My year as an FJP

By Wendy N Ngcobo

I remember walking shivering with anxiety as I didn’t remember doing anything that would get me to be called in to go to the office.

“You have been chosen to be on the FJP programme “these were words by my lecturer Mrs. Sobbend when she delivered the good news to me.

Her lips carried on moving but in my mind I was thinking “after months of regretting having taken long to enter this industry, could the wait been worth it “.I was smiling but my eyes were filled with tears that because she saw me smile she was unable to see .I blew my nose not because I had a problem but because I didn’t want her to see that I was actually hiding my tears from being seen.

I was excited and nervous, at the prospect of such an opportunity, that I Wendy Nolwazi Ngcobo was about to embark on this journey, I was going to Rhodes University. I was nervous and excited at the same time I didn’t know which emotion to deal with first. I was going to Rhodes University and will be meeting new other students from  around South Africa who had the same passion as me .I was excited about my journey to autumn school that I packed a week in advance.

Mobile Phones as tools for journalism  is what  our workshop was  based on and there was nothing as heartwarming when on our last day we sat and watched a movie that I had made on YouTube .I’ve continually received positive feet back  on the story I did in the community of  Joza.

I had the amazing opportunity of being involved in the Durban International Film Festival which was an amazing networking platform form for me as an up and coming journalist. This opportunity came after one of our alumni’s Sihle Mthembu motivated us to ‘remove the mentality of being students”,” you are professionals from day one “, he said.

From that point on I have been so confident in introducing myself as ‘a journalist from Highway Africa’ that the poise I have possessed and the mentality of professionalism  has seen me  surrounded by influential people in the media ,in entertainment and in government.

Wendy ,Elethu and Akhona

Words cannot describe how I feel about the programme about the amazing initiatives it continuously   provides for young and upcoming journalist as the lessons we learn at our tertiary institutions, those alone are not enough to prepare one for the task we have at hand as advocate for people.

So to the future, FJP I wish them all of the best  they should take hold of this amazing, once in a life time opportunity.

UFH...or...RSU?

UFH OR RSU?...That's the question on my mind as I walk out of the GREEN AUDITORIUM where a political debate was held at the University of Fort Hare (UFH), Alice campus on August, 18th, 2011.

A motion by PSAMA, one of the political student movements at the campus to change the University's name to "Robert Sobukwe University " created a buzz amongst the students leading to a commotion at the venue. Well, from what I could hear in the PASMA representative's reasoning, the name changing would be to seek as much attention from stakeholders and publics as all the other tertiary institutions.

Gives you something to think about though...I mean almost all the renowned politicians once stepped their feet on Forte grounds and lived in the same residences we live in today so why shouldn't we name our varsity after atleast one of them? (Just a thought/justification).

The debate was between Student Political Movements (SASCO, COPESM, PASMA, ANCYL) to discuss about the value and role of political movements of the students on education at the campus. You would think it would be thought-provoking, oh well it just left more questions than answers as the political parties were more opposing each other rather than bringing to the table what we (the students) wanted to hear. The questions stand...Are these political student movements really worth our votes? What are they contributing towards the betterment of our educational experience at the University? (Just my opinion)

And University of Forte becoming Robert Sobukwe University mhhh...Now that's one to think about. What do you think?

By: Sesethu Malgas

Cliche topics fail us: drugs and alcohol

By Busisiwe Busenga

Just recently an article was written announcing that the singing sensation and hit maker of the
song "rehab" Amy Winehouse has died. It was no secret that the deceased was addicted to drugs, the interesting thing is that most celebrities get involved with drugs and alcohol and yet they treat it as something that is as normal as taking a bath. Sadly, most teenagers are following the same path, drugs and alcohol are the order of the day for most teenagers, regardless of the health effects it has on humans.

But excatly what measures must be taken, before the perspective of the youth can change. There already has been a number of strategies such as campaigns, adverts and even in the arts, they have all tried to get the message across, that drugs and alcohol should not be tempered with. However in the end it is an individuals personal resoning that can change their attitudes, change their thinking to be more positive.

Maybe it is time that people did an introspection, soul searching and maybe just maybe they will realise how important their lives are and that it is everyone's responisbility to look after their own personal health. But for the sake of the loved one's, because everything they do affects those they love, it would be of great magnitude if they spared them the pain. In this life we only given one chance to live, so live your life in the best possible way and start by loving yourself, then love the person next to you. Topics concerning drugs and alcohol are really starting to get boring, it would be a good change to focus on the good stuff, lets channel our energies to the positive things that really matter. Love is all we need!

What does FJP mean to me?

My main pursuit since I started my university academic career was to do marketing, or even advertising, anything personality related. But having been selected to be part of the Future Journalist Programme my life has not been the same.

Since I have joined FJP my mind has been opened up to new thinking and different ways of understanding who I am. This programme has allowed me to learn about mobile journalism, has given me a platform to write and to believe in the potential within me. I have had the chance to silence the sub-editor who has and continues to live inside of me. A lot of the time I doubt and second guess my ability but within this space which the programme has given me I have gained confidence in my writing. Although I may not be the greatest writer I love the fact that I have been given the opportunity to work through that.

FJP has opened my eyes, has made me see media studies and journalism in a way that I had not seen it before. Sometimes when I think about what it is I want to do I am confident to say I an considering journalism because I have realised that like with every other career option there are many options and I sincerely believe that I will find my niche within the industry.

I thank FJP for selecting me and putting me through this once in a lifetime experience, the peers who I have had the chance to interact are all different and are individuals that have been able to add value to the person that I am. FJP has afforded me the space to socialise and make contacts that will be around for a lifetime.

Lastly being able to come to the Grahamstown National Arts festival, is something I have always wanted to attend and be apart of and being in this programme has done that for me so I thank FJP for everything they have done for me and all I can say is to the future FJPs , FJP is a wonderful group to belong to and I promise your life will never be the same after you have joined, the people you get to meet and the things you get to do and be involved in, will awesome fun yet educational and will equipt you with skills that you can use for the rest of your life.

By: Nokwazi Khumalo

FAREWELL NATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL



SIPHO HARRY ORIO



This is sadly my last day in Grahamstown and my last day at the National Arts Festival, it was fun, it was memorable, I had the best time exploring, attending shows, shopping around the market, meeting new and exciting people and not to mention important people. I learnt a lot during these eleven days, I learnt hard work, team work and dedication and pesistence. my fellow FJPs, especially Akhona Valashiya who was my mentor and my Festival guide, FJP Co-ordinator Nqobile Buthelezi and FJP trainer Nyx Mclean were all great, I got along very well with everyone and now saying goodbye is so sad. I look forward to seeing the FJPs again in September at the Highway Africa Conference and having a lot of fun again. 

                                                          By Akhona Valashiya

What FJP means to Sibulele

For me this programme, which is greatly close to my heart, is not only just a networking opportunity but it is stepping stone for me to broaden my horizon in the field of journalism and media. When I found out I was accepted into the programme, Nqobile knows exactly how I reacted. I saw this as a prospect for me to enhance my likelihood of gaining employment in this ever competent field of reporting. 

For FJP the F should fall away as the programme allows me to be a journalist now not just in future. I know that my participation in the programme will open doors for me as it has with previous participants.

Particularly the winter school, it has provided a glimpse into the busy and crazy life of a journalist. I long so much to be part of that world and the programme is the key for me to be there.

Based on the connection I had created with the participants and coordinators of the programme during autumn school, I began to see FJP as more of a family than anything else. I have shared so much with the journalists in this programme. They have touched my life and I hope I have touched theirs too in some way or by some means. As mentioned, the benefits I will reap from my involvement in the programme are extraordinarily rewarding since the programme is renowned by many media institutions and newsrooms because of the amazing training it provides which also supplement my academic curriculum.

Rhodents frequently display their disapproval for the programme labelling it as racist and discriminatory, I have defended the programme from those untransformed views and portrayed it the way it truly is to the students. Philosophically speaking, the programme gave me wings to fly to my future. That is what the Future Journalist Programme mean to me.  

By: Sibulele Magini

Youth in Africa

Considering the research done by Gerard Boyce and his organisation, they certainly missed a lot of angles in context of what youth’s behaviours and attitude really mean. Their research tends to take a more quantitative angle to the study of people’s attitude, a field that would better understood on a more qualitative stance.

This is because qualitative methodologies tend to delve deeper into the reasons why people behave the way they do, instead of grazing over them, and relying on numbers and generalisation that tend to be the main feature of quantitative research. Attitudes vary between individuals and the way people express their thoughts differs from place to place, and within different social or economic standings.

For one to understand the youth, they have to be involved in talks with people who represent them, and with what is happening in this present life. South Africa has come a long way to address the issues of inequality between people, and to a larger extent people between the different race groupings that are there. This means that to understand young people, one has to go into deeper issues than just differences in skin colour. There are even differences in attitudes within same racial groupings.

I certainly believe as much as young people need to be heard and given the platform to express themselves, even the older generation needs to be given a chance to grasp this ever-changing world. If the older generation is given a chance to migrate from the ancient world into this modern one, they would, by no chance find it complicated to let the younger generation play a part in learning and embracing new technologies. Young and older people are working together for change.

By Bhekimpilo Dungei

Rhodes University's passionate Pharmacy student

Thando Mthyole, final year Pharmacy student at Rhodes University

Pharmaceutical studies to most would sound like difficult studies to pursue but not to the passionate and determined final year pharmaceutical student Thando Mtyhole. Having grown up in the rural Eastern Cape, Pharmaceutical studies were only a dream until he got the opportunity to study at Rhodes University. “The course is challenging but manageable, it just needs dedication, determination and hard work”, he says.

Grahamstown is an academic town and full of history, it is Thando’s fourth year living and studying here and says he loves it because it is small and safe and with a lot of facilities to assist students in their studies. This outstanding determined student says he is enjoying the National Arts Festival but thinks the hype of it is fading away along the years  because some people feel excluded from it and feel like it is a high class thing for certain people.

Thando says he wants to be an inspiration to the kids in his small town of Lady Frere and wants to encourage them to pursue studies in medicine and pharmaceuticals because they offer great opportunities and anyone can do them, he says he wants to go back to his home town after graduation to work towards building his community.

By Akhona Valashiya

Is the Arts a dying industry?

The arts industry has certainly changed over the years. Arts has evolved from the days of carvings on stones and wood, paintings created from powder paints, to the more digitalised kind of art that features currently in the mordern world


1) “Yes, the arts are going down. The market is bad and there is no appreciation for our work. We come from far, Zimbabwe to South Africa and then there is no support. People create art and nobody supports. “
- Shakespeare


2) “Art is art, we sell different items. There is no one big place for artists to display their work, we are all separated. Art is about knowledge and yet there are no buyers. I will not come to Grahamstown again, it is expensive to travel so far and make no profit.”
- Fewawi




3) “No, arts is not a dying industry. I personally previously had no understanding of the arts but with all the book launches and artists that have been active in the festival, I see art alive. There is now a passion that I as a regular Festival goer have not seen in years. I feel though, that the structure of the fest should not have been changed. It’s now at Rhodes when it was previously at Church Square; the vibe of fest and the arts has since changed and not entirely positive.”
- Devon Cobus




4) “Yes it is dying; the arts are not like before. There used to be crowds of people but since the location of the fest has moved from town to Rhodes, the interest for Arts has changed.”
- Sabatha Smangwine





5) “Yes, there are fewer people interested in the arts.
No, the price of art has increased. If there was no demand, it would be cheaper.”
- St Andrews School, Grade 8



6)“Organisers are turning the arts into a flea market. We as artists are driven in different directions. God is art, art is bigger than us.”
- Andile Paswa






7)“No, art is very much alive. It cannot die, only the ideas of art die. “
-Seko Mbambeni






8) “Yes, I believe there is no formality in the industry, it’s just a haphazard thing. Connected people take initiative and exploit the less privileged who are just trying to make an honest living. Artists are struggling; local buyers feel that the market is over saturated. There are a lot of changes in Grahamstown, it is a small area for artists and there is not much activity to draw in clients.”
- Jonathan Pfumbwa


Some believe people have turned art into more than a way of sharing their skills and their creativity, but as a money-making sector, which is what is killing it.As much as art is a creative form of expression, it is still a means of financial stability and reliance. However, the price of exhibiting your work is not affordable for all artists therefore not all of them get sufficient opportunities to excell and achieve from their work. Art has to be appreciated, and people need to be given equal opprotunities to display and showcase their work, irrespective of what field or type they are in. Art is more about moulding our imaginary world into a reality, that we can share with everyone else.


By Duschanka Hitzeroth & Bhekimpilo Dungeni

Sipho's Brain-storming session

The FJP's were bouncing ideas and brain-storming after attending the Think!Fest talk on Bridging Literacy and Digital Divide by Elinor Sisulu, they were discussing digital / class divides in the South African Education system. Sipho was among them as the 21st FJP 2011 sharing his views with his peers and telling the other FJP's that the digital / class division will never be bridged if there are still children who don't have proper schools in South Africa.
by Akhona Valashiya                                            
                                                                                            

The love of a mother

Twitter

   By Wendy Ngcobo
 

The cord is a powerful instrument 

that unites these two beings for life.

The maternal bond a child has for her mother.

Its an unspoken code that is formed from conception,

She knows you more than you know yourself.

They lie serenely in the coffers of my heart,
Like thorns stitched perilously on a tree branch.
They slice open my brain like a butcher knife,
Like rain perforating into the depths of my life.
Paint striking pictures in the mainstay of my eyes,
Truly they are my memories.

Poem by Bhekimpilo Dungeni

FJP Alumni motivating 2011 FJP

By Wendy Ngcobo

Sihle Siyabonga Mthembu took some time to motivate the 2011’s FJP’s (Future Journalist Programme).

He described his experience at FJP as one that was very interesting as it became a unique networking platform and learning experience. The workshops that were offered during his FJP year took his writing to another level. Initially, Sihle disliked writing hard news but he told FJP’s to pay attention to their writing workshops. He acknowledged the fact that the writing workshops made him more comfortable in writing especially feature stories.

Currently, Sihle is at the National Arts Festival, doing reviews for BBC. He is also doing an internship at the prestigious Media 24. These are valuable contacts which he made during the Highway Africa Conference, through the exposure offered by FJP. He advised FJPs to use this opportunity as a stepping stone to bigger things. “I met MathataTsedu at Highway, who told me about the cadet school  at Media 24,” he said. Ironically, Mathata has since taken Sihle under his wing.

He credited the programme for his success and the opportunities since derived from it. Sihle encouraged the FJP’s to take full use of this opportunity not only to build networks in the industry, but also amongst themselves.”The colleagues you have now will help you should you need to interview someone in Johannesburg and you are in Durban”.

He emphasised on professionalism as he believes it is what brought him to where he is now.” Remove the mentality of being a student”, he said. “That way you don’t leave room for mistakes.”

Sihle Mthembu checking shows that he will be reviewing

 .

Sihle encouraged the FJPs to spread out and think beyond politics, stressing the industry’s dire shortage of quality journalists, particularly in the field of arts, environment and business.

In the midst of story-chasing and meeting deadlines, Sihle motivated FJPs to always be prepared, take initiatives but also enjoy themselves and have fun.”This is a great opportunity” he said. 

For now Sihle’s he’s busy working on his first documentary called The Uprising. Asked on what    lies for the future, cinema was no doubt the next invasion space!

My Father.My Hero

Vanished like dew. You never got to say goodbye. I look at the life I’ve had to live, and I see how you taught me, without even saying a word. Heroes are hard to find, and here I stand wondering if I have a hero I can look up to. Philip MfokaMdelwa Nkinika Dungeni. You are my hero

I remember the day you threw me, playfully in the air, and, like a loving father, you forgot to catch me before I hit the ground. Instead of picking me up and comforting me, you ran out of the room, one hand clamped around your forehead, and the other clasping your mouth, as if to avoid laughing. You had messed up, but you did not flinch. With that, you taught me to pick myself up and get back on my feet. I cried, endlessly, wrapped around in mum’s hands. I guess it was just a fulfilment of one of your favourite quotes. ‘…At times one has to laugh in the face of tragedy,’ you used to say. I laugh every time I think of that.

Every time, I think of the wise words you shared with all the people around you. Even though you would come home sloppy drunk sometimes, your love for people could be felt by everyone. Never mistreated us. You showed us love as a family, and were there for us, even though your stay in this world was so short-lived, unfortunately.

I look at other children who never got the chance of having a father figure in their lives. You taught me how to cook, and grill pork at the tender age of nine. I cherish the few years I got to spend with you. These memories help me to carve a bright future for my self. Like your brother, Cephas, always says, ‘The word ‘forget’ does not exist in my vocabulary.’ I guess I will never forget you for being the person who you were. I would love people to remember me as an activist, a man and a fighter. But most of all, as a human being.

By Bhekimpilo Dungeni

My insparation behind becoming a excellent feature writer

 By Wendy Ngcobo

As a young  upcoming journalist and feature writer I knew in order to be the best at what I do ,I needed to have someone I can gain knowledge  from, study their style of writing so I could be able to develop my own style of writing.

That day came in February when I first met Shelly Seid who is a journalist and feature writer for the Times .It was the beginning of a New Year and semester for me as a second year journalism student. Shelly came in  oozing power and skill which made her quite intimidating .I looked at her with panic as she pondered on us on what makes an excellent feature writer.

 I knew then that this was a woman I could learn form from. My first article to her was a profile which I ended up having to rewrite four times. Ever since then I have learned a lot form her and my writing has also improved.

Shelly emphasised that she was not a born writer but she has had to master and constantly learn .Something that was quite encouraging because as somebody that was new in the field I realised that I too could master this trade. She has inspired me to become a good feature writer, always stressing out that one should always have in mind who you’re writing for.”People don’t want to hear your opinion”, but the way you write can steer them in that direction without using the word ‘I’.

The day I write about a boring topic and make it interesting in a way that people read and say “wow that is an attention-grabbing article”. That will be a day that I know I would’ve made Shelly proud because I know I would’ve used everything that she has tried to instil in me .That is what makes Shelly Seid my inspiration.

MY HERO

EMINEM/SLIM SHADY

Marshall Bruce Mathers II born 17 October 1972 better known as Eminem or Slim Shady is a rapper, record producer, actor, lyricist and a father of two beautiful girls.

Eminem practices an art of writing, in a informal way that most people would not consider inspirational but his writing is what inspires me to be a better writer and for that he is my hero. He expresses himself and describes situations by telling stories through his music (rap), the creativity of his writing give life and colour to words, something not even academics and professional writers can do. This outstanding artist inspires me to write; every time I listen to one of his songs I know I want to be a writer. He inspires me to be the kind of writer who can write history on a napkin. I want people to remember me when I’m gone as a person who made academic thinking fun and interesting and the kind of person who got people to think and speak about issues they did not know they could think about.

by Akhona Valashiya

The African drum

By Wendy Ngcobo

By Wendy Ngcobo

Goats although sometimes overlooked because of their long ears have served their special purpose in producing the hormonal sound of a beating drum. Beneath their fluffy white fur lies the skin texture that takes days to dry out and then purified to a smooth texture is what makes this instrument astounding and thunderous.

As the goat makes their last cry so deafening, so does the sound of the drum thumping. The making of a drum is a process that can take days sometimes months   to master but   Sallou who makes a living out of it only takes a day. At the end of the day one can’t help but admire not only the beauty of this instrument but the magnificent and enormous sound that it makes.

 Other elements such as wood are then   added to this process, the choosing of a  type of wood is process on its own that has to be perfected. 

 You have to love the sound of an African drum trouncing; it has seen the likes of artists like Luck Dube blending it with the sound of raga to it. More recently Dj Oskido who   has used in his new song ‘Banane Mavoko’which is taking South Africa by storm.

The Market

People, people, people, and more people. Huge tents towering. Lost; I feel I am drowning in a desert of art, soaked to the skin with artefacts. Paintings, sculptures, jewellery, beads and the air thickly-percolated with a tasteful, mouth-watering aroma of chocolate-flavoured muffins, freshly-baked biscuits and sweets from the caravan confectionary. “Where is my kind, I wonder? Where are they in the midst of all this commotion? Do I belong here?”

I am a nomad through these oddly-coloured tents. I drag myself through this foreign world around me. My tail, wiggling, attracts so much unwanted attention. They come all over me with weird smiles pasted on their glowing, pale faces, patting my head and neck as if they have known me for years.

I would rather be in my cosy kennel than be part of this excitement. Everyone seems to be wound up about something. They walk around like the world has just turned all beautiful again. Like these paintings and artefacts whisper sweet words. Words that go straight to their inner being, flowing through their veins, until they clamour at their hearts that they may buy them and take them home.
I long to be taken home too.

By Bhekimpilo Dungeni

festival and the arts

Art fever All around the Grahamstown Festival

Word is already out and people are buzzinng with excitement and much anticipation for the Grahamstown National Arts Festival. People from all works of life have come in numbers to experience this incredible event. Regardless of the winter chills, the event has not only attracted audiences but also a lot of artists who are keen on showcasing their artwork in order to impress and put their names out there... A lot of talented individuals have been able to step it up and execute their best work. This artwok of a wired statue, of which at first glance stunned me because i thought was a real person but in actual fact is a typical example of the talent that can be found in and around the festival. This wired person is representing the jazz festival which is taking place at this year's Grahamstown Art Festival.

By Busisiwe Busenga

Artists showcasing their art at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival

Rus Judda  showcasing shoes he makes by hand

By Wendy Ngcobo

photo by Wendy Ngcobo

The Grahamstown National Arts Festival has attracted many artists to come and showcase their arts including Rus Judda who is a designer specialising in shoe making.

Rus has been coming to the flea market at the Festival since 2005 to sell his shoes. His normal day starts off early in the morning as he has to set up his stall and be ready for business.

He grew up making shoes and has used this as a way to make money and support his family. Coming from Port Elizabeth, the Festival has received him well as his merchandise sell like hot cakes amongst the locals. ”I have to pay a fee to set up my stall but its nothing compared to what I make”, he said.

He started out repairing shoes and now he designs and makes them.Rus's  shoes are made from scratch by hand with leather he purchases from PE Leather. This is a talent that he has had for many years now and it gets better as he grows older.

His only complaint is the many of the stalls that don’t sell anything that has to do with art.”They take up a lot of space and it’s supposed to be an art festival”, he said. But for now he is just happy to be at the festival.