After traveling to most countries on the African continent and working for major international brands such as Nike and Colgate, brand specialist Dr. Thebe Ikalafeng – one of Africa’s foremost authorities on branding – has warned that Eswatini risks losing ownership and the economic benefits of its cultural assets unless the Kingdom urgently treats culture as intellectual property (IP).
Speaking at the high-level masterclass workshop on IP and branding titled “Marks That Matter: Creating and Protecting Value in Africa and Beyond” at the Hilton Garden Inn, Dr. Ikalafeng stressed that culture must be trademarked and monetized to safeguard its value.
“Eswatini should trademark and protect its culture,” he told an audience of government officials, legal practitioners, entrepreneurs, and marketers.
Dr. Ikalafeng, founder of the Brand Leadership Group, has worked with more than 100 African and global organizations, including Nike, Colgate, and national brand programs such as Brand Ghana and Brand South Africa.
With decades of experience, Dr. Ikalafeng argues that when cultural expressions and traditional designs are not protected, foreign companies can manufacture, trademark, and monetize them, leaving African nations to import their own culture.
He used the example of traditional regalia and beadwork clad at cultural ceremonies in Eswatini. “The beads and components used to create this Eswatini neck chain are now sourced from China,” he said. “In effect, we are technically importing the components used to make cultural items that represent our identity, meaning we are importing our own culture.”
Dr. Ikalafeng warned that Eswatini’s creatives and cultural custodians risk losing ownership of their designs and products if they continue to undervalue them.
“If we continue to undervalue our cultural products, foreign manufacturers will trademark and monetize them for their benefit,” he said. “We need urgent trademarking and local sourcing to keep cultural value in the country. Protected cultural marks, designs, and traditional knowledge can become scalable commercial assets that support local manufacturing, create jobs, and attract foreign investment.”
He urged the country’s creatives to trademark all facets of their culture and to build strong links between cultural custodians, business stakeholders, and legal stakeholders, so that value remains in the country and enriches the local economy.
“Africa must turn culture into IP and trademark it, creating international brand passports,” he said. “If translated into coordinated action – registering trademarks and designs, encouraging local sourcing and manufacturing, and strengthening IP frameworks – branding and IP protection will become a deliberate commercial strategy rather than an afterthought.”
He added that Eswatini’s creative industries – spanning fashion, crafts, textiles, tourism, and entertainment – now have a clear opportunity to protect their distinctive cultural assets and market them as premium, authentically Eswatini brands.
If acted upon, he said, those steps could transform cultural heritage from an underappreciated symbol into a driver of sustainable economic growth, preserving both national identity and income for future generations.