Dancing Queen

Yoruba Girl Dancing is a blog that covers cultural observations as well as the personal musings of Bim Adewunmi. Anything from films, books, TV, food and shopping are covered here with Bim sharing her random thoughts with us. Created in April this year, Yoruba Girl Dancing is a honest, funny and thoughtful insight into the life of a writer and freelance journalist living the London life. I took time out to catch up with Bim to discuss blogging and other things. 

What made you start blogging?

I’m a freelance journalist by trade – mostly newspaper and magazines and some online stuff. I was working as a temp at a charity because journalism work was so scarce, and so the blog came about, mostly to keep myself in the writing habit. Of course, it took my sister badgering me (in the best possible way!) for me to actually start the blog, as I was dragging my feet so much. 

Describe the concept behind Yoruba Girl Dancing?

Um, there isn’t one, not exactly. I started out with a completely vague idea – write what you know and like and hopefully inject it with a bit of humour. My remit is wide – London, popular and not-so-popular culture, news, family life, fashion – anything that catches my eye, really. The outcome is definitely eclectic, as I have diverse tastes. But I think people like the mix – I know I do. 

How do you think bloggers have made an impact on the media?

I think the blogosphere has democratised the way the public consumes information - anyone with an Internet connection and something to say can be a blogger. Of course, it’s not always an unqualified success, and quality varies wildly, but I think it means that if you can find a niche, people are out there reading. I guess that’s both a bad and good thing. I reckon newspapers will go down the ‘personalised news’ route eventually. 

Yoruba Girl Dancing is full of high culture observations; how do you keep your blog fresh?

Wow, high culture – what a compliment! I write about things I like and follow in my everyday life, so I guess I try to keep my experiences fresh. If nothing else, they provide fodder for the blog. Plus, I live in London – the most exciting city in the world! There’s always something going on. 

What do you do when you are not working on your blog?

I’m a telly addict and love watching old movies - one of my all time faves is Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. I recently learned to ride a bike, and then received a bike for my birthday, so I’m trying to master that. I really love reading and I’m in the middle of writing a collection of short stories. 

Describe a typical day in the life of Bim Adewunmi.

I’m most definitely not a morning person! I drag myself out of bed as late as I possibly can and log straight onto the web. I pick up the news of the day, and check my emails. As a freelance, the ideal situation is to be working on commissions. If I’ve got none on the go, then I’m pitching - it’s a very up and down existence. Throughout the day, I’m on Twitter, and the blog – researching and writing and also authorising comments. I don’t really have a firm ‘finish work’ time, but try not to work late into the night if I can help it. In the evenings, I try to take in as many of London’s charms as I can. This sounds far more interesting than the more common reality - I’m often slobbed out on the couch watching telly with a mug of tea in my hand. 

Where do you source your stories from?

All over the place. I subscribe to a few press services, so I get a mishmash of things coming through. I also have a look at some American sites to see what’s happening across the pond. Because the blog isn’t strictly news-focused, anything and everything can act as a trigger for a post. 

What are your favourite glossy magazines?

My favourite of all time, Jane, died a few years back, so I tend to get it all online now. I do like Colures (whenever it’s out), Arise, and Marie Claire UK and US. 

Name five blogs that you read religiously

Oh man, I can’t narrow it down to just five! Seriously, I think I killed my Google Reader... I’ll try: The Musings of Ondo Lady, Womens Glib, Harlem Loves, Ill Doctrine and Jezebel.

How do you see Yoruba Girl Dancing evolving over the next two years?

I recently got featured on the Wordpress front page, which resulted in my highest visitor numbers so far, so though tiring, I’d love to have that kind of traffic everyday! I love writing the blog, so I hope I still find it interesting in the future – I want to keep getting better. I’m currently into writing posts for series, so I’d like to have those properly established with readers too. I also love the ideas of having guest bloggers – we are a community after all, and I think we need to utilise our resources more.

You can check out Yoruba Girl Dancing here. 
You can follow Bim on Twitter here.