#HerMediaDiary Episode 6 with Arit Okpo

Her Media Diary

“If we focus less on leaving a good impression and focus more on presenting the best impression of who we are, we stand a chance of then giving people the truest, most authentic picture of ourselves”.

Arit Okpo, is a television presenter, voice over artist, documentary filmmaker, TV producer, and current host of CNN African Voices ...and a food lover. In this episode of Her Media Diary, Arit talks about growing up, her experiences in school and her work.

A curious child who grew up to become a curious adult, her early education nurtured her innate gift for communication, however this was kept on hold for a while when she was moved towards the science field and earned her bachelors in Biochemistry.

Arit is a believer of nurturing and encouraging curiosity in children, and sees opportunities to explore that curiosity as valuable skills a child takes through to maturity.

On presenting Africa to people who do not share the same lived experience as African, it is important for journalists to acknowledge how much we don’t know, and to not let sharing your reality discount the reality of others who had a different upbringing. Leave a good impression and own who you are so audience remember you. For Arit, impression is like window dressing, and if there is no authenticity in that, you might be building an idea that isn’t true. In spaces, recognise the things that makes you special, and highlight on those things, it’s about identifying your best points and asking yourself how best you can present these points and remain your authentic you. This episodes is full of wise gems like these from Arit.

Her advice to journalists is, to always remember you are telling a narrative not your narrative, remember to humanise the context you are sharing, your story should present that there is more than one way to be African and all those ways are valid. You can follow Arit on twitter @thearitokpo