The Hypebeast Africa x Samsung Culture Scouts Reflect on Their Favorite Moments From the Initiative
Sharing a retrospective look at their experiences.
When we announced the launch of Culture Scouts — a new community initiative partnership between Hypebeast Africa and Samsung last summer — we received an overwhelming amount of interest.
Following six months of briefs, product reviews, and intimate experiences — whether it’s the local places they visited, events they partied at, the food they ate, what they wore, objects they love, or the art around their city — we got an insightful look into life in South Africa’s creative communities through the first-hand lens of the Culture Scouts.
Hypebeast caught up with them to discuss the project, some of their favorite parts of the experience as well as as stand-out pieces of tech they used. A special thanks to the four Scouts for their commitment, boundless creativity, and inspiring energy throughout their time in this partnership.
Read below to find out about each of their experiences.
Day Marumo
Day Marumo
Day Marumo
For designer/videographer Day Marumo, a passionate skateboarder from Johannesburg, this experience proved that creativity isn’t solely reliant on what equipment you have, and you don’t need the most expensive gadgets to get the job done. “When I was using the FE range — an entry-level phone for Samsung — I got to use it to create a cool AR experience with almost the same image quality as the S23 Ultra,” he says.
The Culture Scouts exposed him to the variety of Samsung products, and some of the main pieces of tech Marumo sees himself continuing to use in his day-to-day are the Galaxy Buds, the S9 Tablet “to design 3D art and edit content,” and the S23 Ultra to record his skate films and utilize AR.
Hypebeast: How did you find the Culture Scout experience? And what were your highlights?
Day Marumo: The overall experience was amazing. Having the opportunity to create content and showcase my work with Samsung and Hypebeast was great. I used to find inspiration from videos on Hypebeast, so it has always been a dream of mine to work with the platform.
One of my highlights was using the Freestyle Projector to display my Dadadism artwork and creating AR experiences with the S23 Ultra and FE range.
What surprised you most when using Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra for the different briefs?
It’s that I can do most of my design work using the phone – like AR, 3D art, and high-quality edits – and it can all be easily navigated with the S Pen.
What were some stand-out features of the Tab S9 Ultra?
The stand-out feature is the speed at which it processes my videos after editing. It’s super fast – I used it the majority of the time to edit my phone content.
Mikhailia Vera Martha Petersen
Mikhailia Vera Martha Petersen
Mikhailia Vera Martha Petersen
“Taking photos has been therapeutic and connecting with the community has been healing,” Cape Town-based photographer Mikhailia Vera Martha Petersen tells Hypebeast.
Through spotlighting her friends’ ventures, independent stores, and the creativity of her neighborhood, she responded to the briefs with a focus on community, and despite being a seasoned photographer, Culture Scouts was a completely new experience for her. “There were times that I had to push myself creatively,” she says but “this whole experience has been one that I’m happy I was a part of.”
Hypebeast: How did you find the Culture Scout experience?
Mikhailia Vera Martha Petersen: When I got the DM from Hypebeast that I made it, I was gassed, this opportunity has been my biggest yet. I learned a lot and challenged myself, the Hypebeast and Samsung teams were encouraging from the get-go. I’m grateful to have been spotlighted and debuted Culture Scouts.
My highlight was the “Home Away From Home” brief. I spotlighted Dala, a get-together to highlight creatives in Cape Town, I also worked with Pizza Shed and A11 which was an enriching experience. I have mad respect for those who are in the hospitality and music industry.
What brief was your biggest challenge? And how did you overcome it?
My biggest challenge was “Night in the Life.” Mentally, I was struggling and was finding it hard to interact, I ended up shooting the story three times because I didn’t quite get it. Looking back, the reshoots taught me something different each time.
What surprised you most when using Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra?
That Samsung camera taught me so many things. The clarity and the features blew my mind and for a phone? The resolution, zoom optical lens, and ultra-wide were so fun to play around with.
What were some stand-out features of the Tab S9 Ultra?
The ability it has a tablet that essentially functions as a laptop with all its features and high-tech functionality – I also love the slick design.
Nondumiso Shange
Nondumiso Shange
Nondumiso Shange
Sharing the positive sentiment of the other Scouts, Nondumiso Shange says, “I am so grateful to have been a part of it all.” The initiative broadened her knowledge of the innovative tech Samsung has in its catalog and her “highlights were definitely working with all of the devices.”
As a creative director, Shange is used to being behind the camera, ensuring her visual aesthetic is captured through the projects she works on, however, “The biggest challenge was the OOTD brief,” she says. “I had to trust someone to take my content for me and delegating work for me typically is difficult.”
Hypebeast: What have you learned about yourself, your craft, or your community through Culture Scouts?
Nondumiso Shange: I have learned that I should not be afraid to challenge myself creatively and that I should go for things as authentically as I can. I learned that the South African community is 100x cooler than I knew it was. Joburg is the culture of this country!
What surprised you most when using Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra?
It was the HD capabilities. Using the camera’s zoom to film videos and reels for Instagram and the behind-the-scenes social briefs has been incredibly eye-opening.
Which Samsung devices would you use for your day-to-day creative tasks in the future?
Definitely the tablet and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 phone.
Teboho Hlatshwayo
Teboho Hlatshwayo
Teboho Hlatshwayo
“The highlight of the Culture Scouts experience has been reconnecting with my city and reminding myself about the rich and diverse cultural heritage we have,” photographer Teboho Hlatshwayo says. Over the past six months, one thing he’s been keen on is spotlighting the exciting underground movements in his city as well as uncovering new places that have now become mainstays, explaining, “Connecting with people through creativity has always been special for me.”
Much like the rest of the Scouts, being part of the initiative has allowed him to experience the features of Samsung’s tech, something that he’ll continue using when creating future work. “The devices I’d use for my day-to-day creative tasks are the S23 Ultra as well as the Freestyle 2 projector,” he tells Hypebeast. “I’d have the world in my pocket and a portable cinema in hand.”
Hypebeast: What have you learned about yourself, your craft, or your community through the initiative?
Teboho Hlatshwayo: I’ve learned that there’s beauty in what we think is “mundane.” We see things as we are, not as they appear to be. This has reinforced the importance of perspective as opposed to being consumed by our perceptions. When we can place ourselves in the shoes of a person we can better understand them. One other nugget is to use the resources you have in your immediate reach – you can get a lot more done with a lot less.
Which brief was your biggest challenge? And how did you overcome it?
“Fit of the Day” – this brief was the most challenging because I’m usually the one directing models and taking the photos. It required me to let go of control of the outcome and to trust my friends to take good photos of me [laughs].
What surprised you most when using Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra?
Something that I am extremely pleased with is its battery life – I’m often out of the house early in the mornings and get back late in the evenings and the phone would last the entire day on a single charge.
Another key feature was Pro Mode on the camera — it allows total control of its settings which you usually only get through third-party apps. This was most helpful when I needed to visualize scenes or reference the way light interacts with a subject or location.
What were some stand-out features of the Tab S9 Ultra?
I have a few favorite features: the AKG speakers blew me away, I’m a HUGE music lover, and when I was working on projects, I’d have the S9 as an extra monitor and jukebox. I also really enjoyed the S9’s crystal clear AMOLED display, it felt like carrying around a laptop without all the baggage that comes with it.
