I can’t believe that it has been one since I started posting for Afroklectic. I knew that I wanted to make a creative difference in the African-Australian community, but I didn’t think it would make such an impact on me and others. I got a phonecall over a month ago from Geoffery Olisa, the mastermind of the BHF network. He asked me why I started Afroklectic. I was a bit speechless! The reasons I started Afroklectic seemed to only be formulating itself in my mind.
I was glad to see blogs, networks, and Facebook pages which wanted the world to catch onto the African creative wave. However, I was frustrated that I wasn’t seeing anything rooted in Australia. It was like we were missing out. African creativity was manifesting on Australian soil needed to be exploited, but how?
Blogging seemed out of the question because I wasn’t a fan of writing. Writing has never been my forte and I still don’t think it is. I see everything visually! My mind moves at a rate where my words and writing can’t keep up. Images allow me to make sense of my thoughts. The positives of blogging were outweighing the negatives, so I decided to face my fears and start blogging.
It took me nearly six months to come up with a name, but when ‘Afroklectic’ came to mind, everything seemed to click. I signed up with blogspot in July 2009 and became so nervous about writing my first post that abandoned the whole process. In early January 2010, I was sitting at home with nothing to do and thought either I post today or never!
I thought Afroklectic would focus on the emerging African talent in Australia, but I realized very quickly that focusing on the African-Australian community was limiting my content, so I decided to turn the initial concept of Afroklectic to featuring all things African and creative around the world. And the rest they say is history!
I think Afroklectic has given me more than I bargained for. It has given me a new appreciation for writing (even though I still struggle with it everyday). It has helped me figure out what I want to do when I finish University and allowed me to come into contact with amazing people around the globe. Afroklectic to me is like how Beyoncé thinks of Sasha Fierce as her alter-ego. afroklectic has become the person I aspire to be. And I am so grateful that people have taken liking to Afroklectic. I thank you for all your support for the past year. I hope you have enjoyed what Afroklectic has brought to you so far and hope to bring you even more in 2011!
THANK YOU once again!
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