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Doing Life With… is a BellaNaija Features series that showcases how people live, work, travel, care for their families and everything in between. We are documenting the lives of all people and ensuring everyone is well-represented at BN.
Did you miss last week’s conversation with Benedicte Kalala? You can catch up here.
This week, we’re doing life with Maame Adwoa, a Ghanaian content creator with over 425,000 followers on TikTok. She tells us how the Ghanaian identity appears in her videos. Enjoy the conversation.
Hey Maame, how do you do?
Hi BellaNaija. I’m doing well, thank you.
That’s great. So tell us a little bit about your background
I was born and raised in Ghana. I moved to the United States in my teen years with my parents and my two brothers. Growing up, I was very talkative but I wasn’t encouraged to be that way. I only showed my personality to people I trusted and were comfortable around. I grew up in a very religious home so I went to church often and most of my life was school and church. I’ve always loved to act and as a kid, I would make plays with friends. Moving to the States allowed me to express my personality more so I began to dabble in anything that would bring out my artistic side. I joined my school choir, and dance teams, and played a little bit of sports (basketball) in everything I did, my sense of humour did show through. The contrast between my religious life at home and my school life really created a double life for me.
How did you start content creation?
While I’ve been doing content creation for a while now, I didn’t see it as that. I was heavily into YouTube, vine, and thriller in my teen years and any social media app that allowed me to express myself. I never did it to become popular but for fun. I would say I began to take it seriously in 2021 when TikTok was quite popular. I made a TikTok account out of boredom. I began to binge-watch and honestly, at the time, I didn’t think of making videos. I was getting into my young adult years but one day, I decided to make a video thinking it was posted privately just for my followers, and next thing you know, I went viral. That’s how it was born.
Interesting! What have you enjoyed about the journey so far?
The one thing I would say I’ve enjoyed about my journey is the people I get to meet and the doors I walk into. I never thought that something as simple as making TikTok videos would give me the opportunity I’ve been blessed to receive.
Are there particular aspects of Ghanaian culture that are reflected in your content?
Yes, I would say my entire account and my essence are so “Ghanaian” coded. The way I talk, my mannerisms, my sense of humour and me constantly dancing the “adowa” dance. My Ghanaian culture is seen in all my videos.
Tell us about life outside content creation
A lot of people don’t know this but I work in health care and I usually work night shifts. I also love playing my piano and singing. Whenever I’m not working or making content, I’m behind my piano. I also enjoy cooking. I love cooking in silence with soft music playing in the background, it’s so therapeutic. I would say it’s the one thing I find difficult to make content out of because it’s my therapy away from content creation.
What’s one major challenge you have experienced in your journey so far?
Seeing content creation as work. I think it takes the fun out of it when we as content creators have to think about how much content we need to make in a week, the analytics, and monetising our accounts.
How long does the process of content creation take, from editing to publishing?
It honestly can take a couple of minutes to half a day, it just depends on the kind of content I’m making and what it’s for. Branded content tends to take longer.
Now, away from content creation, what is that thing you do feel happy and alive during tough times?
Prayer. Praying helps me get through tough times. Also, doing worship sessions with my brother (singing worship songs and playing instruments) and talking to my supporters live, they really know how to lift my spirits up and I feel alive again every time I talk to them. They are my family.
What’s a typical day in your life?
Sleep, eat, work, make content. Repeat. I have a stuck routine right now because I have goals that I’m seriously working on and I don’t really have much of a social life except if I’m visiting family or travelling for work.
If you were only allowed to do one thing for a whole month, what would it be?
Honestly, I would love to not have to work for a whole month and just be lazy around like a cat. I think those are the times I get really creative and the content ideas begin to flow.
Tell us about your hobbies and things you do to pass away time
I enjoy online shopping. I’m also addicted to Pinterest and love Architectural Digest. I also love working out and dancing. If you allow me, I can dance for hours. It’s like I’m in a music video.
Thank you for being on Doing Life With… Maame
Thank you for this feature and for allowing me to show a little bit of myself. It’s an honour.
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Many thanks to Maame Adwoa for having this conversation with us and answering all our questions – and swiftly too, we must add.
Do you love this content, have any feedback for us or want to be a BellaNaija Features contributor? We’d love to read from you. Shoot us an email: [email protected]. Join us on Saturday for the next episode!
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