TAKE 5: Leila Namisango

Leila Namisango is a writer with KenyanVibe and BarsKenya. PHOTO | COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • I am a freelance writer specialising in lifestyle and popular culture in Kenya.
  • I don’t just write about the places or events which I cover, I experience them for myself before I share them with my audience.

1. How would you describe yourself professionally and what got you into the magazine and lifestyle business?

As a freelance writer specialising in lifestyle and popular culture in Kenya, I am part journalist, part curator, influencer and trendsetter. I don’t just write about the places or events which I cover, I experience them for myself before I share them with my audience.

Having studied something completely different in university, a course that I felt very disconnected to quite early in the profession, when I was introduced to a local magazine that was starting out and needed a social media manager, I jumped at the chance. The digital space was not even close to what it is now. We were a small team and since they needed writers too, I started to do some writing.

 

2. What do you think the magazine industry needs to lift itself up from the bane of being incapable of continuance?

If I could answer that question, I would be very rich. I am one of those people who still loves print magazines — I believe that there are many people who still do. Magazines can start by being more relatable to their audience in terms of cost, content and even advertising. You also cannot survive on print alone.

It’s interesting that when I worked in print, most writers wanted their work featured in the print magazine, not its website. I found this fascinating. This may sound cliché, but most magazines fail because they are not that passionate about their content. If you are looking to make some easy and fast money, you will not succeed.

 

3. You must have met some pretty interesting people as a writer and editor. Who are some of your favourite personalities?

This year, some of the coolest people I have met have been brand ambassadors for various international alcohol brands I have interviewed for BarsKenya.com. They have cool jobs doing something that they love and get to travel all over the world because of it. I also love meeting other writers and creatives in the industry and just observing how quickly that space is evolving.

 

4. In terms of lifestyle, why is it that branding and lifestyle aren't as big as it they should be, locally?

From my assessment, I’d say Kenyans are a tough crowd to please. I could be generalising but it’s true. If someone is true to themselves and persistently keeps doing what they have set out to, they are on the right track.

 

5. What do you like to read?

My Twitter timeline (@leylurr).