Thursday, October 22, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Crime and taverns... relatives?
The Monday after all the groups in our Journalism 3 class had their community meetings, each had to present their projects to the class. A common thread was noticeable in the presentations. The prevalence of alcohol and/or taverns in the incidence of crime in the groups’ respective areas was evident in most presentations.
In Hoogenoeg, a teenager interviewed on camera expressed concern in that most crimes take place when people get drunk and in the taverns in the area. Another interviewee from Vukani who has been raped four times told that the first time she got raped was when she went to a tavern.
In our work we tried as much as possible not to instutionalize the tavern as a crime breeding place but rather focussed on the idea of how a tavern is supposed to be a place where people come together and hold conversations, make friends and alleviate themselves of their daily problems for a short while but instead, it is tearing communities apart as people start fights, break into houses and rape neighbours as they leave taverns late at night. Hence, we decided to look at what taverns mean to the communities, the levels of safety and since our target audience are school kids, we looked at alternatives to alcohol consumption such as starting a community dance project. The television documentary focussed on the prevalence of taverns in these communities and how they became hotspots for crime in the area. One of the audio slides profiled a mother and son looking at what the mother is doing to instil discipline in her son and keep him away from the crime out on the streets.
Therefore, our group identified and followed through with this common thread finding that discipline needs to be instilled at a very young age and this is the responsibility of the parents and that kids need to acknowledge the crime levels in the in areas in order to actively keep away from it, hence our relationship with Tantyi Primary School. We hope that next year’s groups will build on our research and initiatives- especially at the school.
In Hoogenoeg, a teenager interviewed on camera expressed concern in that most crimes take place when people get drunk and in the taverns in the area. Another interviewee from Vukani who has been raped four times told that the first time she got raped was when she went to a tavern.
In our work we tried as much as possible not to instutionalize the tavern as a crime breeding place but rather focussed on the idea of how a tavern is supposed to be a place where people come together and hold conversations, make friends and alleviate themselves of their daily problems for a short while but instead, it is tearing communities apart as people start fights, break into houses and rape neighbours as they leave taverns late at night. Hence, we decided to look at what taverns mean to the communities, the levels of safety and since our target audience are school kids, we looked at alternatives to alcohol consumption such as starting a community dance project. The television documentary focussed on the prevalence of taverns in these communities and how they became hotspots for crime in the area. One of the audio slides profiled a mother and son looking at what the mother is doing to instil discipline in her son and keep him away from the crime out on the streets.
Therefore, our group identified and followed through with this common thread finding that discipline needs to be instilled at a very young age and this is the responsibility of the parents and that kids need to acknowledge the crime levels in the in areas in order to actively keep away from it, hence our relationship with Tantyi Primary School. We hope that next year’s groups will build on our research and initiatives- especially at the school.
Final visit to Tantyi Primary... sob-sob
The banner. For most of us the most exciting part of our project but for the designers, a ‘big head ache’, they nevertheless enjoyed gathering the raw material for it, see their post on visiting the school and collecting drawings from the kids depicting what they would like their community to be like.
The Monday after our big community meeting we set out to Tantyi Primary School for the last time (sob- sob) to present the school with the banner and hand out the prizes for the best writer on our competition asking grade 5 and 6 learners to write a paragraph on crime in their communities and possible solutions. The winning entries can be read in the previous post.
It is break time. We navigate towards the school library to put up the banner. A few boys enter nervously, watching us, what we are saying to each other and then their eyes follow ours as we admire their banner. They move closer and start pointing and touching- showing each other their drawings calling their friends from outside to join in the admiration of their work.
They love smiling and posing for the camera :P We love it too! You got to love your job as a journalist when you see such happy faces. For us, having our work published and having it put out there is something we take for granted because it forms the essence of our degrees but for these kids who rarely get the opportunity to page through a magazine or a newspaper, having their names and drawing placed on a huge banner in the library for everyone to see is quite a big deal and made us see the surface of community journalism.
Handing over the prizes for the best writers; the teachers and head master expressed great gratitude for our role in encouraging their pupils, we felt pleased, arrested with a sense of contentment in our work and what our careers can allow us to do.
The Monday after our big community meeting we set out to Tantyi Primary School for the last time (sob- sob) to present the school with the banner and hand out the prizes for the best writer on our competition asking grade 5 and 6 learners to write a paragraph on crime in their communities and possible solutions. The winning entries can be read in the previous post.
It is break time. We navigate towards the school library to put up the banner. A few boys enter nervously, watching us, what we are saying to each other and then their eyes follow ours as we admire their banner. They move closer and start pointing and touching- showing each other their drawings calling their friends from outside to join in the admiration of their work.
They love smiling and posing for the camera :P We love it too! You got to love your job as a journalist when you see such happy faces. For us, having our work published and having it put out there is something we take for granted because it forms the essence of our degrees but for these kids who rarely get the opportunity to page through a magazine or a newspaper, having their names and drawing placed on a huge banner in the library for everyone to see is quite a big deal and made us see the surface of community journalism.
Handing over the prizes for the best writers; the teachers and head master expressed great gratitude for our role in encouraging their pupils, we felt pleased, arrested with a sense of contentment in our work and what our careers can allow us to do.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Tantyi Primary writing competition
Today Reyhana, Babongile, Annetjie and Amy went back to Tantyi Primary to put up the design banner of the children's drawings, as well as to give the prizes to the winners of the writing competition.
The writing competition was held earlier on this term. The grade five and grade six learners were asked to write a short paragraph about crime in their community. The children in their writing suggested possible solutions for crime.
The winning boy is Stofile Nkoskhona.
He wrote:
Children in Hlalani are smoking in an early age. They like to do robbery and get drunk in taverns.
There was a house breaking two weeks ago and a 17-year-old was arrested with 24-year-old man.
Robbery has been a major problem here in Hlalani mostly in South Africa.
Only if children would go to school properly crime may be less.
The winning girl is a grade 5 learner, Anathi Tshongweni. She wrote:
Crime in my area
Rape is not a good thing.
There are a lot of criminals in the world.
In my street most people make murder.
Andile is making crime.
At South Africa there are many shoplifting. If you are of court case you are at big trouble.
Thulisa Moses wrote:
The corruption is very very big in the location in Grahamstown and the corruption was that one in young men and the young men were very wrong even when go to the other location the Phone was switch off when switch on the young men please sister give the phone. Even at home at night the gate was close if it's not close the young come to take something to buy for chicks something that one she is very expensive to go to chicks. The corruption is very very wrong really in the Grahamstown.
Another learner wrote:
There was three men. They went to the shop in o street. One bought two cigarettes. When my F. take change they put knife in my F. neck. Sprey sprey gun my f. is can't see other ones came in the shop and close this shop take money and food and ran. In came cops we don't know who called the cops. There was four boys like to sit in that shop. Cops take that boy to the police station. By 3 o 'Clock they come one of the robbers is in jail.
Sinethemba Jacobs wrote:
Crime: There are five men. They went to the town and manager running to the room and then use chocolate and airtime a manager use gun and use phone the police and then the man is run for police.
Solutions: The police patrol, no robbing manager, no robbing town, no robbing chocolate and airtime. The police patrol the town and the manager has burglar bars to the window.
We let the children tell it how it is.
The writing competition was held earlier on this term. The grade five and grade six learners were asked to write a short paragraph about crime in their community. The children in their writing suggested possible solutions for crime.
The winning boy is Stofile Nkoskhona.
He wrote:
Children in Hlalani are smoking in an early age. They like to do robbery and get drunk in taverns.
There was a house breaking two weeks ago and a 17-year-old was arrested with 24-year-old man.
Robbery has been a major problem here in Hlalani mostly in South Africa.
Only if children would go to school properly crime may be less.
The winning girl is a grade 5 learner, Anathi Tshongweni. She wrote:
Crime in my area
Rape is not a good thing.
There are a lot of criminals in the world.
In my street most people make murder.
Andile is making crime.
At South Africa there are many shoplifting. If you are of court case you are at big trouble.
Thulisa Moses wrote:
The corruption is very very big in the location in Grahamstown and the corruption was that one in young men and the young men were very wrong even when go to the other location the Phone was switch off when switch on the young men please sister give the phone. Even at home at night the gate was close if it's not close the young come to take something to buy for chicks something that one she is very expensive to go to chicks. The corruption is very very wrong really in the Grahamstown.
Another learner wrote:
There was three men. They went to the shop in o street. One bought two cigarettes. When my F. take change they put knife in my F. neck. Sprey sprey gun my f. is can't see other ones came in the shop and close this shop take money and food and ran. In came cops we don't know who called the cops. There was four boys like to sit in that shop. Cops take that boy to the police station. By 3 o 'Clock they come one of the robbers is in jail.
Sinethemba Jacobs wrote:
Crime: There are five men. They went to the town and manager running to the room and then use chocolate and airtime a manager use gun and use phone the police and then the man is run for police.
Solutions: The police patrol, no robbing manager, no robbing town, no robbing chocolate and airtime. The police patrol the town and the manager has burglar bars to the window.
We let the children tell it how it is.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Neighbourhood meeting :)
After a month of acquainting ourselves with four areas of Grahamstown previously unknown and only recently familiar to us, we are ready to have our community meeting. This meeting serves not only as a ‘showing’ of the work we have done in the community, but to group 6, the Taverna Knights, the neighbourhood meeting has three main aims. Firstly to create a place, a common setting where members of the four neighbourhoods: Tantyi, Hlalani, Xolani and Zolani can come together and speak about the crime affecting them, their family and neighbours. The community will also be encouraged to speak about the crime happening in their homes, in their neighbour’s homes and the neighbouring community. Secondly, we wish to bring to surface issues that the community hold close to heart, the issues that bother them and the areas where improvement is needed. And finally, the meeting hopes to be the place where ignorance is eradicated and people start to realise that crime is- as cliché as this may sound- a reality and happens all the time in their street, neighbourhood, town, province and country. It is a major issue that needs to be dealt with.
In the staff room of Tantyi Primary School with just over 30 chairs shared amongst 8 tables in a hot room full of dust is where the community meeting is to be held. It is only four-o-clock. Two hours before the meeting and four hours before some sleep. We are yearning for our beds. All eleven of us- one writer missing, Annatjie a very smart writer attended her hall awards evening where she won the award for best third year student- pouncing around with excitement, a few breaths short of relief and a little bit of nervousness.
Sorting out equipment, setting the tables and delegating duties for the evening set us at ease for a bit. When we looked at our watches. Fifteen minutes to six-o-clock. No one is here yet. No wait, here comes a lady- sparks of happiness, helloes and welcomes from all sides seating her down. Initiate plan B.
We decide to walk around a block knocking on doors telling people about the meeting, what it is about, how it will benefit them and that we produced media here in the in their streets. With disinterested faces hesitantly agreeing to come greeting with: “Siza kubona namanje”, we lure them with the fact that biscuits and tea will be served at the meeting. Yes! Now they look interested. So it went for a whole block of houses.
On returning to the staff room we see the lady conversing with three other women. Minutes later a young man joins and so more and more people came giving us an audience of 24 people. Nine of which were between the ages 8 – 12, five between 13 – 18, four between 19 – 26 and six people 35+. The meeting, dominated by females was graced by the presence of one young man in primary school and eight other young boys who had just entered the education system.
Lights. Camera. Projector. Mikes. Ready!
I may not have mentioned this before but we produced six stories written for publication in Groccotts Mail, three audio slides, one documentary and tons of photographs which can all be found on this blog and also on Groccotts Online. The two MC’s, Siphosethu and S’bosh firstly introduced us as Taverna Knights, explained to the room what we are doing here tonight, the aims and why this bears significance to them. We played back the audio slides, documentary and provided a summarised version of the stories written with discussion thereafter. All of this was recorded on film and will be available on this blog soon. The audience engaged well with the footage and the interactions were great. A more detailed post on the discussions that emerged from the meeting will be posted at a later stage.
The three designers in our multimedia group also produced brochures containing information on our civic journalism project, a story on the historical context of taverns and its’ significance and another story on community based alternatives to alcohol consumption. People were also handed pamphlets encouraging people to walk home safely and in a group after a night out.
After lengthy discussions on the causes of crime, shifting the blame, people sharing personal experiences of crime and looking at possible solutions to crime in their respective areas, the meeting was brought to a closure. Leaving the staff room as we have found it, we hope that we have changes the communities’ views on and attitudes towards crime.
In the staff room of Tantyi Primary School with just over 30 chairs shared amongst 8 tables in a hot room full of dust is where the community meeting is to be held. It is only four-o-clock. Two hours before the meeting and four hours before some sleep. We are yearning for our beds. All eleven of us- one writer missing, Annatjie a very smart writer attended her hall awards evening where she won the award for best third year student- pouncing around with excitement, a few breaths short of relief and a little bit of nervousness.
Sorting out equipment, setting the tables and delegating duties for the evening set us at ease for a bit. When we looked at our watches. Fifteen minutes to six-o-clock. No one is here yet. No wait, here comes a lady- sparks of happiness, helloes and welcomes from all sides seating her down. Initiate plan B.
We decide to walk around a block knocking on doors telling people about the meeting, what it is about, how it will benefit them and that we produced media here in the in their streets. With disinterested faces hesitantly agreeing to come greeting with: “Siza kubona namanje”, we lure them with the fact that biscuits and tea will be served at the meeting. Yes! Now they look interested. So it went for a whole block of houses.
On returning to the staff room we see the lady conversing with three other women. Minutes later a young man joins and so more and more people came giving us an audience of 24 people. Nine of which were between the ages 8 – 12, five between 13 – 18, four between 19 – 26 and six people 35+. The meeting, dominated by females was graced by the presence of one young man in primary school and eight other young boys who had just entered the education system.
Lights. Camera. Projector. Mikes. Ready!
I may not have mentioned this before but we produced six stories written for publication in Groccotts Mail, three audio slides, one documentary and tons of photographs which can all be found on this blog and also on Groccotts Online. The two MC’s, Siphosethu and S’bosh firstly introduced us as Taverna Knights, explained to the room what we are doing here tonight, the aims and why this bears significance to them. We played back the audio slides, documentary and provided a summarised version of the stories written with discussion thereafter. All of this was recorded on film and will be available on this blog soon. The audience engaged well with the footage and the interactions were great. A more detailed post on the discussions that emerged from the meeting will be posted at a later stage.
The three designers in our multimedia group also produced brochures containing information on our civic journalism project, a story on the historical context of taverns and its’ significance and another story on community based alternatives to alcohol consumption. People were also handed pamphlets encouraging people to walk home safely and in a group after a night out.
After lengthy discussions on the causes of crime, shifting the blame, people sharing personal experiences of crime and looking at possible solutions to crime in their respective areas, the meeting was brought to a closure. Leaving the staff room as we have found it, we hope that we have changes the communities’ views on and attitudes towards crime.
Friday, October 9, 2009
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