Category: Feature

News, Trends and Opinions

The curtain closes on WinterABC 2021 Storytelling Festival.

WinterABC 2021: the Afrobloggers month-long digital storytelling festival ended on a high note on the 30th of June 2021! This year’s festival, which had a different format attracted 96 bloggers from 11 different African countries.

We note with appreciation the improved quality of stories that were shared during this year’s festival and we are very grateful to everyone who took their time to participate. Without you, this festival would not have been a success. Thank you for sharing your stories, for reading, and for cheering on Africa’s storytellers.

Congratulations to Ghanaian Elise Tirza, of lettersfromthisheart.com for being voted the Most Outstanding Blogger of WinterABC 2021! [see table below for other nominees and what fellow bloggers had to share as feedback]

We believe there were so many lessons, opportunities, and friends that you gained through this festival. We would love to hear all about it in the comments section below. Until next year.

Keep on igniting the conversations!

Bruce – Creative Director

Nominees Website/Url	Tell us: What was outstanding about this blogger?
Hey Anci http://www.heyanci.wordpress.com	The effortless tackling of themes on the Winterabc 2021 challenge and she still went on to post her usual book reviews. She’s a true Koffiekween like she calls herself.
Dose of Wonani https://doseofwonani.wordpress.com/	She was very consistent. She made sure not to miss a single day to post for the winterABC 2021 despite her busy university schedule. Aside from that, she managed to produce content that provided value to readers. She didn’t sacrifice quality for quantity. I think the reason for this is she may have prepared her topics before the challenge: I don’t know how much of this is true. This is something I speculate. She also never failed to engage with content from other bloggers…The comments were valuable. She didn’t comment only a few sentences (some bloggers just leave a few words like “nice reading,” “loved this,” etc. I know I’m guilty of this sometimes) but they were long and meaningful. So for me, these were some of the reasons I think Wonani was outstanding compared to other bloggers.
Nsatu Rated Thoughts https://missnsatu.wordpress.com/	She has exhibited range in the approach to the WinterABC 2021 festival, including poetry, interviews, and summary blogs. She has been interactive, creative, and eloquent. She is outstanding.
Husky’s World https://vyolaz2cents.wordpress.com	Her content.
Letters from this heart https://lettersfromthisheart.com/	She is an amazing storyteller and she has got a way of expressing different emotions and feelings in one piece.
Letters from this heart https://lettersfromthisheart.com/	She created a love story throughout the Afrobloggers digital storytelling festival. Like how did she do that? We are talking business and tech and all I am seeing is love. Ok Ok, I am a sucker for love but this lady’s storytelling style is off the hook!!!
Random Thoughts of Shadray https://randomthoughtsofshadray.com	He is so consistent and his content is relatable. He lost a parent but didn’t stop blogging regularly. I’m so inspired by him.
Tikia with Grace https://tikiawithgrace.com/	I especially like that she has used her platform to highlight and cheer on other people especially in creatives week. I like the thoughts and insights she evoked with her cultural stories.
Nsatu’s Rated Thoughts https://missnsatu.wordpress.com/	I discovered Nsatu’s blog during the WinterAbc 2021 challenge. What I love about her blog is the research and thoughts she puts in her posts. I mostly grew fond of her during Advocacy week. She does not have a lot of followers as yet but I see potential in her work. If she continues to be consistent and put enough effort into her work, she will surely make it as creative. After the festival, I would love for her and me to work on something together.
Exhortations with Shazzy http://www.sanctuaryofgreatness.wordpress.com	Shazzygirl has been very engaging throughout this blogging festival, with her fresh writing style and inspiring storytelling. She has been commenting on most Twitter posts with follow up on the actual blog posts and that says a lot for me: genuine interest in what others have to say about a certain topic.
Humanity Boss http://humanityboss.wordpress.com	Nicole captured each weekly leitmotif with a unique style of writing. So easy-going and fun to read.
Dose of Wonani http://doseofwonani.wordpress.com	Consistent and articulate with her writings I love how she does her breakdowns to ease understanding for her readers. You definitely walk away having learned something
Yuri’s Blog https://happecactus.com/	I like the theme of the blog- self-care and how it has been able to provide basic solutions to most of my Tech issues being that I am a tech novice.
Behind Closed Screens http://behindclosedscreens.wordpress.com	She’s consistent, her blog is exciting. I love how she puts her content together. It’s beautiful.
Letters from this heart http://lettersfromthisheart.com/	I like how she was able to stick to her niche of storytelling and still be able to articulate all the themes in a well-thought way. A story that has most of us captivated. All of us can write but to do what Elise did in this short span of time is a work of art, the true definition of a writer.
Mwene http://yongyera.wordpress.com	Mwene is a survivor of a stroke. He writes using just one hand, (the right one) yet he has participated in this festival one hand at a time even publishing more blog posts than most of us, and if you are to notice he has greatly improved his writing. I believe this win will encourage him to fight on more and keep writing! Thanks.
Letters from this heart http://lettersfromthisheart.com/	She has an amazing writing style, that is captivating, tells a story as it weaves a theme creatively and yet, still she meaningfully shares from the deepest parts of her heart.
Dose of Wonani http://doseofwonani.wordpress.com	I loved her: -Consistency, she posted on all the days. -Ability to tailor the themes to the nature of her blog -Precise and concise articles. Her articles were straight to the point and her calls to action were clear -Interaction with other bloggers even outside the blog.
Lutgard Musiime- The Nutritionist http://lutgardmusiime.com	She had a good amount of information for each post and was able to share well-arranged and neat articles each day.
Exhortations with Shazzy https://sanctuaryofgreatness.wordpress.com/	Shazzy’s posts were always well thought through. I loved that she flavored her submissions with pictures and took the time to have custom-made title headings.
Words from the Pot http://justynlove.wordpress.com	I loved her graphics and how she engaged with her audience. The way she shared her personality throughout her posts was amazing. Her content was interactive!

July 1, 2021

Book Review: Andrew Chatora’s Diaspora Dreams
Diaspora Dreams by Andrew Chatora is about Kundai, a Zimbabwean man who migrates to England to be with his pregnant wife, Kay. The book explores themes such as race, misandry, immigration, betrayal, and mental health by following Kundai’s journey as an immigrant black teacher, who was also struggling with his relationships.

Themes summary:
- Racism: Kundai is met with racism as soon as he arrives at Heathrow Airport. He is also racially sidelined from promotions at his teaching workplace. Despite the story being in the first person, you can clearly see that systematic racism deprived the lead character of so many opportunities.
- Misandry: The writer shows that women can be evil (nothing to do with feminism). I like how African writers are showing this side of women e.g Iya Femi in The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives. Kundai faces women who are quite mean at his workplace and also his 2 wives (he married twice) would lie about domestic violence so the law would be on their side. His wife’s sister also kicks them out of the house on his second day in the U.K, even though she had agreed to take care of them for a few weeks.
- Immigration Issues: The protagonist comes to the U.K on a very restrictive visa leading to being taken advantage of by employers who discovered his lack of proper documentation. This is something that is happening in the U.K every day. It even reminded me of Obinze from Americanah who was later deported from England. Kundai is fortunate as he does not get deported. He gets papers and becomes a teacher. “Black tax” was also explored in this book because Kundai was the breadwinner who took care of most of his relatives a complicated situation that later led to his divorce.
- Betrayal: Kundai is betrayed by his girlfriend, Zettie (after getting divorced from Kay) when she sleeps with his brother. I found this hard to swallow because the character seemed to be more lenient towards Zettie than Kay. To Kundai, Zettie appeared to do no wrong and it piqued my interest to know the reason behind his reasoning. He is also betrayed by his brother Kian and his second wife Jacinda, who did not tell him about her H.I.V status. Furthermore, he is betrayed by the system which fails him, for example, at the mental health institution, the Thames Valley Police, and at times, the Court of Law.
- H.I.V: The protagonist finds himself in a difficult situation when his second wife (Jacinda) does not disclose her status. She becomes defensive and even ends up fabricating lies which end up almost defaming Kundai’s reputation as a high school teacher. As a reader, I was eager to know if his mental health issues were due to his H.I.V status but he was negative. I also learned a bit more about the disease, disarming some of my biases.
- Mental Health Issues: Although Kundai’s condition is revealed at the end of the book, one can tell that something is amiss due to the inconsistency of events. I found it quite hard to follow as I was not aware of his condition until the last chapter. This could be a turn-off for a new reader or a mood reader (depending on your mood) but it was a different take. It also opened the room to discuss mental health in men. How they are ignored or not effectively attended to when they are depressed (blame that on patriarchy) or going through something detrimental. Kundai missed out on bonding with his children as he was restricted after his wife Kay took him to court, missing opportunities due to race and having to endure certain micro-aggression daily.
There are more topics and themes, for example, the Black Lives Matter movement which is what drove the writer to write this book.

Diaspora Dreams verdict

However, I personally found it very difficult to relate to Kundai. Despite his mental health issues, he appeared to see himself as one who could do no wrong. He did not take account of his part in a remorseful way. He embodied a typical Zimbabwean man and he reminded me of the nameless and unreliable protagonist in Harare North by Brian Chikwava. They possess the same ego and conservative, primitive thinking, especially towards women.

As I mentioned before, I found Kundai to be a bit more lenient towards Zettie than Kay, which amplifies the narrative that black women are expected and taught to endure suffering than white women. Maybe due to being a mood reader, I took it personally (I usually do e.g. I have a grudge with Akin from Stay With Me) because as much as Kay was begrudged, I feel the character drove the narrative of the angry black woman. As opposed to Zettie (who he cheated with on Kay) was always jovial, accepting (which I felt was from a tourist and adventurous view), and “sassy”.

The writer’s style was quite different as one ends up realizing they are reading Kundai’s diaries whilst he is in a mental health institution. I also found myself laughing at times because his style portrayed how as Zimbabweans we love using big words. This could also be due to him being an English teacher but I found it funny and it reminded me of home.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review by Rudo D. M Manyere

Diaspora Dreams can be found on Amazon.

This Article first appeared on a http://basicgirl.blog/blog/
June 8, 2021

WinterABC2021: 22 Days Blogging Festival

WinterABC2021 is a month-long storytelling festival commencing on 1 June 2021. We are inviting all African bloggers to create content for the 22 days leading to 30 June 2021, save for the weekends which are reserved for resting, and networking. Read more about WinterABC here.

This year is different…

Unlike the past 2 years where we have shared 22 Topics, WinterABC2021 has weekly themes to guide your content creation! This is so that you do not feel excluded nor limited as a result of topics that may not align with your site’s objectives. Adopt the theme as your inspiration, create content that aligns with your site, one post per day for the whole month of June excluding weekends! This Festival is open to all Africans (Blogs, Podcasts and Vlogs)

THEME	EXPLANATION
Creatives Week 1- 4 June 2021	The past year has been difficult for everyone, but it affected creatives differently with the lockdowns and all. Use this week to share stories about the creative life, showcase the people, the struggles opportunities, and much more. Remember :2021 is the Year of the Creative Economy and Sustainable Development!
Advocacy Week 7-11 June 2021	We all have that something we wish the world around us could pause and reflect on, to bring change and make the world better. Tell us stories about your world with a focus on the keyword “advocacy” Could be mental Health, LGBTQI, or the way foreign aid is developing Africa. Is it? Maybe you want to talk about why we should blog; the list is endless!
Business & Tech Week 14-18 June 2021	Remember that brand you have always wanted to work for? That worst customer experience you once had? Don’t forget what Tech has done to your world. This week is open to all your Business and Tech related stories. The world is wrapped in the fingers of capitalism while the tech guys have got all our attention, think about it!
Culture & Fashion Week 21-25 June 2021	We know you cannot wait to tell us about what’s in your closet and where you bought it. Did you know the Second-hand clothing industry is set to hit $64Billion in the next 5 Years? What do you call this industry in your country? What are we without our culture? What does culture mean to you? Take us on a ride of stories related to everything fashion and culture during this week!
Storytelling Week 28-30 June 2021	It’s the last 3 days and we want to end the Festival on a high note with a dosage of your own tales. Tell us a story!

There is a Prize to be won!

We are giving away US$100 to the most outstanding blogger, podcaster, or vlogger who is going to be chosen by fellow bloggers via a nomination process. For competition registration, terms and conditions visit this page.

Lets have Fun!

After you have created and published your content on any day, share it on social media using the hashtag #WinterABC2021. We will be following this hashtag like everyone else waiting to read, listen or watch your content! During the weekends no content will be posted, do check out other people’s sites and leave some constructive comments. This is a great time to have fun, network, and learn from each other!

For all inquiries and suggestions, contact us on WhatsApp or join our Twitter Space on Saturday, 22 May 2021, 2000HRS CAT.

May 22, 2021

“Get a day job. You can still write” Elnathan John

I am one of those people who does not enjoy the job that I currently do. If I had it my own way I would wake up to write a book, bask in the sun until the next inspiration struck again. I have always felt caged in the corporate world. Where everything is systematic and policy guided no room to creatively bring something new to life. If you do they say submit it to the innovation committee who will sit on it for many weeks before they tell you in a dismal tone

“What you submitted is something we were already working on.”

I and my passion live on different sides of the glass. I go through life yearning and longing for freedom. I am here and my heart is on the other side. But for the first time in a long time, I found solace in the words of renowned writer Elnathan John who I admire so much.

Elnathan John is a renowned Nigerian satirist, author, and lawyer. He was shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African Writing in 2013 and 2015. Elnathan has written three books: Born on a Tuesday, Becoming Nigerian: A guide, and On Ajayi Crowther street. On Monday the 17th of May 2021 he took to his Twitter page to share some truths that are rare to find in the creatives world:

Being a freelancer can be challenging in a place where one is also an immigrant. You have to jump through hoops to prove income, to show you are able to finance things. I’m one more payslip demand from quitting this full-time writer thing and getting a job like a normal person. I have been doing this for nearly a decade. So if I call it a day now it won’t be such a tragedy. So yeah if you want to employ me come and shoot your shot. I cook. I clean. I can give you the boyfriend experience. Oh and I write and do literature things too if you into that. Honestly my advice to younger people wanting to do this? Get a job. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret this for one second. I have been very lucky and many great things have happened to me. But it is far more sensible to get a day job. You can still write.
As Originally tweeted by Elnathan John (@elnathan_john) on May 17, 2021

When many people tell you to follow your passion they often leave out the advice that sometimes your passion has to play second fiddle to survival needs. That job you dislike so much can finance you and your passion to grow and produce great fruits. Do not rush to quit your job if you have one. See what another writer: Ikhide R Ikheloa had to say below:

I have been saying this for ages. The best advice my dad gave me: Get a job, you can always write. You get old quick and you will need a lot of resources to comfort you in the winter of your life. Also, knowing that you have a steady paycheck will boost your writing confidence.❤️ https://t.co/FinySuT2qF pic.twitter.com/DVf8RgCyeB
— Ikhide R. Ikheloa (@ikhide) May 17, 2021

This honest sharing by Elnathan and Ikhide is what’s needed in our creatives world. Young creatives need to be told that its not all glorious out there. We need the light and guidance. I needed the light and this saved me from making a great mistake I could have regretted later in life.

Photo credit/ www.elnathanjohn.com

May 18, 2021
9 Great African Podcasts you should know

Podcasts are fast taking over the content creation space because of their convenience, which is being downloadable and also being less distractive. You can listen to a podcast while you do other things, like running or cooking, things which you cannot do with video or readable text.

Despite the low uptake of podcasting by Africans, due to high data charges and a lack of technical knowledge on how to start a podcast, there have emerged a great many shows on the continent. We hope with the introduction of podcasts on WordPress things will improve immensely.

Below are some of the great podcasts we enjoy listening to outlined in no specific order. We hope this will give you save you time on your search for African podcast.

Africa in My Kitchen

Hosted by Tunuka Media this show explores Africa through its cuisine. The hosts of Africa in my kitchen (AIMK) Ijeoma (the cook) and Yemi (the taster/test subject), do more than eat their way across Africa. Every fortnight they try out one meal from one African country.

The duo goes on to discuss the country, share some amazing facts about its history, its people, and geography before settling on the dish. Beginning with sharing the ingredients they reveal the recipe on how to prepare the cuisine.

What makes the show so interesting is their candid feedback on each dish. What ingredients would they add, which ones would they take away? Of course, cuisines are tricky sometimes they miss but most of the time they get it right

I asked my mother

In this podcast, German based-Kenyan Wanjiku Mwaurah dials up her mother who is in Kenya to candidly discuss pregnancy, womanhood, and motherhood.

Wanjiku sets a great example for all youthful Africans, modernity despite being advanced cannot comfortably exist without borrowing experiences from the past. Even though she stays in a first-world country she still finds value in the experience her mother has to offer.

This podcast delivers value as the two women from two different generations and two different continents compare notes, confront myths and share experiences about motherhood. Such a special relationship as the one Wanjiku has with her mother is rare to find in our modern society where parents are too busy for their own children.

Legally Clueless

Legally Clueless is a weekly podcast by Kenyan media personality & social activist: Adelle Onyango. The podcast is a space where people are reassured that it is okay not to know everything. It is also a space where Africans share stories from their lives; stories that teach, make us cry, make us laugh – real, authentic African stories.

This podcast has a 100 African Stories feature segment, where Africans from all over the world share stories and experiences. At one point Adelle managed to go on a tour of Kenyan Universities capturing a variety of stories that highlighted the Kenyan campus experience.

Adelle Onyango also runs a free group therapy program for African women who have survived rape under her Adelle Onyango Initiative.

The Journey Kwantu

South African Vusumuzi Ngxande takes us on a spiritual journey. Through his podcast, we confront deep-seated stereotypical views on African spirituality. The Journey Kwantu must be approached with an open mind to fully benefit from the interrogation of our beliefs and shifting of our blinkered view of the African spiritual world. Vusimusi says questions are just the beginning, and getting answers to our questions is just a single side of the story. “Some answers must be experienced otherwise we risk discarding answers simply because they do not fit our expectations.”

Is African spirituality all about sangomas, callings, and rituals? Can western medicine and African spirituality coexist? What is the cost of African spirituality on mental health? These are just some of the questions tackled on this insightful podcast. We love that with each episode, a new facet of African spirituality is revealed through dialogue and analysis that leaves you wanting to explore more about Africa, identity, and spirituality.

James Murua: The African literary Podcast

This podcast is hosted by one of the most famous names in the African literary space. Kenyan James Murua has been covering African literature via a blog by the same name since 2013. He specializes in sharing news about your favorite African writer, helping you not to miss the latest events, festivals, and book launches

Over the years the James Murua platform has evolved so much, adapting to changing times and trends. For instance, it used to purely focus on African authors but now the sphere has broadened to include black writers. This means, now you can expect to see a review, an interview, or a profile on any authors of color from all over the world.

James has since launched Livestream to enable book lovers to interact with their favorite authors.

The Lebo Lion

Hosted by South African Lebo Lion, this podcast is about conversation, education, and empowerment centered around marketing. The aim of Lebo is to equip African entrepreneurs, professionals, creatives, & students with digital marketing and strategy skills they need to take their hustle to the next stage.

From sharing nuggets via her Twitter handle to lessons with Lebo: a series that uses allegory representations such as slay queens to deliver marketing wisdom; Lebo Lion is emerging as one of the top voices on marketing in Africa.

Lebo also regularly brings onto her show prominent entrepreneurs who get to share from their business experience.

Nyamishana’s Podcast

“Hello there, My name is Nyamishana. Welcome to Nyamishana’s podcast! This is how the award-winning and well-spoken Prudence Nyamishana introduces you to her world. Her podcast challenges stereotypes, discuss social and political issues through in-depth dialogues and monologues with Ugandans through their lived experience.

She has hosted popular personalities such as Ugandan Activist Dr. Stella Nyanzi and recently launched a series called “The story of my mother”. Through this series, Prudence seeks to bring back the lost stories of Ugandan women who came before her generation. She rightfully points out how women’s stories are erased; from being called daughters of their fathers to becoming wives to their husbands, women’s stories remain told through the lens of their association but never as individual beings.

Afriwetu

A podcast rooted in Africa’s Story with the aim of Celebrating Africa’s History, People, Culture & Folklore. The podcaster’s storytelling and narrative skills are excellent, as she manages to infuse the audience into the story, to feel the experience as if they were present when the story unfolded. Afriwetu achieves its object of making Africans proud of their routes and igniting a desire to know about their identity through storytelling.

At its core, Afriwetu is about telling the African story of pre-colonial times. Taking an academic approach Mona-the podcaster follows the journey of African Civilisation by featuring different African kingdoms highlighting their rise, peak, and decline. Among the civilization she has featured are the Nyamwezi of Tanzania, Mutapa from Zimbabwe, Bachwezi Dynasty, and many others.

I Said What I Said

A humor-laden socio-cultural commentary podcast where Feyikemi Abudu and Jola Ayeye bounce ideas off each other sharing their unfiltered millennial experiences. 69 episodes later the friends who have forged a wonderful sisterhood through this show have raked in awards as well as emerge as the most listened to podcast in Nigeria.

I said what I have said has featured singer Teni, Bose Ugulu (Burna Boy’s mother), and Made Kuti among other popular personalities. The energetic duo continues to share unsolicited opinions on all things that are affecting Nigerian millennials making them so relatable to both men and women.

They unapologetically always say their mind and give words to what most people are afraid of saying.

We know there are so many great African podcast out there. These are just intended to give you a start on your discovery journey. If you feel we left out one of your best listens kindly plug us in the comments section below.

May 4, 2021
Identity crisis: A story of gender discovery

I was given a language with which to describe myself. When I found this out, I jokingly told my then-boyfriend that I was ‘fairly’ nonbinary; that I did not subscribe to the gender binary.

I am still at a point in my life where being non-binary is something I hold close to my chest. Having just embarked on another chapter of my life, I have taken a step back from fully expressing myself in the ways that I am used to – being a queer person and entering new spaces, personally, I find it hard to fully be myself. I take a step back for some time to scout the territory, to read the room, and understand which parts of my identity will be palatable and which will not; and as much as that is counterproductive and detrimental to my sanity, it is something that happened automatically. It has since led me to question so many things about myself and my being, and that is terrifying.

I cannot fully say that I am conforming, because, if we’re being honest, I am not where I want to be in terms of my gender expression and this is only because of how I hope to be perceived by my family. They do not understand that I am non-binary, and that my gender identity is something constant for me; that I am still trying things out and seeing what works and what doesn’t. It is something that is happening now, recurring, and is pending – I am both being and becoming something; which, according to a former lecturer of mine, is something of a contradicting scenario to be placed in between.

Think about it in this sense: I know what it means to be non-binary, both personally and as a whole shared experience, and I also simultaneously do not fully grasp its enormity. It has been a while since I last shared a personal blog post – in all honesty, it has been some time since I last shared anything on my blog. I have been going through some stuff, some changes; both good and not so good. Whenever I am met with a hurdle in my life, I tend to dissociate from these platforms that require me to be productive and creative – my blog, my Instagram, my writing. The last time that happened was when I was dealing with a friend’s death when I updated the ‘Signs’ blog talking about suicidal ideation, and the other was this time when I had an identity crisis.

I am a person who believes in reinvention as a way of self-preservation. I very much admire people who know when to cut people off, even if those people being cut off are past facets of themselves that no longer serve them or the ideals they hold themselves to. That is why most people who knew me in High school do not recognize me, they don’t even know me enough to even say they knew me back then – it is like a cycle, this thing of reinvention. So at the time when I battled my demons, I was feeling very constricted in my identity as a writer, and more so as a queer* writer.

I am a queer writer, a great one at that; and my platform exists to highlight the stories that exist within the queer space and to advocate for the representation of the people that have continuously been marginalized, silenced, and erased.

I had centered so much of my life and my being on being queer that it felt like I was asphyxiating; you have got to understand something about that, I was very young, and I had just discovered that something like genderqueer* existed and that I could be that. I was given a language with which to describe myself.

When I found this out, I jokingly told my then-boyfriend that I was ‘fairly’ nonbinary; that I did not subscribe to the gender binary. I was regurgitating everything I found out online about this exciting gender identity – telling him that I did not at all feel like a man, let alone a gay man. I told him that, in my newfound knowledge of myself, building on these feelings I already knew I had, I discovered that sexuality, too, is fluid, and I may not even be attracted to just men.

He understood, but I could tell that he did not want to think too much about it because he knew himself too well to know what my being genderqueer meant for him and what it would mean for our relationship. At one point he told me he loved men, was sexually attracted to men and described this manly body he loved – it may have been an effeminate body, but it was a man’s boy. It did not have any female or womanly features, and he was very deliberate in his want. He was valid.

Gender Pronouns | cred/personel.com

I won’t lie, I jokingly told him that his way of thinking was very limiting. But I also failed to acknowledge something – my thinking was also limiting. This discovery of literature that spoke to me, of me, and about me, came at a somewhat cost to my other identities. I understand that creative representation matters, and I understood it then, too, when I started labeling myself as a queer writer; but it was some kind of a limit to my, dare I say it, greatness as a writer. I mean, yes I am a writer and I am queer, too. But there needs to be a divide between these intersections. I felt like my creativity was stifled and it made me cringe, made me fall even deeper into a depression. I wanted the space to be both a writer and still be queer, without being labeled a queer writer. You get me?

It reminded me of an Instagram post I saw from a friend of mine; it was this very post that prompted me to question myself and how I had packaged everything – this was from a YouTuber who stated that there was more to him than just being a gay vlogger – that while there was space for both these parts of him, there was also space for him to be either of the two separately. Why was there a need for one to be a hindrance to the other?

Of course, I have since taken a step back and looked deeper into myself and my position; the things that I stand for, and the kind of person I am and hope to be in the future. Having done so, it wasn’t so hard to snap out of that funk and see things a bit clearer as opposed to just trying to force me into a box – I am a queer writer, a great one at that; and my platform exists to highlight the stories that exist within the queer space and to advocate for the representation of the people that have continuously been marginalized, silenced and erased.

I did that on purpose, the positioning of my blog to be a space for representation and advocacy, for sharing work that belongs to authors, filmmakers, and creatives within the queer umbrella so that it becomes a kind of archiving of some sort. It has taken me quite a long time to find myself and to nurture my passion for authentic representation, and even when I was going through this identity crisis I knew something about myself, I knew just how deep my confusion about my gender identity and myself was.

I also knew that this was birthed from this need to find myself in things – as a queer writer, there was not much of a pool to dive in to find the experiences of young, Black openly femme gay boys* at the time, and to add salt to the wound, should you add nonbinary to the mix, the list becomes shorter, and even shorter when you add the issue of my background and my battle with depression and all my trauma.

It seemed very simple that as a writer, you did not have to go that deep to find a place to belong as there are so many writers out there and you need not even have to question their gender, sexuality, and race. That was a compromise I was willing to make, to silence the other parts that formed my identity, in order to fit into a wider pool of people. I was prepared to erase parts of me.

My life has been engulfed by this new change in my life – like getting a new job that is basically a step into what could possibly be my dream job and a move-up in terms of what I have envisioned to be a career for me. I have also moved into a new place very far away from home, so that has also been something to adapt to, to live with and sort of attempt to plan my life around. It is an exciting time in my life. I am accepting this change, and I am very welcoming of any other positive energies that arise from it.

This Post was written and shared by Riley Writes and it first appeared here.

April 29, 2021
How to best explain blogging to your friends

Blogging is like a marketplace where different people come for different reasons

When your friends ask you, “What do you do?” you say I am a blogger. They probably follow up with a yet more curious question, “What is that?” You want to explain it to them but you are afraid of losing them somewhere in the jargon. So, you settle for “It is writing but in an online diary”

“Oh!” Your friend says pretending to fully understand you. You being the writer that you are, you are want to say more but choose to leave things as they are.

“Maybe I should put this in a blog post,” you say. This is content!

If you are like me, you have been in this situation so many times you have a list of prepared answers to the question depending on who is asking. To some people, you say blogging is a diary, to some, you say it’s “my hustle” and move. Yet when you have time you tell them it is much more than can be explained with a few sentences.

Blogging, is what it does for many people.

To define blogging using a dictionary is to reduce blogging to “the activity of writing blogs” as defined in the Cambridge Business Dictionary. But blogging is one of those things whose definition is fully expressed by what it does or has done than by a few textbook sentences. It’s like trying to explain an ocean by saying it is a large body of water without mentioning the coral reefs timing with marine life thriving within its depths.

A school

Blogging has been my school, the lenses through which I have watched and learned so much about people and the world we live in. I have found that people are comfortable on their blogs and will share things they probably never talk about in other spaces. They will tell you about their fight with suicidal thoughts, their encounter with a celebrity, and how they felt when they visited the American embassy and got their visa denied.

Perhaps the best gift blogging offers to us is the ability to view the world from different vantage points.

An activism tool

To some people, blogging is a weapon they use to fight governments, challenge propaganda, lies, and suppression of information that dictators use to cling to power. In some cases, blogging started revolutions that toppled years of dictatorial rule (A blogger at Arab Spring’s Genesis, The New York times). In my home country, journalist Hopewell Chin’ono pressured the government into dismissing a Health Minister for embezzling COVID 19 funds by exposing the corruption via his microblog platform Twitter.

In fact, too many African governments seem to view blogging as a threat to national security no wonder they resorted to occasionally blocking the internet but with damaging consequences to their democratic record and economic growth. ~~As if they care~~.

Source of livelihood

I mention economic growth because blogging does contribute to the creative economy. That is another facet of blogging that many people are not aware of. Bloggers can and are earning a lot of money. Businesses tap into the influence that bloggers have built online by partnering with them for advertising campaigns, social responsibility initiatives, and more. There are more bloggers in Africa making six figures than I can count on my one hand. Some bloggers have gone on to start companies, publish novels, and get hired out of ideas that started as blogs.

Stories and representation

Blogging means more representation. Imagine what it does to minority communities when they read about themselves through blogs shared by those in their shoes. To see your feelings expressed, acknowledged, and understood without being judged or disrespected is life-changing. Many bloggers share their experiences to help other people who might be in the same situation. One of the reasons why Afrobloggers promote stories told by bloggers is that some things can only be understood by those who have the lived experience. Only they can share nuanced expressions such as the one quoted below:

I am still at a point in my life where being non-binary is something I hold close to my chest. Having just embarked on another chapter of my life, I have taken a step back from fully expressing myself in the ways that I am used to – being a queer person and entering new spaces, personally, I find it hard to fully be myself. I take a step back for some time to scout the territory, to read the room, and understand which parts of my identity will be palatable and which will not; and as much as that is counterproductive and detrimental to my sanity, it is something that happened automatically. It has since led me to question so many things about myself and my being, and that is terrifying. I cannot fully say that I am conforming, because, if we’re being honest, I am not where I want to be in terms of my gender expression and this is only because of how I hope to be perceived by my family. They do not understand that I am non-binary, and that my gender identity is something constant for me; that I am still trying things out and seeing what works and what doesn’t. It is something that is happening now, recurring, and is pending…

Rileywrites on Identity crisis

A medium of healing

Journaling is cathartic, so some people use their blogs as places for healing. When you put your feelings down it helps you ooze out all the pain and sometimes you gain through words of encouragement and comfort exchanged as others respond with relatable stories. This reflection of your painful journey creates an empowering archive of your progress towards recovery and growth.

Blogging as a marketplace

Photo Credit/ line.17qq.com

Think of the blogging world as a marketplace where different people come for different reasons and like any normal marketplace there are also crooks who make other bloggers look bad. These are bloggers who practice bad things such as slander, plagiarism, piracy, and the promotion of fake news. Some mislead people through click-baits a technique used to get more site traffic possibly for monetary gain.

I hope this reflection on defining blogging shall help you to better answer your friends next time, or to you, who has been thinking about starting your own blogging journey I am sure you have a better idea of what you are about to get into.

April 29, 2021
Coping in the time of the Pandemic: Monicah Wangari

My name is Monicah Wangari. I am a certified financial analyst by profession with an affinity for writing and the outdoors. When I began blogging, the main motivation was to chronicle some of the big and little joys and experiences in life. My domain name is themkare.com, created from my name. Kare is short for Wangari.

My Blogging journey

Kenyan Blogger Monicah Wangari

I started writing short articles back in 2017. I began with a free WordPress account then later bought my domain. Through the years, I believe my writing has evolved and I love to see it. Often, I go back to my earlier articles and reread them. I laugh at how witty some articles are. I reconnect with myself every time I read my work.

Keeping a website for me means keeping my memories alive. I love seeing how far I’ve come. And connecting with people who share in my interests is a bonus.

When the pandemic struck..

I thought it was the end of the world. I think I was almost depressed. But somehow, just like other people, I found the strength to get through and keep pushing. Fortunately and am grateful to God, I didn’t lose my job as it had been a trend during this period. Going to work felt like an extreme sport as it meant interacting with other people. But it also kept my mind busy.

I took the time to really focus more on myself and reconnect with who I am and my family. Life is short and precious. And these days, I am working on having a better perspective of everything that life has offered me. I am trying to feel more fulfilled with the simple tasks, giving myself grace, being patient, and cheering myself for every little accomplishment.

Monica enjoying the outdoor

Connect with Monicah: themkare.com.| Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Facebook

April 15, 2021