Tony Stubblebine, Africa Calling: Can We Talk?
Will it take 41,000 emails for YOU to hear me out?
Dearest Tony, (Dearest? Dear?)
Hope you are doing alright in the California sun. I don’t know if you are in California or if there is sun but really it doesn’t matter. What matters Tony dear, is this — when are you opening the Medium partnership program for African writers?
Tony dear (should ‘dear’ be capitalized?), look at this mail I received from a fellow African on this platform. I don’t know her but we are united in our anger and grief over years (months?) of putting out our best works on this platform and getting zero dollars for it.
I wanted to tell my African sister that she would be criminalized by Medium in the manner she wanted to go about attaching Stripe to her account if you Tony… Sir (hope sir… ), finds out about her back door. But, I understand the desperation that drives that. I wanted to warn her too to wait on you but I remembered that Africans are thieves anyway so, if she can find the backdoor, why not? Very few outside our continent deal with the exclusion that hinges so much on the colour of our skin. Among all the other excuses.
Currently, I have 1800 followers but I applied to join the Medium program when I had only one hundred. Response? “Due to Stripe not being available blah blah blah”. Curiously Stripe is no problem monthly when Medium charges my account for using the platform. This tells me that the closure of the Medium Program which should also pay African writers, is a choice by Medium. Why this choice, Dear @Tony Stubblebine?
Tony dearest (Dearest?), yes the dollars we will make here will not be enough to get us an apartment in your building, as much as we desire to be your neighbors. It will not even be enough to live on for a week maybe. However, understand this Tony dear…dearest, it will matter to us because as my people say, ofu oja na eficha onu (the flutist cleans their mouth. Which is just a way of saying- the labourer deserves his wage — no matter the size). The cents and the dollars will matter because it will be some pay for our labour.
Mr Tony Sir (yes, this is so much better)I hear all the time from writers here about how much they made after 100 days and how much they will make in the next 100, and sometimes, I want to scream at them. Then I remember, my problem is not with their braggart asses. Even when my beloved Yana said she has joined Bill Gates among those who make money while they sleep, all I said was, “God when?” Then I remembered I should have said, Tony (Tony????!) When?
Mr Tony Sir Dear (seems too wordy but…), I do not know if my letter will ever reach you. I don’t think so. I think this will be hidden after my two faithful readers clap but I hope someone else adds their voice to this conversation. This is not up for debate — Africans on this platform deserve their flowers and, their dollars.
Finally and because all letters must end, Mr. Tony Sir Dear Dearest (all caps… must be right), I have a suggestion about the Boost program. This is a hint. I know you are excited to hear more and that will come to YOU in our next correspondence.
This could be the beginning of our very own 41,000 email correspondences.
Stay excited, Tony dearest.
Thank You Very Much For Reading.
