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"We are hugely indebted to all those who have given us their support, contributed to Yaaya, provided feedback, read our blogs, and engaged with us in any way. You are Yaaya ..."
In our introductory post, we told you about the beginnings of Yaaya - an initiative founded out of a social necessity for black girls and women in 21st century Europe to share their own personal stories. Our mission is for such stories to inspire thought-provoking discussions that will give social visibility to black women and black women's experiences.
In continuation of our first post, we wanted to celebrate the journey made thus far, celebrate our excitement for the journey ahead, and thank our supporters for continuing to be active in our conversations.
And so the conversation continues …
Happy Birthday Yaaya
Anon:
It has been almost just over a year since your official launch in May last year. How would you describe your success story to date?
Yaaya:
(Pause) We still find it unbelievably humbling to see how far an idea to address the social invisibility of black girls and women in Europe has opened many doors and windows of opportunities. Possibly in the beginning, we underestimated how pivotal Yaaya could be within our communities.
As of today, we celebrate the fact that we have published over eighty posts, and completed two industry cycles highlighting black women working in academia and creative industries. We are currently on our third industry cycle, highlighting black women who work in the media, which includes an exciting interview with Belinda Otas, the Assistant Editor of the New African Woman Magazine. Our work in this short space of time has attracted over 23,000 page views on the blog alone.
In addition to this, we have provided insightful coverage on events such as Africa At Spitalfields, Africa Fashion Week London, and two of the Royal African Society’s events, Africa Writes and the Film Africa Festival. Our work hasn’t stopped there. We have produced commentary and sought to start discussion around black feminism, immigration, and racism within politics.
We feel we have come a long in way in such a short space of time, but our feet are firmly placed on the ground because we know there is still a lot of work to do. It's exciting times. (Laughs)
As of today, we celebrate the fact that we have published over eighty posts, and completed two industry cycles highlighting black women working in academia and creative industries. We are currently on our third industry cycle, highlighting black women who work in the media, which includes an exciting interview with Belinda Otas, the Assistant Editor of the New African Woman Magazine. Our work in this short space of time has attracted over 23,000 page views on the blog alone.
In addition to this, we have provided insightful coverage on events such as Africa At Spitalfields, Africa Fashion Week London, and two of the Royal African Society’s events, Africa Writes and the Film Africa Festival. Our work hasn’t stopped there. We have produced commentary and sought to start discussion around black feminism, immigration, and racism within politics.
We feel we have come a long in way in such a short space of time, but our feet are firmly placed on the ground because we know there is still a lot of work to do. It's exciting times. (Laughs)
What Are You Talking About?
Anon:
One of the aspects I appreciate about your blog is the diversity of your content to address your three principles regarding social visibility, fair representation and role models for black girls and women. Why do you have these different 'conversation threads'?
Yaaya:
So we have five on-going 'conversation threads'. The first was 'In Her Words’ , which is a series of industry-spotlight interviews with black women on different professional and personal journeys across a wide range of professions. Here we showcase the different representations of black women, highlight their aspirations, and seek to motivate the readers of their story. We have interviewed women working in academia, fashion and textiles, home interiors, art and design, and media.
Anon:
Excuse my bluntness – what is the point of this series?
Yaaya:
We felt we needed a platform that would give sound to the voice that is usually unheard in the media: through the myriad of possible questions that can be asked, we want to understand our interviewee, a black woman, in her words and hopefully inspire others of all races, sexes and backgrounds to join her conversation and start their conversation to share their stories in their own words.
Then we have our 'Yaaya Asks' thread.
Then we have our 'Yaaya Asks' thread.
Anon:
Yes, the responses to these questions have been insightful!
Yaaya:
We're glad you feel that way. Every month we publish a question related to a particular theme that aligns with our principles. These questions aim to foster dialogue by being open-ended and are intended to speak to our readers’ personal experiences or observations.
Anon:
Why do you feel this particular interaction with your readership is important?
Yaaya:
It is important, because our objective is get everyone to feel comfortable talking about identity, ‘race’, gender and other socio-political issues concerning black women in an open forum. What better way to get people talking than to ask a question? (Smiles)
Anon:
Especially in conservative Europe!
Yaaya:
You hit the nail on the head. We feel that in Europe, these such conversations are held in private, probably for fear of causing offence, or such issues are brushed under the carpet, probably for fear of causing social conflicts. We usually post these questions once a month and collect responses via Twitter and our Facebook wall.
Anon:
I noticed that you started adding a Yaaya commentary, in addition to publishing your readers’ responses. Why is this?
Yaaya:
Yes, so a representative collection of the readers’ responses to the question of the month are published in the 'Yaaya Asked' series. We include our own commentary to provide context, a summary, and a more detailed focus on the question.
Anon:
I understand. And then, there is the 'Reflections From Europe' conversation thread?
Yaaya:
Yes - this is a collection of articles, typically with a socio-political focus, to provide a European perspective on world issues and events. Check out our post in remembrance of Dr Martin Luther King. Even when we re-read this, it was definitely food for thought on how that dream of social equality is not just something you read in American history. We still have that dream in present day Europe.
We also have a series called 'She Is Yaaya' -
We also have a series called 'She Is Yaaya' -
Anon:
I love this series. Very inspiring!
Yaaya:
Can we ask what you have found inspiring about it?
Anon:
Oh, I see you have assumed the interviewer role so soon!
Yaaya:
(Laughs).
Anon:
In my opinion, I feel this series is much needed as one solution to address the need for greater social visibility of black women. For example, I see the ‘She is Yaaya’ series as a strong and passionate intent to showcase more positive images and role models to inspire black women and girls. And you know what is even more important?
Yaaya:
What?
Anon:
To see women celebrating women. (Smiles) That sense of sisterhood is important, not to be exclusive or anything, but to disprove the notion that women can't be supportive of each other because of that sense there is only one 'female position' at the top.
What do you hope your readers will get out of this series?
What do you hope your readers will get out of this series?
Yaaya:
By celebrating the achievement of black women in Europe, we hope that our readers will be able to recall successful black women in Europe that they have been inspired by. Our objective isn’t to necessarily ‘produce’ role models, but to instead show that we already have them in our communities.
Anon:
You know, I officially raise my hand up and admit that I couldn't answer your first 'Yaaya Asks' question - to name top five black women in Europe.
Yaaya:
Can you name five now? No pressure (laughs).
Anon:
Honestly, I could probably only give you three immediately off the top of my head: Cecile Kyenge, Diane Abbott, Mariam Osman Sherifay.
Yaaya:
That is still a great answer – considering they are all politicians, and we don't think many people could have named three top black female politicians in Europe.
Ah ... so there is still more work to be done! (Smiles).
Ah ... so there is still more work to be done! (Smiles).
Who Do We Think You (Yaaya) Are?
Anon:
Do you feel that all your readers now understand who Yaaya is and who Yaaya is for?
Yaaya:
Yes. And No.
We think our readers understand that Yaaya provides a platform for black girls and women to be heard. But perhaps something that is sometimes getting lost in translation is the idea that Yaaya is a platform for black women to be visible, not just a platform for black women full-stop. It's not an exclusive, membership only club where the entry requirements demand that you be (a) black and (b) female. That is not the case.
We believe that the goal to see black women visible within their communities, work-places, schools, and boardrooms is an ideal that should be supported by everyone, not just fellow black women. We think there is a universal benefit to seeing social equality around us, and so seeing black women visible, especially for the younger generation, is crucial. So everyone, regardless of race or gender plays a key role in this cause. We need to move on from this thought that race and gender is a conversation that only certain people are privy to discuss.
We think our readers understand that Yaaya provides a platform for black girls and women to be heard. But perhaps something that is sometimes getting lost in translation is the idea that Yaaya is a platform for black women to be visible, not just a platform for black women full-stop. It's not an exclusive, membership only club where the entry requirements demand that you be (a) black and (b) female. That is not the case.
We believe that the goal to see black women visible within their communities, work-places, schools, and boardrooms is an ideal that should be supported by everyone, not just fellow black women. We think there is a universal benefit to seeing social equality around us, and so seeing black women visible, especially for the younger generation, is crucial. So everyone, regardless of race or gender plays a key role in this cause. We need to move on from this thought that race and gender is a conversation that only certain people are privy to discuss.
Preparing For Take-off: Planning For Success
Anon:
What are your goals for Yaaya in your second year?
Yaaya:
As a platform, we seek to better engage people with the stories and commentary we produce, as well as those told by others. Our aim for this is to really begin to facilitate productive conversations amongst large groups of people online.
We are also experimenting with different forms of media such as film and sound, that diversify our delivery of stories and commentary to our audience.
Another aspiration is to also boost our human capital, by developing our own understanding of the issues Yaaya is concerned with, and make valuable connections with those who share the same aims as us. Arguably at the top of our list, we strongly desire to build a brand. This will take time; however 2014 is the year we aim to get the ball rolling!
We are also experimenting with different forms of media such as film and sound, that diversify our delivery of stories and commentary to our audience.
Another aspiration is to also boost our human capital, by developing our own understanding of the issues Yaaya is concerned with, and make valuable connections with those who share the same aims as us. Arguably at the top of our list, we strongly desire to build a brand. This will take time; however 2014 is the year we aim to get the ball rolling!
Anon:
Those are some very well thought-out aims!
Yaaya:
Yes they are. We have taken time to reflect on our first twelve months, and feel that in order for Yaaya to really ‘take off’; there are key short and long term objectives we must aim to meet.
To Our Supporters: You Are Yaaya
Anon:
How important have your supporters been for you?
Yaaya:
We are hugely indebted to all those who have given us their support, contributed to Yaaya, provided feedback, read our blogs, and engaged with us in any way. You are Yaaya, and we thank you all very much! We hope you stay engaged and stimulated by our work, give us feedback, and remain with us on our ambitious journey.
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