World Blog Day, which takes place this August 31, invites me to share with you my sincere look at the evolution of blogging in Mali. An evolution which, like everywhere in the world, has certainly had its ups and downs. However, it deserves to be explored and celebrated.
There was a time when Malian bloggers were motivated mainly by their love for sharing information, ideas and stories, free of charge and on a voluntary basis. This was a community dedicated to the advancement of blogging, without seeking to profit from their thoughts and efforts. We had Doniblog – first national blogger platform in Mali – and nothing else (we were between 2013 and 2017). Our motivation was solely in the passion to create and share meaningful and useful content.
Then, in 2018, the situation changed with the arrival of Benbere.orga Doniblog project supported by the RNW, a Dutch NGO specializing in supporting media-related projects. The big difference with this new platform is that blog posts were now paid. A blog post is equivalent to 40 euros, or a little more than 25,000 FCFA. This has opened up new avenues for bloggers, allowing them to earn money doing what they love. Wonderful !
April 30, 2016, at Kankou Moussa high school / 1st “Doniblog” blog camp. Source: Linkedine from “Ivo Dicarlo” (Mondoblog blogger)
Money and new tensions
This opportunity to get paid to write was a game changer and allowed new bloggers to join the community. This created a breath of freshness and renewal. But this monetization also had a negative impact on the community of Malian bloggers. I was posting less and less on my blog and I wasn’t the only one in this situation.
Little by little, personal, individual blogs began to die. The reality is that once money comes into play, it becomes difficult to go back. Some began to abandon the subjects that were close to their hearts to turn to more lucrative themes. “Communicators who communicate less”, if not “not at all”, that’s us! In Africa, it is impolite to chat around food, they say.
This money has also created conflicts within the blogging community. Everyone wants to be on paid projects. Which also had an impact on the positioning in the renewal of offices within large associations that are in blogging in Mali.
Photo by AMISOM via Iwaria
Criticism within our community
We are defenders of freedom of expression but we allow ourselves very little self-criticism or at least in secret. This prevents the community from facing real challenges.
In any case, I personally think that blogging in Mali is evolving in its own way, as our late “blogging big brother” thought: tribute to Fasoka, I mean the late Boury Konaté of Doniblog. Big up to all other groups in Mali, including the Association of Bloggers of Mali (ABM) and the Mali Bloggers Network (a new organization), without forgetting those who live in the shadows and independent bloggers.
Ultimately, Blog Day on August 31 remains an opportunity for authors to reflect on the evolution of blogging and celebrate the diversity of voices that make the blogosphere vibrate. What matters above all is the quality and sincerity of our content, paid or not… No matter the changes, our love for the art of blogging remains intact, and that is what ultimately unites us.
For my part, this year was fruitful as a blogger because I had the honor of being rewarded at the Mali Médias Awards in the blog category, thanks to my post entitled “Mali: albinos and proud” which testifies to my voluntary commitment with the Tuwindi Foundation.
Happy World Blog Day to everyone, everywhere!
Lin Diallo, winner of MaMA23