s foremost crypto artist, is leading the way for other African artists creating and selling their NFT art on the blockchain with over $75,000 in sales. Last year, Osinachi became the first African crypto-artist to have his work sold by Christie's auction house in Europe. His work sold for $68,000 at the auction in October.