RUTV 3

A 4 minute doccie on Akhtar Abbas, a Pakistani spaza shop owner in Extension 6, Grahamstown.

The Doccie with Xhosa subtitles:

The doccie without Xhosa subtitles

Fingo Revolutionary Movemement and the Save our Schools Campaign

The Fingo Revolutionary Movement and the Save our Schools and Community Campaign are two youth dedicated non-governmental organisations that operate in many schools around Grahamstown location.  They are aimed at encouraging the youth to be positive about education. As the TV team of group 7, we decided that it was most appropriate for us to profile these programmes because our group had chosen the theme; Youth Crime and Violence, focusing specifically on school. We wanted to focus on the solution to crime, rather than focusing on the problem we decided that we should rather find programmes that the youth can get involved in to avoid crime.

We have completed a mini documentary on the “Fingo Revolutionary Movement” and “Save our Schools and Community Campaign”. The documentary explains what the two programmes do in Grahamstown; to link it to our area and theme of focusing. The same group also had a problem with the duo’s use of “tsotsi taal” which they felt promoted gangstarism. In defence of their role models participants of the programmes explained that being a role model does not mean that you are perfect and as a person.

As a follow up to this we have decided to do a follow up mini doccie, profiling a person involved in the programmes. We would also like to address stereotypes people have about Rastafarianism. We decided to do this part because we feel that after the response we received from the first doccie we feel that as part community journalism it is our responsibility to try and break these stereotype that people may have about Rastafarianism.

We feel that through this documentary we have been able to meet the requirements of community journalism because the subjects we have been working with our subjects since we began filming. We have also been able to take the product back to the community and through the second documentary are hoping to respond to their responses.

 A four minute documentary on Mother Zelma and the Sistersof St. Peter’s Rectory in Grahamstown and how their lives and desire to help the needy has been adversely affected by crime

By Andisa Ndlovu and Shanel Pillay

West Hill, a peaceful suburb in Grahamstown… although many say the crime in this area is minimal the residents here still feel the need to protect themselves from crime.  Jessica Weaver, an exchange student from America, shares her views on the differences in security.

These are two women of vastly different ages who give an insight into their thoughts on crime and how it affects their community. This respose came after virewing a document, titled “Taverns at Tantyi” which showed how they are a hot spot for crime in the area. The community came with many ideas about how crime could be solved in the community, with the young and the old getting involved. What was important was then feeling as though their opinions did matter, and that what they had to say was valuable. In that regard, civic journalism is important because it is journalism ultimatley made by the public., They are the news, they matter. With a sensitive issue like crime, a sensitive approach is needed. It is difficult because you are essentially opening up old wounds for people and asking them to revivist painful memories. But what was interesting to note was that the kind of neighbourhood meeting we had, allowed for a safe space where people did not need to feel intimidated or afraid to share their stories and opinions.
-A story by Grethe and Sbosh-

As part of our Critical Media Production course of 2009 we decided to, in our work, take on our Group’s name, Masisebenzisane (Let’s work together) in a literal manner. This translated into a collaborative approach to making a TV doccie in which the ‘subject’ become more than a ‘subject’ – rather a stakeholder in his own story. This was our interpretation of citizen journalism in the sense that we wanted Mzwakhe to be able to tell his story unmediated by us as journalists. In this way, he was able to shape his own story while drawing on our journalistic experience.

We didn’t want to simply sweep in as journalists hungry for a story. Instead, we spent a lot of time with him at the Egazini Centre, in his home and his community. We met his parents, his nephews and his friends. We asked him to take on the role of reporter – as you can see in the intro of the final doccie. At the showing of the doccie at the community meeting, at which Mzwakhe was present, he was proud of the piece and felt it truthfuly reflected his story. Other community members commented that it was a good representation of the youth in the Joza community and the role that Egazini plays in keeping the youth off the streets and away from crime.

Watch this short clip of Mzwakhe and his nephews helping us carry our equipment. This is a rite of passage to all journalists.

Watch this clip to see Mzwakhe and Jess, our reporter, taking some time out to get to know each other.

Listen to this sound clip to hear Jess and Mzwakhe discussing how Mzwakhe would like to word his standupper for the beginning of the doccie.

mzwakhe-intro