Iindaba Ziyafika, “the news is coming”, is the theme of the latest outreach project led by the Rhodes University Journalism and Media Studies School. Local high school learners from disadvantaged sectors of the Grahamstown community are getting the opportunity to put cellphones to use in interactive journalism.
These scholars are using their cellphones to contribute to Grocott’s Mail. Sipho January, who co-ordinates the outreach element of the project said: “The project is three-fold. They will provide opinion pieces on Grocott’s stories, news stories and haiku poetry.”
This is a four year project that has been made possible due to a grant of R4-million from the United States-based Knight Foundation. It will be co-ordinated overall by a new Chair of Media and Mobile Communications sponsored by MTN.
The outreach project commenced on 2 August with workshops for the Rhodes students who volunteered in the project. This was followed with a series of workshops with the school learners that started on 9 August. January said: “This is just the foundation, we are going multi-media next year. We will be using pictures, video and audio.”
When asked what he hopes Iindaba Ziyafika will achieve, January said: “Citizen journalism by using cellphones and a chance for learners to tell their stories.”