born Kofi Michael Dumisani Osafo-Atta

Xander Pratt

Xander Pratt (born Kofi Michael Dumisani Osafo-Atta) on November 16, 1990) is an interdisciplinary artist, with vast accomplishments in  performing, fashion designing, creative directing, writing, life coaching, entrepreneurship and philanthropy.

Born in Zimbabwe, with Ghanaian  and South African heritage, he has lived around Africa and Asia-Pacific, from where he built his unique brand inspired by futurism, neo-Africanism and Global South cultures. He is currently based in Morocco, a kingdom that has inspired the evolution of his professional career in the creative industries. He is Founder and CEO of Anticip8, a modern creative agency and ideation hub that illustrates the evolution of visual representation of brands today. He is also co-managed by Asia TV, a media enterprise dedicated to promoting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Agenda through the arts, culture, and tourism.

The philosophy behind his style of creative expression is based upon the bond between imagination and reality, to quote him: "Individuality is the key to unlocking all doors of conditioning. The only limitations that are in the art of creation are those we impose on ourselves.” In 2020, Xander Pratt was rated by CNN as top 10 Avant Garde artist in Africa.[1]

Born: November 16, 1990 (Age 32)
Height: 175cm
Nationality: Zimbabwean
Education: Media and Communications
Alma mater: Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia
Occupation: Art Director
Company: Anticip8

Contents

1. EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION
2. CAREER
3. PHILANTHROPY
4. AWARDS

EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION

Xander Pratt was born on November 16, 1990 in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe to a Ghanaian diplomat and a feminist writer from Zimbabwe. He was estranged from his father and raised by his single mother, as the eldest brother to a journalist and a current international relations university student. Growing up in Zimbabwe, his family had to move around the country from city to city, due to the demands of his mother's career, As a result, he attended at least 13 schools and this piqued his curiosity about the human mind, from where all his creations stem from today. He spent his University years in Melbourne, Australia.

CAREER

Xander Pratt’s journey in the creative industry began in his early years of discovering his unique art of movement. At the age of 18, he was discovered by fashion photographer, Peter Coulson in Melbourne, Australia at Dayglow, which was then the world’s biggest paint party. Peter Coulson was immediately impressed by his talent in dancing and the vibrant characters he manifested with it.[2] Through the years, he developed his own style of Afro beat and hip hop, married with krump, liquid wave, Egyptian tutting, among others.

As a professional model, his career took off with the first 3-D campaign for the Australian brand      Jay Jays.[3] He has also styled for the L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival. The first time he was seen on an acting screen was for the satire comedy series, Angry Boys, starring Chris Lilley. He revolutionized the body painting industry in Australia, with Cielo Magazine New York, through his unique style of execution.

In 2016, his photoshoot for South African Men’s Fashion Week entitled “Reconcilable Differences” captured innate differences between cultures and religions, which ultimately bring people together, and he received praises from both local and international press.[4] In 2020, he was commissioned for a colorful 12-piece photographic series entitled “The Essence of Africa” which sought to capture the African soul which essentially binds every human person, and was part of the Contemporary African Art Fair.[5] He also had a photo exhibition in Poland with Filip Konikowski called “The Apocalypse,” based on the end of the world. In 2021, he art-directed “The Tales of Andalusia,” the first joint shoot for Fatima Zahra-Khayat, Miss Universe Morocco and Sarah Loinaz, Miss Universe Spain.[6] He was also the first black person on the cover of Hola! Magazine in Morocco. Throughout his travels around Africa and Asia, he has worked with some of the best fashion photographers in the industry.

In regards to music, he is a master lyricist and specializes in electronic music rap. His first collaborations include: “Going In,” with Matt Sofo, which made it to the Top 30 of the Australian Aria charts, as well as “Punch tha House,” with Indonesian singer Angger Dimas who was signed to Steve Aoki.[7]

While based in Morocco, he rose as one of the most sought after DJs, for his ability to create out-of-this-world experiences of music, dance, fashion, theater, all combined with lights and sounds.[8] His self-written music single “Casablanca” was a nationwide hit, which was shot at the foreground of the[9] famous Cadillac which transported His Majesty, the late King Mohammed V.[10] While spending the quarantine period at The Source Hotel, he launched the summer album Train To Marrakech, an honest reflection of his past experiences in love, heartbreak, inspiration, lost time with family and how to balancea relationship.

At a time when he had a spiritual and artistic renaissance from his temporary blindness, he also created an immersive experience which tells the story of an astronaut who explores alternate realities : DIDO “Day In Day Out”. The project contains 4 new songs: Dido, Bills Paid, Feminine Energy and Balloons. Furthermore, as a testament to his ever-evolving futurism, in 2022, he launched the single Cryptocurrency,[11] which gave away free NFTs at the first year of Philippine Blockchain Week. This has marked the beginning of his journey to the Metaverse.

As an art director, Xander Pratt skilfully evolved into designing his own space everywhere he found himself in. From being the proponent of “The Realm of Xander Pratt” at Room 680, then Melbourne’s most famous venue, creating an iconic Halloween Carnival in South Africa, which brought people of all races together, to servicing corporate, commercial clients, including the national airline of Morocco, Royal Air Maroc. From then on, he was determined to pursue all genres of creativity. He also co-produced and directed a theatre for the African Union US Congress summit which was attended by presidents and state leaders from around Africa, entitled: "The African Dream, ." held in Morocco.

In recent years, he hosted a dual Art Exhibition with Moroccan Olympic Art gold medalist Wafaa Mezouar at Dar Souiri in Essaouira, for the foundation of His Majesty, The King of Morocco's senior adviser, Andre Azoulay.[12] from this exhibition, he amassed invaluable patrons and collectors. Following this event, he showcased his solo “New World” Collection” at the CreatiVerse Exhibit, where permanent installations remain at the Islamic World Cultural Educational and Scientific Organization headquarters in Rabat, as a tribute to the UN Conference on Climate Change held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.[13] This featured the very first phygital of a Muslim woman scientist, in collaboration with Woman of Substance NFT from the Philippines, which was then followed by a second phygital collaboration with 8sian NFT from Malaysia.

As an entrepreneur, Xander Pratt built his own factory and company, starting with the exclusive black-owned luxury clothing brand: The Xander Pratt Collection. The line takes pride in iconic majestic collections that pay homage to the powers that be, from the bejewelled Moroccan-robes to the fusion of an Afro Kimono with traditional Japanese Ikebana floral designs. His e-commerce store has started to venture into designer shoes, accessories and soon, perfumery,  houseware and interior décor.

Currently, he is CEO and creative director of Anticip8, a modern creative agency and ideation hub that illustrates the evolution of visual representation of brands today. He is being co-managed by AsiaTV Studios, a media enterprise dedicated to promoting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for the people, planet, peace, profit and partnerships.

His global south tour is co-hosted by Earthsavers UNESCO Artist for Peace, where he was awarded by Gawad Pilipino as Ambassador of Tourism Culture and Peace and IYC Malaysia as Artist of the Year. He is also the Cover Man for Alike Magazine, and Experience Travel and Living Magazine. His previous art shows have been in Manila House, Manila Polo Club, Kondwi, Marriott Hotel, the National Library of the Philippines and other hot spots around Poblacion and BGC.

The first single of the album “WayUp” is a no nonsense R&B original about self-love, which was shot exclusively in the island of Isabela, Basilan. Having reached 250,000 views on its first 3 days, it is being slated for special coverage with Metro Magazine, Stylish TV iwantTFC and MYX. In the first 3 videos including “Oxyfire”, which included shots in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, as well as “Don’t Hold Back,” in Marrakesh, Basilan emerges as a symbol of hope, resilience, and unity. Pratt’s “Fireflies: Follow the Magic” album has a total of 17 originally diverse music videos, to symbolize the Philippines’ 17 regions.

PHILANTHROPY

The Xander Pratt foundation will be established in South Africa, as a homage to his beloved mother, in service of youth, women and artist empowerment. Having traveled the world to deliver a message of art as a vessel of personal and collective freedom, Xander  is determined to take his life’s work as an inspiration for many, as a philanthropist and life coach for young people and the young at heart around the world. This endeavor will involve interacting with his fans, art patrons and establishing meaningful friendships from all walks of life. He is also set to launch the “Who Are You?" Tour, which comes with a self-help mantra guidebook.[14]

In collaboration with the Asian African Youth Government, Asian Youth Council and Pan African Youth Union, he has delivered inspiring speeches during functions such as the Global South Day and International Day of the Girl.[15] In addition, he has been a resource speaker about resilience for One Africa and UNICEF, as well as the African Youth Summit, which was commissioned by His Excellency, the King of Morocco.[16] Inspired by the UNESCO Dreamcenter and UNESCO Artist for Peace, a series of campus tours and creative workshops is scheduled to take place around the Global South, to inspire individuals and communities to discover their own inner peace, leadership, feminism and everything about identity.

AWARDS

In 2020, Xander Pratt was rated by CNN as one of the top 10 most Avant Garde artists in Africa.[17] In 2022, Impact Swiss Association for Socio Cultural Development awarded him for his well-received art installation at the Headquarters of Islamic World Cultural Educational Scientific Organization (ICESCO) in Rabat, Morocco, with the patronage of International Youth Centre in Malaysia. His works have been an inspiration for many artists worldwide. “I represent a New Africa, an Avant Garde Africa, one that does not seek acceptance, emulate indoctrinated influence or magnify mediocrity, rather one that is bold and unafraid to rattle the world with progressive ideas.” - Xander Pratt

Gawad Pilipino Awards named Afro-Asian musician Xander Pratt as Ambassador of  Tourism, Culture and Peace recently, which was formalized at a press event recently at Tikme Restaurant in Quezon City.

Following his award by Malaysia International Youth Center as Artist of the Year, Xander was also honored by the Philippine’s Manubu Royalty as an Asian Dato at the same event organized by EuroTV Philippines and AsiaTV.

The Gawad Pilipino Awards is an annual event that aims to recognize the excellence of Filipinos and their peers through their passion and work ethics that influence Philippine culture, tradition, arts and society.

As Gawad Pilipino’s Ambassador of  Tourism, Culture and Peace, Xander Pratt is expected to mobilize tourism and cultural industries as a powerful vehicle for people-to-people empowerment, as non-violent weapons to win the global war against climate change, social ills and the financial collapse during the lockdown.

Having traveled the world as a multimedia performer who delivers a message of art as a vessel of personal and collective freedom, Xander is not only an artist but a social movement leader for young people and the young at heart.

His foundation, Who Are You (WAY), has been doing international talks that advocate art as self-expression and women empowerment. The WAY tour was curated with his mother: feminist writer Nikki Pratt. From conversing with his fans and art patrons, to establishing meaningful friendships from all walks of life, the WAY tour has lead talks and publications about inner peace, leadership, feminism and everything about identity including the WAY Mantra Cards, Follow the Magic Book of Quotes and Shifting Sands Autobiography, among many others.

The entire project leads up the artist’s main advocacy: the Global South Initiative with UNESCO Artist for Peace and Friends for Arts and Science, through which he chairs the triad media project AsiaTV-AfricaTV-LatinTV earlier launched in the Philippines, Morocco and soon Brazil with AsiaTV producer Regine Guevara.

Pratt also recently joined the UNESCO International Theatre Institute, Social Change Network, where his first project “The African Dream” will be shown in Rio, Brazil, courtesy of his management AsiaTV studios and UNESCO artist Cecile Alvarez. Next year, he is set to film the first all-black-produced superhero Hollywood movie.