Charity Ekezie is a Nigerian TikToker and journalist.[1][2]
Charity Chiamaka Ekezie | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Alma mater | Nnamdi Azikiwe University |
TikTok information | |
| Page | |
| Followers | 3.1M |
| Likes | 73.4M |
Last updated: November 29, 2023 | |
Early life and education edit
Ekezie grew up in Douala, Cameroon, where she spent her childhood and completed her primary education.[1][3] She moved to Nigeria in 2001, at the age of 10.[4]
She earned a degree in mass communication from Nnamdi Azikiwe University.[1]
Career edit
Ekezie worked at a radio station for three and a half years.[5] She also had a few online businesses, which have been inactive since 2020.[6]
She joined TikTok in 2020 due to boredom caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] Her first video to go viral involved her wearing traditional outfits from several African countries. When she began receiving ignorant comments on the video, she decided to respond to them sarcastically.[6][7] Since then, Ekezie's content has largely focused on sarcastically correcting misconceptions of Africa. One video has Ekezie telling viewers that Africans drink saliva due to lack of water, while holding a bottle of water;[1][4][7] another video has her telling viewers that Africa is one country whose capital is Wakanda.[8] Ekezie has also criticized TikTok for not expanding their Creator Fund program to African users, meaning African TikTokers cannot make money from their videos.[7]
As of January 2023, 60% of Ekezie's followers were located in the United States.[1] In July 2022 Ekezie had 1.2 million followers; by February 2023 this had increased to over 2 million.[3][9]
Ekezie has said that she wants to return to journalism as a career in the future.[6]
Awards and recognition edit
In December 2022, NPR counted Ekezie as one of their top global TikTok accounts.[2]
In January 2023, Ekezie was declared runner-up for TikTok's Top Creator 2022 Sub-Saharan Africa award.[10]
Personal life edit
Ekezie is fluent in both English and French. She has two younger brothers.[1] She has suffered from bullying throughout her life, and has developed anxiety as a result.[6]
As of 2022, she lives in Abuja, Nigeria.[4]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g Thomas-Odia, Ijeoma (2023-01-28). "Charity Ekezie: I never experienced racism until I joined Tiktok". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
- ^ a b Barnhart, Max; Mitre, Estefania (19 December 2022). "Popular global TikToks of 2022: Bad Bunny leads the fluffle!". NPR. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
- ^ a b Onibada, Ade (15 July 2022). "African Influencers Hope Khaby Lame's Rise Will Mean That Global Success Is Attainable For More Of Them". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
- ^ a b c Cheong, Charissa. "As a TikToker living in Nigeria, I was constantly exposed to ignorant comments. Now I use humor to show my followers how wrong they are about life in Africa". Insider. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
- ^ Erro, Carlos Bajo (2022-04-16). "Charity Ekezie: humor y Tik Tok contra los estereotipos sobre África". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-04-11.
- ^ a b c d Harun (2022-03-30). "Meet Nigerian TikTok Star Charity Ekezie". Career Fodder. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
- ^ a b c "The Cultural Frontline - How is TikTok changing culture? - BBC Sounds". www.bbc.co.uk. 10 September 2022. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
- ^ Williams, Chad (28 April 2022). "WATCH: Nigerian TikTok star uses humour to debunk stereotypes about Africa and trust us, you have to see this". IOL. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
- ^ Odesomi, Omowumi (2023-02-21). "Biggest Social Media Influencers In Africa". African Leadership Magazine. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
- ^ "TikTok Unveils The First Creators To Win #TopCreator2022 Awards in Sub-Saharan Africa". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 2023-01-15. Retrieved 2023-04-11.