Tribe Tesi proudly sponsored the 2022 Afrobloggers Award in the categories of The Expressive and The Blogger Of The Year. The Afrobloggers Awards celebrate creativity, dedication and responsible use of online spaces with the aim of inspiring more people to deliberately share their stories. The organisation believe these awards bring recognition, honour, credibility and status to the many Africans and few none Africans who have selflessly shared their time, stories and creativity with them over the years.
One of the most important gifts you could ever give a blogger is the possibility of their blog existing in the World Wide Web. This is why we chose to award the winners of the both categories 1 year hosting which to any creative writer is as empowering as it gets – at least we hope. Tikia Aludria Joella from Uganda won the ‘Blogger Of The Year ‘category a couple of months ago and ultimately received the Premium hosting prize from us. Another prize that came with winning was being featured on Tribe Tesi and so here we are!
It’s a pleasure featuring you! Could you please tell us who Tikia Aludria Joella is?
Tikia: My name is Tikia Aludria Joella from Uganda. After trying so hard to find one word to define myself, I settled for a multi-talented woman who wears many hats with grace and ease. I am now an award-winning blogger, podcast host, art therapy curator, event manager and a branding & marketing enthusiast. In addition to these pursuits, I am also a devoted mum, balancing the demands of parenting with my professional and personal ambitions.
My experiences as a single mum have instilled in me a deep sense of resilience and determination. I believe that through putting in the work with perseverance and consistency, it is possible to overcome any obstacle and achieve success on one’s own terms. Alongside my work as a creative, I am also passionate about my relationship with God because I believe that spirituality is the foundation of all things we pursue. Without faith there is no hope and what is living without hope? I draw strength and inspiration from my faith in Jesus Christ and strive to live a life that is guided by Christ’s values and beliefs.
As a wellness enthusiast, I believe that true success is rooted in maintaining a healthy work-life balance. I am learning to prioritiase self-care and self-compassion, recognising that taking care of oneself is essential to achieving one’s goals and living a fulfilling life.
In a nutshell whether I am curating art therapy sessions, engaging in meaningful conversations on my podcast and blog or spending time with my daughter, I like to approach every aspect of my life with Godliness, purpose and passion. I am committed to making a positive impact on the world by using the creative arts as avenue for self expression leading towards discovering purpose. I believe that by living a life that is true to oneself and guided by faith and values, it is possible to create meaningful change.
How did winning Afrobloggers’ ‘blogger of the year’ feel and what does it mean to you?
Tikia: The feeling was one of validation and joy. It means a lot for a creative to know that their work is being seen and enjoyed. When I started blogging, I desired to win an award after finding myself in the Afrobloggers community. I positioned myself for that, however I never thought I would be blogger of the year. At least not as early as 3 years in the blogging space.
Winning the award made me think beyond my original plan which was just sharing stories with no particular goal in mind. Now I have a new tagline which is ‘craft your narrative, anchor your purpose’. This basically means we have the power to dictate our reality if we put in the work to change our stories, and refuse to be defined by our negative past experiences.
What do you think set you apart from everyone else in the competition this year?
Tikia: I think it was because of the daily devotions I did in 2022. I posted a devotion daily for 365 days on my twitter account as a thread and never missed a day. It proved me diligent and consistent, one of the things we bloggers struggle with. I also put in an effort to network in the Afrobloggers community and have done a few guest blogs for some of the bloggers.
What the biggest challenges you have faced so far in your blogging journey?
Tikia: Balancing the boat between career and passion and making money. There is a constant battle for time and that has affected my desire to be consistent with blogging and growing my audience.
What would you say the mission statement for your blog is?
Tikia: Using story telling as a tool to align purpose and destiny for the youth in Africa and world over.
What about the stress levels of being a mum blogger? How do you cope up with it?
Tikia: Becoming a mum was the push I needed to tap into my creative self. So being a mum feeds my blogging.
The stress is in single parenting which I am still trying to figure out. There are days when you desire to share a milestone with a partner because you imagine them feeling the same joy and pride that you do – but with no partner, all that’s left is a painful void. And then a child will also taste your patience and there is no manual for this and so I take it one day at a time. I have a category on my blog called tales of a single mum, a place I go to, to rant, celebrate and think out loud. It’s one of the ways I cope with the stress levels. Sometimes it’s a glass of red wine and a meaningful conversation with my friends.
How does being part of Afrobloggers and the community it brings play a part in your day to day blogging journey?
Tikia: It’s nice to know that we are a community and I am not just out there alone. The community creates a sense of belonging for me and also keeps me motivated. Every time someone posts a link for us to read it, reminds and pushes me to do better for my blog.
Name me five bloggers you admire and why?
- Elise Tiza of lettersfromhisheart.com is a creative fiction blogger. I love how creative she is with developing her characters. Her blog is a good place to relax and enjoy some drama.
- Brenda Nakandi writes creatively at brendanakandi.com, a travel blog about her cycling across the globe, from Uganda, to Europe and beyond. Through her, I get to visit all these places vicariously.
- Musanjufu Benjamin Kavubu of benjaminwatchblog.wordpress.com is the best blogger I know who does political and social commentary. He is indeed the the African watch man.
- Josephine Amoako of joseyphina.wordpress.com is another beautiful place to visit. Her blog is mixer of both fiction and nonfiction. I admire how she shares openly. Her stories light up my world.
- Rwamuguma Mwene Yongyera blogs at yongyera.com. He suffered a stroke and lost all mobility but his brain is like a living Wikipedia. There is no topic he has not touched. I admire his courage to keep writing despite his illness.
If money was not a factor, where would you travel to and what would you do there?
Tikia: I would travel to Greece and go island hopping, explore the food and cocktails.
Where do you see yourself – as a woman, mother and blogger in five years time?
Tikia: 5 years from now I see myself as a top influencer for living a purpose driven life as a blogger, a published author, running an award winning media agency and a social enterprise that supports mental health for young people using art as a medium of meaningful conversation. I will be a good support system to my friends and family’s visions. I will be rich and by God’s Grace happily married figuring out how to balance my career, passions and family.
As a woman I will be proud of myself for the diligence, perseverance, patience and consistency to the process and greatful to God for the Grace to be Tikia With Grace.
