Àrokò Cooperative

Ancestry Is a Design System Ancestry is often seen as the past, but in design it’s a living system. Every form carries memory. To create what lasts, we don’t invent from nothing. We translate what came before into what comes nex...

Check out this new piece by Azeez on ancestry as a living design system, and why creating what lasts means translating what came before into what comes next.

www.aroko.world/ancestry-is-...

Industrial Harm Reduction* Industrial harm reduction is a set of practical strategies and ideas aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with contemporary production methods.

Check out the latest piece by @mclc.bsky.social on industrial harm reduction, design that puts people, planet, and purpose before profit.

www.aroko.world/industrial-h...

A graphic with crème lettering that reads “we build culture” on a black background

Happy New Year to old and new friends and conspirators of the cause. Take a peek 👀 of who we are, what we do, and a taste of what’s to come. www.aroko.coop
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We’re taking clients now for 2026+ so if you ever wanted connect, collab, work with us, reach out contact@aroko.coop 🙏🏽

Queering Del Toro’s Creature Features Let this movie, or any of [Del Toro’s] other films, remind you of the comfort that comes with self-acceptance and living your truth regardless of societal norms. Let them remind you of how powerful we...

Read the latest piece by @nellynkettles.bsky.social exploring queerness as it relates to Frankenstein (2025), monsters, and our access to comfort:
www.aroko.world/queering-del...

If you’ve been contemplating writing a story for our Anthology Call, you only have 3 days left to submit! A perfect way to close out your year is with Aroko. Happy Writing🖤.

www.aroko.world/aroko-anthol...

📍Deadline Wednesday, December 31, 2025
📨: Submit to contact@aroko.coop

Àrokò Monthly Roundtable #01 This roundtable discussion names a growing unease with societies that reward visibility over substance.

We kicked off our first monthly roundtable with our hot take on design, talking about the chasm between craft and performance. Tap in to read the full conversation here: www.aroko.world/monthly-roun...

Take a behind-the-scenes look at our design process and the lessons that shaped how we work today. Read our member interview with @mclc.bsky.social and @nellynkettles.bsky.social, introducing you to our Design department.

www.aroko.world/creative-gro...

Two Years of Clay, Community, and Creating Home At the beginning of October, the two–year anniversary of the first Black Clay Workshop quietly passed. This coming January will also mark two years since I settled in Oakland—and honestly, it has all ...

Along with making art and designing for clients with @aroko.bsky.social, a huge part of my practice is teaching as a means to serve community. I reflected on my two years building a community and home in Oakland. www.aroko.world/two-years-of...

Two Years of Clay, Community, and Creating Home At the beginning of October, the two–year anniversary of the first Black Clay Workshop quietly passed. This coming January will also mark two years since I settled in Oakland—and honestly, it has all ...

Read @kristenstain.bsky.social's first piece for us on their journey building a ceramics class for and by Black folks.

Join The Folklore Story Lab Part 2: (r)EVOLUTION (Diaspora & Lineage) with @aishatuado.bsky.social
— an online writing session exploring African and diasporic folklore.
📅 Nov 22, 10 AM EST / 9 AM CST
🔗 Register (Free): bit.ly/wwfotg

Join The Folklore Story Lab: ROOTS (Africa) with @aishatuado.bsky.social — a generative writing session exploring African and diasporic folklore.
📅 Nov 15, 10 AM EST / 9 AM CST
🔗 Register (Free): us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Pumpkin Angels & Habesha Magic: Stitching Spells and Sewing Culture Ethiopian-American designers reclaim Halloween as a time of joy, blending culture with creative freedom!

Celebrating joy, creativity and cultural magic as sisters Mahie & Meron weave Ethiopian heritage into Halloween spellcraft— the creative forces behind Enday, a vibrant fashion brand. #HabeshaMagic

www.aroko.world/habesha-magic/

Ninja Turtle Dreams Mama zipped me in a Ninja Turtle shell—Michelangelo, the laughing one, 'cause I giggled through gunfire and dreamed in technicolor even when sirens split the night like wishbones. Sweat glued the mas...

Halloween nostalgia with a twist, read @aishatuado.bsky.social's flash fiction now live at ÀROKÒ.WORLD
www.aroko.world/ninja-turtle...

Ninja Turtle Dreams Mama zipped me in a Ninja Turtle shell—Michelangelo, the laughing one, 'cause I giggled through gunfire and dreamed in technicolor even when sirens split the night like wishbones. Sweat glued the mas...

Halloween nostalgia with a twist, read @aishatuado.bsky.social's flash fiction now live at ÀROKÒ.WORLD
www.aroko.world/ninja-turtle...

No Rap Songs Are in the Billboard Hot 100’s Top 40 for the First Time Since 1990 No rap songs have ranked in the top 40 on the last two Billboard Hot 100 charts, following Kendrick Lamar and SZA's "Luther" dropping off the chart.

very fascinating. i wonder where we go next? does it matter if hip hop isnt on the billboard charts like that?

Messy by Design: How Eve’s Bayou Made Chaos an Art Form Someone will ask you one day if you've seen Eve's Bayou. You need to be able say yes. Because Kasi Lemmons crafted cinema history as one of the first Black women to direct a feature that centers Black...

Love cinema that haunts and expands what Black stories can be? Read @aishatuado.bsky.social's latest piece on Eve’s Bayou.
www.aroko.world/messy-by-des...

Messy by Design: How Eve’s Bayou Made Chaos an Art Form Someone will ask you one day if you've seen Eve's Bayou. You need to be able say yes. Because Kasi Lemmons crafted cinema history as one of the first Black women to direct a feature that centers Black...

Love cinema that haunts and expands what Black stories can be? Read @aishatuado.bsky.social's latest piece on Eve’s Bayou.
www.aroko.world/messy-by-des...

We Build Culture How Àrokò Cooperative designs radical solutions for individuals and organizations.

We built intentional culture that has lasting impact. Read our new article on how we work and the work we’ve done.

www.aroko.world/we-build-cul...

We Build Culture How Àrokò Cooperative designs radical solutions for individuals and organizations.

We built intentional culture that has lasting impact. Read our new article on how we work and the work we’ve done.

www.aroko.world/we-build-cul...

Play Is Medicine: Designing Care Through Super Mario 64 Forget brain-training apps. In the ‘90s we already had one: Super Mario 64. Turns out Peach’s castle was a cognitive gym all along.

Article is here: www.aroko.world/play-is-medi...

What Games Were Your Medicine Growing Up

An ode to @aishatuado.bsky.social new article “Play is Medicine” what was games kept you up late at night? Drop them in the comments🎮

Play Is Medicine: Designing Care Through Super Mario 64 Forget brain-training apps. In the ‘90s we already had one: Super Mario 64. Turns out Peach’s castle was a cognitive gym all along.

“We weren’t just playing; we were learning…how to laugh at failure and try again. What I didn’t know then is what researchers would confirm years later: those play sessions were not just fun. They were literally reshaping our brains” —

Read the full article here.

www.aroko.world/play-is-medi...

Play Is Medicine: Designing Care Through Super Mario 64 Forget brain-training apps. In the ‘90s we already had one: Super Mario 64. Turns out Peach’s castle was a cognitive gym all along.

“We weren’t just playing; we were learning…how to laugh at failure and try again. What I didn’t know then is what researchers would confirm years later: those play sessions were not just fun. They were literally reshaping our brains” —

Read the full article here.

www.aroko.world/play-is-medi...

Stay cozy in style this fall with Aroko

www.aroko.coop/product/supp...

Using a Library Card a Day Keeps Capitalism at Bay: Happy Freedom to Read Week On this next creative library adventure, I visited the Myers Park Library for an Arts & Crafts Drop-in experience. Normally, I’m used to booking an art event where you have to stay for the full 2 hour...

@zariah-cam.bsky.social takes us through another money saving library experience that’s sure to put some money back in your pockets

www.aroko.world/using-a-libr...

Using a Library Card a Day Keeps Capitalism at Bay: Happy Freedom to Read Week On this next creative library adventure, I visited the Myers Park Library for an Arts & Crafts Drop-in experience. Normally, I’m used to booking an art event where you have to stay for the full 2 hour...

@zariah-cam.bsky.social takes us through another money saving library experience that’s sure to put some money back in your pockets

www.aroko.world/using-a-libr...

Àrokò Anthology: Call for submissions ÀROKÒ ANTHOLOGY NO.1: FOLKLORE FROM AFRICA & THE DIASPORA Curated and edited by Aishatu Ado DEADLINE 12.31.25 // Submit to: contact@aroko.coop THEME We invite fiction that breathes new life into ...

📢 Call for Submissions! Àrokò invites writers from Africa & the diaspora to send us stories that reimagine folklore, myth, and legend. Deadline Dec 31 2025.

www.aroko.world/aroko-anthol...

Àrokò Anthology: Call for submissions ÀROKÒ ANTHOLOGY NO.1: FOLKLORE FROM AFRICA & THE DIASPORA Curated and edited by Aishatu Ado DEADLINE 12.31.25 // Submit to: contact@aroko.coop THEME We invite fiction that breathes new life into ...

📢 Call for Submissions! Àrokò invites writers from Africa & the diaspora to send us stories that reimagine folklore, myth, and legend. Deadline Dec 31 2025.

www.aroko.world/aroko-anthol...

Image of Barack Obama with a DOOM SCROLL t-shirt DJing with one hand up.

DJ DRONE STRIKE IN THE MIX 😭

A peek of our fall roundup picks for are here, produced by our star studded cast of writers. To see this and more articles like these sign up for our newsletter. www.aroko.world