Meet a former journalist, an artist and writer, Ngozi Chukura

Business Trends: Who is Ngozi Chukura?

Ngozi is a communicator at heart; one who believes in the power of communication to transform individual lives, enrich and strengthen relationships and transform communities.

Business Trends: What is your area of study?  I studied Fine Art with a major in print media.

Business Trends: Why did you choose a career in that area? I love stories and the power that they have to inspire, confront and heal. My degree stream was a combination of visual and written language- each key elements in communications.

Business Trends: How long have you been in the industry (mention previous employers) and what organisation are you working for currently? I am currently at The Dialogue Group (TDG), where I have worked for two years. I have worked for several media houses including The Patriot on Sunday and The Botswana Gazette- and I was the editor of Lapologa Magazine, as well. I also got the opportunity to be the consulting editor for Boidus Focus for a short while- which was interesting and exciting for me.

Business Trends: What qualifications are needed for someone to become a PR Practitioner? One would need to have studied a public relations or media related discipline, but PR practitioners have soft skills that can’t necessarily be taught; curiosity, the ability to multi-task and be well organised, tenacity and perseverance as well as having a thick skin.

Business Trends: Which university did you attend? I attended the University of Cape Town.

Business Trends: What is your highest qualification?  Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts (with Honours). Business Trends: Describe your normal day at work? Luckily for me, my days at work are never ‘normal’. On any given day I could be doing something standard like sending emails and inviting journalists to press conferences. On others, I get to do something more exciting, like meeting filmmakers and interviewing people who are making a difference to our country.

Business Trends: What are some of the highs and lows of working in your field in the local market? The highs are definitely the people I get to interact with; my clients, journalists and my colleagues. At TDG we do really exciting, interesting work. It’s also not glamourous- a lot of hard work, awkward hours and attention to detail are involved. We are finding that our clients sometimes ask us to do more with less- which is challenging but it’s also an opportunity for us to be innovative and creative.

Business Trends: What kind of advice can you give to aspiring PR Practitioners?  I would say remain curious, read as much and as widely as you can, write as often as you can, and maintain a positive outlook. Take yourself seriously, remain open-minded and professional and find a way to inject your passion into what you do.

Business Trends: Does being in the PR field pay? Lol. One can get by.

Business Trends: What else do you do outside your PR career? I’m an artist and writer (poetry, short stories, opinion pieces)- I also edit books.

Business Trends: What inspires you? Everything. Life is vast; it comprises personal experiences, interactions with other people, other points of view and little things that happen every day. I try to stay aware and mindful of my surroundings and interactions- you never know where you will find an interesting story 

Business Trends: What is your dream?  My dream is to live by the sea, writing for a living. I would love to write a book one day.