Features
BellaNaija’s New Series Explores How We Should Tell African Stories
More important than telling African stories is how we tell them.
A few weeks after I joined the BellaNaija team, I was asked to write an essay on a particular topic. I searched the internet for the information I needed but all the links led me to op-eds written by someone who wasn’t African and the stories being in foreign media. I thought: if we are talking about Africa and Africans, why can’t I find essays written by, say a Kenyan, Zimbabwean, Ugandan, Rwandan, and so on? Why are stories about us written by people who aren’t us, and for people who are not us? Here’s the catch: there are Africans writing and telling stories. The problem is how often their voices are amplified and heard.
In recent times, there have been talks about telling better stories of Africa and Africans, and by Africans. However, more important than telling African stories is how we tell these stories. What stories of Africa and its people are we sharing? What language are we using? What platforms are we sharing these stories on? Whose voice(s) are we amplifying? What situations are we focusing on or giving more attention to? What do we even believe about ourselves?
If we cannot answer these questions, we’ll end up subconsciously telling stories of ourselves from the western POV. Because the image of who we are have been directly and indirectly shaped by the western media and culture, we find ourselves telling our stories from the western lens, regurgitating and perpetuating certain stereotypes, and giving unbalanced reportage.
One thing being at BellaNaija has helped me do is shape the kind of stories I amplify, give voice to, or expend my energy on. For me, it is not just writing, it is about storytelling. Beyond telling stories, it is also giving attention to the stories that truly matter. From BN Creatives’ Corner to BN Meet the Star, Discover with BN, The Ever After Series, and the many other stories we publish, we are committed to sharing stories that celebrate us and give us a sense of pride and purpose.
So it is with excitement that I introduce the BellaNaija Telling African Stories Series to you, with a focus on how we should tell African stories.
How Should We Tell African Stories is a 4-part series that brings together people who do the same thing: tell stories of majorly Africans and Africa but via different media. For the next few weeks, we’ll be having conversations with Fisayo Soyombo, Ukamaka Olisakwe, Ras Mutabaruka, Tunde Alabi-Hundeyin II – people who are keen on telling true and holistic stories of Africans. They will not only talk about their work as storytellers but also share how everyone of us can tell better and more nuanced stories of the continent and people.
I am thrilled about these conversations and can’t wait for you to read them. So join me next week for the first feature.
