Skip to main content

Winter ABC Day 13: How Blogging is Pacing the African Narrative

This week has been so exciting for me during the challenge. I'm grinning from one ear to the other about sharing my biggest passion - Africa. You need to dissect my brain and see the ideas percolating through it. It's all about Africa! Telling the African story, reshaping and rebuilding Africa, as well as making Africa great.

On the subject of telling African stories, did you know that there are thousands of bloggers across the continent? African millennials and centennials are publishing most of these blogs. The blogs vary from political activism, citizen journalism, to lifestyle and entertainment. The continuous purchasing of smart mobile phones allows Africans to create and access stories from their phones. Many bloggers like myself have blogging applications such as WordPress,  Blogger, Tumblr, or Medium, according to preference. One can blog by the bus stop, in between class breaks, or when their laptop is inaccessible.

The 17% and 38% internet penetration in North and Sub-Saharan Africa respectively, has not deterred the continuous growth of African bloggers. As indicated in a previous blog, we as a continent are still lagging behind in affordable and easily  available internet. In spite of these hurdles, the resilient African continues to press on and disseminate information. Recently an online platform ranked the top 100 music blogs in Africa. South Africa and Nigeria dominate the list with the most blogs. Due to cheaper data tariffs, Kenya joins the two when it comes to having a large number of blogs.

Entertainment and news blogs are the most dominant on the continent. Fashion and lifestyle blogs are slowly merging in the blogging sphere. Due to the need to share recipes for African cuisines, food blogs are also fast rising. Millennial mothers seeking tips on new age parenting have their own community. Beauty trends are an obsession in Africa hence make-up artists, utilise the blogging space to market themselves. Many businesses are taking advantage of blogs to establish networks and trade across the continent. Other businesses are positioning themselves as thought leaders in their respective industries through blogging.

Zimbabwe isn't far off on the blogging sphere. The community is small but clearly big enough to have bloggers awards. As few have garnered visibility to gain advertisers. Some have even won awards locally and regionally. Several host workshops and masterclasses to train individuals and corporates about blogging. Fashion bloggers are Instagram sensations, receiving double taps and verifications through their numbers. In turn, blogging is becoming a viable business.

Corporates are slowly viewing  bloggers as influencers to their target audience. We are not yet at the level of our Western counterparts who can live completely off blogging. Most bloggers in Africa have nine to five jobs. Dedicated bloggers use their salaries to invest in tools to improve their blogs.

We still have a long way to go but the journey is worth it. Africans are having conversations around evolving subjects that affect them. Africa is worth marketing to the rest of the world. Expansion of blogging on the continent is inevitable. With the correct structures implemented, we are looking at a gold mine.

African bloggers, write up and be heard!

P.S. Always write your own love story!

Ciao!

Lady E

Comments

Popular Posts

Single ladies: Wife material

MPV.....my point of view! Single Ladies: Wifen Material *Royal wave*Hey single ladies,your guide is back.The pursuit for Mr Put-A-Ring-On-It is on.Today I would like to make you a get-a-ring-on-it lady. Now following my articles,'Single Ladies Part 3',where I talked about the prince searching for a 'real princess',or 'Queen';and 'Brown Sugar',where the word 'brown sugar' was defined as wifen material,I would like to talk about 'wifey material'.(Whether we are that). How do we single ladies get that ring-on-it,you ask?By being wifey material.My uncle keeps on telling me,'If you want to become Mrs X,you should be a wife.You are a wife before he puts a ring on it'.What he means is that,a man will treat you the way you portray yourself.How,you ask? Ever noticed the difference between a wife and a girlfriend.Now let me break it down for you.A girlfriend usually,takes life in a more leisurely way;unlike a wife,whose focus is mo...

Script My Life: Marry Me

If you want something different, you have to do something different! Woo, Jennifer Lopez really grated the cheese on this rom-com but I love it! Yes, this Valentines day, J Lo reminds us of all our fantasies of what really love should be. Jenny has always been a girl who loves love. So art somewhat imitates life. Following her reunion with former fiancé, Ben Affleck, we are definitely seeing Jenny from the Block 2.0. Who knew that getting back together with 'the one that got away' two decades later would revive romantically in J lo? We all know that Jennifer loves to be booed up. She's been married three times, engaged five or six (I've lost count). I believe relationship experts would consider her a love addict. But that's none of our business! Just in time for Valentines day, a romantic comedy simply titled, "Marry Me". The stars Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson, Maluma, John Bradley, Sarah Silverman, and Chloe Coleman. The movie opens with the title trac...

Script My Life: Bad Hair

My relationship with hair extensions will never be the same! It's spooky season and what a time for all things that make your stomach churn, and eyes pop! For most of this series, I review romantic comedies and dramas. The big screen allows me to live vicariously through stories and characters. I can escape my mundane life and all the imperfections in between. I can be anything that I want, through whichever character that I relate to. Funny enough I love horror and thrillers! I love the adrenalin rush of frightening encounters with the paranormal, or mentally unhinged. Most horrors or thrillers often follow a generic pattern, however there those that take the cup for scares. I will never watch 'The Exorcist' and 'The Nun' again! Apart from being scary, I am not playing with all that supernatural stuff. And here we are, watching Hulu's new flick, 'Bad Hair'. Ever since the trailer, I have been religiously following the interviews. In one interview, the f...

The Case of the Ghost

If you decide to ghost, then stay dead! I'm riled up and thinking WTF? Who the hell does he think he is? Trying to walk out of the tomb like the Messiah! Degage! But I also realised that I wasn't over it. IT! The hurt and humiliation of being ghosted. The humiliation of being relegated to  side  chick.  And the pain of going through loss alone. Who the hell does he think he is ... in my life? After many years, I bumped into him at a recent event. Actually, he called out my name and followed me. I don't know why he thought that he and I were Gucci. For two years, that guy was a poltergeist.He didn't reach out to me to explain his behaviour. He didn't send me a birthday message. No communication. Obviously, out of sight, out of mind.And then he has the nerve to call out my full government name. Honestly, I was inebriated and had no time for his nonsense. But he started saying that he and I needed to talk. He thought that I was his girl. He missed me. I'm literally...

Are You Friend Zoning Your Soulmate?

Your perfect match could be right under your nose! And then Colby O'donis' 'Under My Nose' starts playing. As the lyrics play, I can't help reflect on a recent experience that has me wondering - could he be right under my nose, and I've been too blind to see? Bonjour mes amies! Comment allez-vous? Ça va! Bring your wine glasses with you and let's have a chat. So, I've been doing some serious self-reflection after our last discussion. There's a lot of unpacking required  and I really need to let go, so that I heal. Healing leads to new beginnings. And hopefully, happy endings - metaphorically that is. We all know the friendzone - that comfortable space where we stash away people we care about but don't see as romantic partners. But could our so-called 'friends' actually be meant for more?  Lately I've been reflecting on a close acquaintance of mine whom I've realized I may have been unintentionally 'friendzoning.' We'v...