We were lucky to catch up with Aziza Salukombo recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Aziza thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
I knew I wanted to do this after many successful performances with my team The Royal Descendants, winning competitions and just seeing how much people loved what i created. I knew that this was something I could do and possibly create another source of income from. I thought to myself…My energy is contagious, why not monetize it.
Aziza , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Aziza AKA a Dancing Queen of Africa. I started dancing before I could walk. It became a profession for me after I came to America. I had a team with my siblings, where we would imitate everything a group called Makoma from Congo did, after going to college I decide to start another team called The Royal Descendants. The Royal Descendants performed at various universities, in the Midwest and had the pleasure of working with various African artists.
I went Solo after graduation and started teaching work shops, performing with artists, choreographing and eventually expanded into hosting and MCing, with this I have performed and hosted for various African Nights at different universities like, Miami of Ohio, Denison, Wright State, Cleveland State, The university of Akron and more. I’ve done baby showers, weddings and many concerts.
I always say my energy is what sets me apart. I’m not just an entertainer, I’m a whole vibe, and that energy is contagious, If i am in the room you’re guaranteed a smile. I’m proud of how far I’ve taken this because I do it all at my own pace.
I’ve recently expanded The Royal Descendants into a High School team and i’m hoping to keep that growing, so look out for us and keep supporting.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I think the one thing Creatives and non creatives alike struggle to understand is that, social media is not everything for creatives. I have a lot of creative friends who have lots of followers on the various socials, and they hate that I don’t put my energy into them, but one thing I’ve learned is that in person presence matters more than Social Media presence. I know people who have a great social media presence but in person they are horrible and I just think people need to remember that for most of these people social media is really all they have to offer.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
Society needs to respect artists as a whole. I think the term Starving artists goes to peoples heads, so they assume as artists(any craft) we don’t need or deserve to be properly compensated and that narrative needs to change. Most of us take the time to perfect our crafts when you hire us. For example as a host/ MC I’m taking the time to learn your theme, so I can relate with it and your crowd, I’m getting hair, make up, nails and outfit changes just to create different moods for your event, believe it or not it all matters and it comes together perfectly by the end of the night, but it’s not cheap. So just be kinder to your artists!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @adancingqueenofafrica_
- Facebook: Aziza Ali
Image Credits
@christianamuliphotography