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.