Part 2 Building African Bloggers To Share African Voices
by William Jackson, M.Ed
Edward Waters Collegfe
@wmjackson #MyQuestToTeach

25 Suggestions for African Bloggers
1. Write as if the world is going to read your
content. When people read your content they
should see, feel and hear the passion for what
your blogging about.

2. When creating content take the time to read,
review, rewrite, revise, what you have written,
sometimes you have to come back to what you
started to see a new direction or a new level of
engagement.

3. Don’t trust anyone that tells you your blogs are
“great” all the time. Have a critical eye and humility
about your content. Some of your content will be
great some of it will just be ok, so be fine with it
and grow.

4. Don’t create content to be famous, sharing
your life potentially to the world, not selling your
soul to make a profit. Look at the greats like
Achebe, Addiche, Soyinka.

5. Embrace the diversity of the world. Your blogs
should be able to reach out to diverse audiences
unless you are specific about who or whom you’re
writing to.

6. Don’t always write about sunshine and happiness;
branch off and challenge your abilities
to write outside your box of understanding and
expertise. What is traditional, what is disturbing,
what is scary, the changes and challenges of
African culture.

7, Build your writing by reading what other writers
have written, see if your experiences
are like theirs. Chinua Achebe and others were
able to blend stories.

8. When writing, write as if telling a story to a friend
or family member. Relationships are important,
building a relationships brings connectivity and trust.

9. Read other writers that you respect and admire,
this inspires your creativity and literary growth.
You’re not trying to be like them, but create your
own journalistic journey.

10. Storytelling paints a picture, so use words
that encourage the imagination and
creativity in you.

11. Use music to inspire, excite and give you
the chills about what you’re writing. There
is a writers zone that will take over the more
you write.

12. When writing determine if there are challenges,
conflicts that need to be overcome and shared.

13. Don’t be afraid to submit your blogs to multiple
sites. You never know who will publish
your works. Even if you are rejected 100 times,
101 might be the one that gets you an
awesome gig.

14. Keep your passion and excitement about
your writing, it is an extension of who you are.

15. Write different kinds of stories.

16. Read, Read, Read and Read some more,
fall in love with reading.

17. Your writing is an important part of who you
are, what you are growing into and how to
expand your voice.

18. Bloggers must continue to grow in their fields,
you may start off in a traditional blog,
but be willing to incorporate Microblogging,
Podcasting, Vblogging and other technologies
that reach diverse audiences. Periscope,
Facebook Live and other platforms.

19. Volunteer in your community if it is safe
to do so. Help others and see the beauty in
people of diversity. Never judge those that
have less or even more than you do.

20. Blogging is a life-long journey and
should be a life-long adventure for the blogger.
When people read your works, see you in
person they should be able to see your
passion without you saying a word. Be a
student of life, never think that you can know
too much, learn to little or grow too big. Be a
part of something bigger than you are that is
positive, and productive. Your words will last
forever, what impression do you want the
future world to have about you??

21. Take time to meditate and listen to the
ancestors, what stories are they telling you
to write.

22. Look into the eyes of children, the elders
to seek the spirit of Africa, to share with those
that want to see what you see, rely on your
writings to experience life experiences.
“When old people speak it is not because of
the sweetness of words in our mouths; it is
because we see something which you do
not see.” Chinua Achebe

23. Write something every day….

24. Use YouTube to listen to past discussions
by Achebe, Hughes, Dyson, Sanders,
and others that are not well known.

25. Create your own YouTube channel or
Vimeo to record your reading and share
your stories through video.

Resources:
Nigerian Bloggers Directory –
http://www.bloggers.ng/
African Blogging Awards –
http://www.africanbloggerawards.com/2016-winners/
African Fashion Bloggers –
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chayet-chienin/bloggers-african-fashion_b_6613940.html
10 Best Viewed Blogs of 21014 –
http://buzzsouthafrica.com/blogs-south-africa/
25 of the Best Blogs in Africa –
http://memeburn.com/2014/05/25-of-the-best-bloggers-operating-in-africa-today/