Media personality Adelle Onyango speaks to Hivisasa Africa on her work as a social justice advocate and how she manages to fight for women’s rights in the age of the internet.
Adelle Onyango gained prominence hosting Kiss FM’s morning show before leaving to establish Legally Clueless Africa – a podcast with popular content on YouTube, and the Adelle Onyango Initiative. She has received widespread acclaim for her work including being recognized as one of Facebook’s 2019 Icons of Change.
How Was It Transitioning From Mainstream Media To Content Creation?
First, I quit. That was the first step to transitioning. But I think I also initially didn’t think I was going to stay with storytelling. I didn’t think I was going to stay with audio or media.
I thought I was going to go into the NGO world, but I think when you have this ancestral gift of helping people find their story and share it, it will still find you no matter how far you run. And so I think a month into serving my notice, I got into contact with podcasting. It’s not something that I knew about even before. And for the first couple of episodes, I just talked about how scary it is to transition from a job to the unknown, which speaks to authenticity.
So there’s the ancestral calling, then there’s the authenticity in your journey. And by episode five and six, I was like, well, that’s me. And I realized that I loved hearing other people’s stories, specifically African. Because coming from traditional media, we don’t get to see a spectrum or a range of African stories. It’s always, like, the same people, the same things; and everyday stories of everyday Africans are never amplified.
And when I got into that with Legally Clueless, I just got immersed. And so we started with one podcast. We have three now. We also have a tour series. We’ve toured across East Africa, Paris, Zimbabwe, Ghana, and we have our wellness events and talks.
And they’re all centred on serving the African community with a huge bias to African women. Even, when we speak about women’s issues, my issues as a privileged Kenyan woman living where I live, very different from even a woman who lives in a privileged estate or a woman in a low economic area. So I think the first step is to create spaces where all women can come and articulate their lived experiences because then you find the different nuances to the issues that we face.
That’s one. And then I also think what’s important when we talk about women and the youth is an understanding of how bad governance directly impacts our day-to-day life. It’s why when it rains, you look for your phone charger. It’s why you budget two hours on the road when you’re going to work.
It’s bad governance. And so I think the two key issues are creating spaces where people, in vulnerable communities such as women or people living with disabilities, spaces where their stories can be heard. And then it’s also up to the media to draw the lines between our everyday lives and where bad governance interferes with women’s rights.
In the beginning, I was trying to be a superwoman and I was trying to solve all issues for everyone. And I had to focus. I know a very close friend of mine told me, ‘you can’t save everyone.’ And our focus is on creating free but quality, wellness interventions for women and girls who have survived sexual violence.
Therapy or group therapy doesn’t always work, especially when we’re dealing with trauma. And so through our free group therapy program, we’ve been able to impact four different cohorts of women and girls.
And I think that’s where I found my routine. After trying to meet a woman, I kind of came back down to, like, okay, ‘where do I feel like I can have the most impact in solving the problem?’ And about being very proactive about doing quality and that’s it.
What Do You Think Is To Effect Of Internet And Social Media Proliferation?
To be honest, when we talk about digital platforms, we’re not only saying the social media sites. We’re saying even the shows we are consuming digitally, the platforms we use to listen to our music, and the platforms where we stream shows.
We’re talking about the creators who create the shows like myself. We have a responsibility. And if you’re looking at what the data is showing right now, it’s showing that we have increased violence and even new forms of violence that have been created by virtue of digital platforms. So I think, first and foremost, these platforms cannot be left to run wild.
They are impacting us positively and also negatively. This is especially true for Africans because these platforms were not made by us, yet we are giving them the most value because of our numbers on there. There needs to be a way that we hold them accountable in terms of how do we create these spaces to be safe?
Drawing Parallels Between Specific Types Of Content And Increased Violence. Is It Possible To Identify Content That Is Affirming Certain Violence?
It has been hard to know or map the number of young people getting onto these platforms. Today’s generation is equipped with the knowledge or the power of discernment as well.
I think as Africans, what’s so important is to hold these platforms accountable. I’m so proud of Kenya because we were the first to take a specific platform to court for how they were handling Kenyan curators of content. And so we actually have to stand up and demand that these spaces become safer because as much as we didn’t create them as Africans, we bring value to them.
How Do You Deal With Backlash Emanating From These Social Media Platforms?
I think I’m a very level-headed person. And most of the time, if its backlash, it says more about the person projecting than it says about me.
And to be honest, there was a time when I was younger that I used to try and educate, but I don’t do that anymore. Because, a huge part of educating people who give you backlash for speaking up for women’s rights means that I am trying to teach you to see me as a human being. I don’t want to participate in that because already the level is at the basements.
I actually don’t deal with backlash because another thing I acknowledge is that people see the world based on their experiences. Even in person, I will not be able to change your mind on specific things because I have not walked your journey. And when I go online, I don’t go online to walk your journey. And that platform is not even conducive for me to do that.
So I can’t even begin to start shifting your perception. That’s not what I want to engage in, especially when it demands for me to first start convincing you that as a woman and an African woman, I’m worthy of safety or dignity or respect and that I’m a human. That won’t mark me up then.
Adelle Onyango On Making A Change
How Does It Feel To Be Recognized As One Of Few Change Makers On The Continent?
Recognition is nice. I’m not going to lie; It feels good. However, I don’t really care because, there are some lists that are credible that you find yourself on, and there are some lists that are not.
And I don’t care too much to be on lists anymore. I think that was something that mattered when I was younger. But now I know who I am. I’m dope every day and I don’t really need any organization to come and tell me I’m dope.
I try and stay out of rooms that see me as a list of accolades and not for who I am. So the accolade is still good but I already knew that. Sounds like I’m a bit proud but I think a bit of pride is not bad.
What Does Working To Advance Women’s Rights Mean For You?
I’m really passionate about choices for African women. I want us to be able to see the spectrum of choices that are on this board in front of us. So I have the choice to be a businesswoman, I have a choice to be a corporate body, I have a choice to stay at home and take care of my kids; I have the choice to wear whatever I want.
I have the choice to shave my head, I have the choice to be in this relationship or not, I have the choice to learn this skill, I have the choice to be curious, I have the choice to be timid, I have the choice to be loud or silent – all of these choices. So for me, when I think about women’s rights, I think about my role as the person helping bring out a story that will then help other African women bring out as diverse stories as possible so that African girl and women can understand the power of choice
I didn’t even know that it was possible to be a businesswoman. I just have to try it. Walking in purpose has always been for me an expansion of choice. On a personal level, I want an abundance of choices. Even when people talk about financial independence, I don’t even look at it as a budget.
I look at it as a choice and I think you unlock that when you figure out what your purpose is. And the more stories you see of women who look like you with names that you know, talking about places that you know, a lot more possibilities become part of your choice board.
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