Haiku journalism in Africa
Iindaba Ziyafika
“The news is coming”
Guy Berger, Rhodes University
We won $592 000
(and motivated to MTN for a 5 year
Chair in Media & Mobile Comms
to co-ordinate it all)
Grahamstown: divided x 5
Grocott’s Mail newspaper
Challenge 1: change a 138-year old paper into a
learning operation, an experimental model, and a
multi-platform & all-community info hub.
Challenge 2: bring youth into public sphere
Cellphones: from 1:1, to 1:many
 High cell penetration (pay-in-advance model,
please-call-me, MXit)
 Tech to link: editor, school learners, readers.
• Learners send 160 characters long sms for
possible publication in Grocott’s Mail.
• Through a gateway to the paper’s CMS
• Selection, “translation”, publication.
Enlisting journalism students and lecturers to
work with the school learners
“Citizen”???, “Journalism”???
Citizenship –
 A distinct identity, with rights & responsibilities.
Journalism –
 A distinct kind of public-interest comms.
Three kinds of SMS citizen journalism:
- Comment/opinion
-Mini-news story
-and Haiku poetry (with a twist).
3 schools, 45 CJs (some sharing)
Editor giving learners tips on
how to get their smses publish
Opinion: councillor crashing a car
Councillor Simakuhle must "face the music"!
This is the last think we expect from a
Respected Councillor! So plz try not 2b on the
papers next time M20 (<- our id. Code).
Drinkin&driving wat kind of leader is he tryin 2
make. He is an embarrasment 2 the the
council&Gtwn community.Xolani shuld b
deciplined, quickly. M18
Contesting community radio revival
• I think the board should put donation boxes
up d new opening of radio gtown. M06 073
083 4556
• From my view I feel that the ppl that’s
suppose 2 run da station shouldnt ask
anything from da community coz its their
fault. They should ask donation from the
leaders of grahamstown. We rather give
donations to the poor. M09 - 078 316 0809
Rhodes schools’ officer Sipho
January assisting a learner from
Nombulelo secondary school
Mini-news - local issues
In Joza, Maseti str. There was a sewage burts,
the owner of the house was nt home,wen she
came bck there were people 4rom the
Municipality trying 2 cleane!
• On ragland,the community of fingo village
suffer through an unbearable&uncotrolloble
sewageLast week,on 25 August 2008.It waz
damaged becouse of the blockage.By
literation & pollution.(M01) +27734437335
Mini-news - local issues
• Friday afternoon pupils were caught
doing sexual activities in public
ethembeni ext7.they were kissing,each
others private parts also taking their
clothes off they were beaten by the
community but didnt the corps MO7
Mini-news - local issues
• A 15 yr old boy broke-into a house on Thesday
afternoon,in tantyi location. He sneaked
though the bedroom window.And stole a cd
case n food, he was only found out becoz he
left a toy gun on da table, the home owner got
the lead frm other boys in the area wen he
found the boy in the street playing he beat
him, so badly neighbours had 2 stop him as 4
his cd's they were at the boy's home. M18
Mary Waters school learner, Pamela
Matinisi sending her sms
Haiku poetry smses from the learners
• On my way home. knives,"give me your
phone" took ran away. N07
• “give me a rand” lunch in my bag; they
ate it. M06
• MY CLASSMATE busy as a bee braids on
thursday; plaited on friday how's that
possible?(m03)
• Filthy is da water.dirty polluted ground.at
a near river M09
But: citizens …or consumers?
To be a good
media producer,
you need to be a
media consumer
– and be a
media-literate
consumer!
Challenge: bring
the news to
aware CJs!
2009: bi-directional
• Building software – to deliver niched
content … as well as receiving content…
(Including youth citizen-journalism …
i.e. from youth to youth…)
• AND: GPRS options for cheaper comms,
and conversation around the journalism.
• AND: And images, audio plus video….
Graduation as Citizen Journalists
http://nml.ru.ac.za/blog/guy-berger