Panel on creating quality African content #LeFABY2016
New media is giving young people all over Africa a voice, and blogging has become a phenomenon across the continent. The maiden edition of the Festival of African Bloggers and YouTubers (FABY) took place in Dakar, Senegal from June 3-5, assembling some of the best Africa has to offer.
Throughout that weekend, bloggers and YouTubers from Algeria, Kenya, Togo, Ghana, Cameroon, Benin, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Cote d’Ivoire shared their experiences with local bloggers and enthusiasts from Senegal – which were as diverse as our various backgrounds. From my celebrity and lifestyle blog to food, style, art, culture, advocacy and community blogs, no matter the focus, one thing was clear – African bloggers and YouTubers are passionate about what they do! Passionate about making impact, making a change and telling our own stories for the world to see. 
Put together by Agence Wellcom, a communications and PR agency in Dakar, the first edition of FABY was on the back of the appreciable levels of growth in the use of new technologies and new media on the continent. The ultimate ambition of FABY is to propel universal digital citizens across Africa while creating a network of different actors and influencers on the continent to drive change and be a voice of hope in telling great African stories, and pursuing truth and justice. 
Media in Ghana is generally seen to be free from control but I noticed that was not the case for every other country on the continent. With France seeming to have some control on the media in certain Francophone countries, the existence of social media, bloggers and YouTubers creates an avenue for freedom of speech and expression which is needed to tell real African stories devoid of control and propaganda. Therefore the relevance of an event such as FABY cannot be underemphasised.
Featuring several panel discussions and workshops, panelists, resource persons and participants at FABY among other things discussed: How to create a strong audience online, job opportunities online and in technology; how to create quality African content; support from existing institutions; personal branding online; the future of video content in Africa; strategies for better connectivity in Africa; how to make money and promote videos on YouTube; how to create a blog – SEO and online marketing, education and technology; and creating effective link sharing communities in Africa.
The festival also brought to bare the challenge of language within Africa as Francophone and Anglophone bloggers and YouTubers struggled to hold effective communication. I must admit that the Francophone bloggers tried a lot harder and made more attempt to speak English than we did with French, and well who can blame us, French is a tough language to learn.
FABY for me served its purpose, as I was able to connect with several like minded Africans doing their own things in their own unique ways in their various countries. From the creator of the Senegalese superhero, ‘Sandal Man’, to the blogger who provides the much needed sex education for the youth of Senegal, there were many inspiring learnings for me at FABY that should re-echo around the world and told to the world!
Pan-African seats at the hall of Place Du Souvenir
Portrayal of African unity at the hall of Place Du Souvenir, venue for FABY
What is a gathering of bloggers without selfies?
