Swazi Observer

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BANTU NOTS FOR ESWATINI

By Nokwanda Sibandze | 2020-07-25

Real name Nothando Ngcamphalala, Bantu Nots is taking over the internet. This young YouTuber is pulling out all the stops and making a name for herself in the industry.

She believes she was born to be a content creator.

“I am an unboxed you tuber, I like to refer to myself as an all round content creator.”

She says her channel is a space where she has fun, expresses herself and tries to give her audience good energy and quality content.

“It started off with my sister and I playing around, testing the field if I put it in better words and it snowballed into something real, (I caught the vlogging bug). I watched a couple of YouTube channels and I convinced myself that I could also do it just as well as the ones I had seen, if not better.”

Eswatini has in the past couple of months seen an influx of YouTube channels and podcasts. This has helped many locals become not only creative but entertained as well.

Bantu Nots is just one of the many Emaswati who keep us entertained during these times.

Since her first episode, Bantu has over 600 subscribers and has worked with many brands in the country.

“My most memorable moment has to be getting recognition from a brand as big as KFC for content I had put out. I pray for more moments that I won’t easily forget,” she says.

With a broad array of topics to choose from, Bantu does not have a specific topic for her channel as she tackles a number of issues be it fun or serious.

“Well, my channel features lifestyle, storytimes, vlogs, travel content which of course some have been put on hold because of the coronavirus and most recently I started a mini love series which I’m excited about. It’s called ‘I knew you were the one’ where I feature married couples who share a bit of their lives with us and ending with of course answering how they knew their partner was the one. It’s open to all couples who would be interested in taking part,” she says.

She adds, however, she has encountered a few problems with the channel. She says some of these are beyond her control which makes it harder to succeed in the game.

But she says she works hard to keep people entertained during lockdown as she feels it was what people needed.

“Connect to the WiFi or buy data to watch and subscribe to my channel. On a serious note, we need to find innovative ways to grow ourselves, being on lockdown can easily discourage or break ones spirit so this growth can be mental, the lockdown is the time to explore the other options you had put on hold because you were so busy. Building the foundation now will help you once we’re able to move freely again,” she says.

This for Bantu is a lifetime goal, she has many goals she wants to achieve with her channel including collaborations with her YouTubers.

“Firstly I would love more collaborations be it with other youtubers or brands/ companies. I don’t plan on quitting YouTube anytime soon so there’s so much room for exploring all the possibilities. I want my channel to be an open platform for people to not only relate but come together to share our differences, similarities and lift each other up so we grow,” she says.

She says she is excited to see the number YouTubers in the country.

“I definitely have noticed the increase in youtube channels specifically and I think that people are starting them for various reasons and it shows in the quality of the content and consistency, who is doing it because they love it and who may be doing it because everyone else is doing it. Youtube is a big enough platform for all of us and some content may not be for everyone but there’s always an audience for every creator,” she says.

With that Bantu also hopes that the rise of these channels will not just be the end of things but she hopes that they make a living out of it.

“This is not only for my channel but for YouTube in Eswatini as a whole, I hope that we make YouTube our thing, we grow the space and our country is recognised for quality content,I hope we have opportunities to meet with other YouTubers across borders and overseas as we have seen others do it. For my channel, I hope for so much growth and that is in the kind of content I create growth in my audience (viewers, subscribers). In the next five years I hope to be working with brands, I do hope to count YouTube has one of my main income streams.”

For Bantu, this was not just for the fun of it but she finds pleasure and joy in content creation. “I find so much joy in creating content, the creative control has to be the best part. I have the ability to make people feel different ways with whatever I put out. I enjoy seeing people enjoying my content. I love coming up with different ideas and trying out new things. I test myself every day, I also learn something new every day.”

She says she realises that it was a lot of work to keep a channel running but because she is passionate about it she is willing to put in the hard work.

“YouTube is a lot of work, the downside of it is the pressure to always deliver a video better than the last one. I’ll speak for myself and say I put in a lot of effort towards my content and not feeling the support is one of the downsides but it never stops me.”

Opportunities

“It has opened up doors and opportunities for me that I wouldn’t have imagined myself in. My channel has boosted my confidence so much, it has allowed me to explore all my capabilities which have now poured over to outside of YouTube. I recently had my first public speaking gig where I spoke on brand development and social media which is my latest video. This week I had my first guest presenting gig on Tik Tok Eswatini and I wouldn’t have done these things before had I not started on YouTube. I’m exploring my creative side and I’m thoroughly enjoying it. I’m looking forward to more to come. I welcome all future business deals, I’m available.”

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