This session of the African Townhall meeting aimed to discuss the acknowledgment of African content creators.
Observations and feedback from the Nigeria town hall on Clubhouse:
- Clubhouse cannot afford to overlook the people doing grassroots mobilization and focus too much on people making a loud noise. There are a lot of people doing underground work. It’s about Clubhouse finding a framework for rewarding these people.
- We talked about the Africa/Nigeria first creators program as a way for people at the grassroots level to feel included in Clubhouse because before Clubhouse created a funded creators program, Nigerians on the app were already creating. The contributions and presence of Nigerians on the app were expressed.
- There was a request for our own creators’ first program, specifically for Nigerians or Africans.
- There was also a request for clubs to jointly host rooms to make collaboration easier on the app.
- The highlight of the meeting was when the founders created space to spotlight several notable African contributors on the app. Nigerian speakers were also able to give feedback to the founders in terms of asking for things that will make Clubhouse a beneficial experience for us.
- The ability to support content creators in Nigeria was raised, especially on how will they be able to encourage the nation as they have in the United States, where the option for payment is available seeing that many creators on the app are from Nigeria where you can’t use CashApp or Paypal, etc.
- There was a request for a data lite version of the Clubhouse app to make it easier for users in Nigeria to access.
- There was also a request for Clubhouse to run advertising campaigns in Nigeria to help raise awareness about the app, just as it’s being done in India.
- There was clarification on the issue of trust and safety on the app. We should all read it and familiarize ourselves with the code of conduct on the Clubhouse website.
Suggestions:
- We need more unique content as a country if Clubhouse were to take us seriously.
- It’s not just about the content we’re putting out there, but the originality of the content.
- If you consistently build something of value on a platform, eventually you’ll be able to monetize it.
- We need to capitalize on our culture, especially when creating content.
- There’s a space for African arts and mythology if content creators can niche that because there is room for it on Clubhouse, as there’s little focus on that at the moment on the app.
- It’s not about gathering followers, if your content is good, people will want to hear you speak.
- With content creation on Clubhouse, you have to be you. You have to be original and have in-depth knowledge understanding and experience.
- You can also find ways to develop yourself in any space you feel you want to focus on. Carve your niche. Don’t feel like because people are doing politics for example, that you can’t. Focus on one aspect of it and carve your niche and own your space.
- For monetization, you have to satisfy the appetite of your audience. No one is going to reward you if you don’t satisfy their appetites.
- We all come from different backgrounds, so there’s always an experience you have that many might find impactful. As Africans, we tend to hold back, we don’t talk about our stories or life history. Our life stories and lessons can inspire others. Don’t feel like you’re a latecomer or it’s not for you. There’s space for everyone.
- As you think of things you want to do, understand you want to cross borders. It’s okay to go into other territories and find out what they are doing.
- With content creation, you must be willing to evolve and grow.
- We need to put out recommendations about the value and content from Ghana and other African countries to Clubhouse. We should start showcasing creators on a country-based parameter.
Community announcements/ Key highlights for the next session:
- There’s a plan for collaboration between Bisi, Ife, Akin, and Dr. Banwo to facilitate a masterclass on how to create content on the Clubhouse app.
- The masterclass is scheduled for Friday, July 2nd, 2021.
- The class will focus on two major topics:
- How to build communities.
- How to create really good content.
- The panel consists of people that have been successful at building communities and creating content over a period of time.
- In the content creation masterclass, tips for intersectionality and moderating sensitive content should be discussed.
- The Cool House has come up with a dating and matchmaking service for single professionals called Cupid Fetch (@cupidfetch on Instagram).
- There’s also a regular Singles Clinic room run by Cupid Fetch on The Cool House platform weekly to discuss dating and relationship matters and enable interactions among single professionals.
- For connecting on business opportunities, there’s the African Pitch room hosted by the Goodmorning Africa club which allows Africans to pitch to investors.
- Next week, we would showcase Ghanaian content creators and work on engaging the francophone community as well.