We tell the story of the North.

From the perspective of the people who live there. We make room for the world to listen and hear its truth, unﬁltered.

Call for Designers: AFFEST 2025

A celebration of elegance, modesty, and the cultural richness of Southern Kaduna through fashion and design. Apply before the 1st of August

AFFEST 2025: The Chongai Soigné; Cheering on in Southern Colours.

This year, AFFEST takes a deliberate and dignified journey home, to the resilient and radiant heart of Southern Kaduna. “Chongai” is more than a word. It is identity. It is ancestry. It is a declaration of pride for anyone with Southern Kaduna roots. It reflects a people known for their hospitality, strength, creativity and rich cultural depth.

Non Profit

Women Aware of Rights Initiative (WAR NG) is a non-profit organization founded in 2018 to build a network of empowered women advocating for social justice and combating domestic violence in Kaduna State and across Nigeria. As a non-governmental, non-religious, and non-political organization, WAR NG is dedicated to creating enlightened, empowered, and just communities.

Maintain

As a young organization with AFFEST’s ongoing backing, WAR NG is committed to addressing Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and driving change for women in Nigeria. By supporting WAR NG, AFFEST is directly contributing to building safer, more equitable communities for women and girls in Northern Nigeria.

Support

The Arewa Fashion and Food Festival (AFFEST) is more than a celebration of Northern Nigerian culture—it’s a movement for change. Proceeds from AFFEST directly support the work of Women Aware of Rights Initiative (WAR NG) and INGANCI, our safe space and rehabilitation center for survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).

Funds raised through AFFEST are used to:

Provide pro bono legal aid and psychosocial support to survivors of SGBV.
Equip Inganci with essential supplies, therapeutic materials and vocational tools for healing and empowerment.
Run awareness campaigns and educational outreach on women’s rights and the VAPP Act.
Train survivors in art, fashion and food enterprise, helping them rebuild their lives with dignity and economic independence.

Every ticket purchased, every item sold and every partnership formed through AFFEST fuels our mission to break the culture of silence, restore hope, and build safer communities for women and children across Northern Nigeria.

About

Arewa Fashion and Food Festival (AFFEST) is a festival that celebrates Northern Nigeria (its Culture, Heritage, Food and Fashion). At AFFEST, we're setting out to alter the stereotypical narrative of the North that's being projected to the world; insecure, grim and a cultural blackhole. We will tell the story of its people, from their perspective and we will make room for the world to listen and hear its truth, unﬁltered.

Read about us