Sphamandla dlakwe is an 18 year old male, born and raised in Alexandria in the Eastern Cape South Africa. With two siblings and self employed single mother who managed to raise three children on her own with obstacles on her path but pushed in order for her children to have a brighter future. I started school in Bhongweni primary school one of the most disadvantaged schools in the Eastern Cape and went to proceed with my higher grades in Ukhanyo secondary school in Alexandria in which I matriculated.
Although I always wanted to further my studies Rhodes University was never a first choice for me acknowledging its recognised standard of education. I have dreams and ambitions and I have realised that I’m the only person that can make them come true meaning that there are some things that I’m kind of forced to do which is one of life’s challenges and I have to make sure that those challenges are worked hard upon, and not allowed to have a negative impact in my future.
Life is a challenge, a race that has the best of the bests but I believe that everyone has a best in them. An element of excellence but that only needs hard work and determination to show and do you good. In my view I believe that education is the key to success but that doesn’t mean that without education people are nothing although it is a stepping stone to a brighter future. Nothing comes easy in life everything has to be worked hard for; life is clearly and seriously not an easy flow. People should always try to analyse things not to always be part of a system that holds they thoughts and attempts to make a positive change in their lives and the world around them. And that is and has been always what I wanted, to leave a finger or a foot print in this world make a positive influence in other people’s lives, be a legend.
I believe that people deserve to know the truth about life not that anyone knows how tomorrow or the next hours are going to be but we can always act for a better future for all. Journalism I believe is there for the informing and truth bringing role in our world, bringing real news to the people, inform them about the world, be responsible and keen to make a better world for all. Be fearless and that’s not journalism, journalism exists because of journalists those are the people who has to be fearless always brings out the truth that people needs to know, be informative.
I am a fearless and I believe that people should be informed about the things that affect them and the people around them, their world. I’m positive about life and believe that people should try to stay positive and be willing to work hard towards their dreams.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Fur Coat, No Knickers
On the eleventh of August 2009, Yolande Botha, received a phone call. “We're all waiting for you, you promised that you would come,” the husky, masculine voice on the other side of the line said. Yolande, having been ill all day and having almost missed her history assignment deadline due to a severe bout of procrastination, did not not feel like going to Doug's birthday party at all. She would have preferred to stay in bed with her Elle magazine and her usual sugarless, milk-free green tea, but Doug knew her too well and as soon as he mentioned the word “promised” her people-pleasing tendency kicked in and she said that she would be there in no more than half an hour.
After putting the phone down, she looked at herself in the mirror. Her long blond hair fell in soft waves around her face, usually she would have spent at an hour washing it, drying it and ultimately frying it flat with a straightener until she looked like a European Cleopatra , but neither her time or energy levels allowed for this that night. As she stood naked in front of her wardrobe, Yolande actually considered wearing her grandmother's vintage chinchilla coat. She had never worn it before in Grahamstown. Firstly because she was afraid that animal rights activists would chase her down High Street aiming mud pies at her back and also because it was such an elaborately glamorous piece that she knew that wearing it would raise a few eyebrows in this town where gypsy skirts are the uniform.
On a whim Yolande wrapped the fur coat around naked body and added a pair of 6 inch black stilettos and cherry red lipstick and walked out the door to Doug's. As she was walking down the street, Yolande felt both vulnerable and empowered. That outfit embodied who she is most vividly and concisely – sophisticated, self-indulgent, fierce, fabulous and slightly controversial but none-the-less a show stopper. It reminded her of why she had come to Grahamstown in the first place which was to pursue her goal of using journalism as a tool to let out her creative steam. She never wanted to be an idealistic, world-changing reporter; she simply wanted to meet her own seemingly selfish ends and to serve other women like herself.
The “fur coat epiphany” has created aYolande who now blogs what she likes, reads what she likes, says what she likes and feels what she likes. And what she likes is fearless glamour. It is this fearless glamour that has empowered her to say things like, “I blog for myself, I read for myself and I produce journalism for myself – it's all about me, not you.”
Picture of a J3tsetting Blogstar...
A picture speaks a thousand words and is a feast for the eyes. Allow me to paint a picture of my world. Take a peek through my lens...
I am a first year Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University. Living in the fast-paced cybernated world, one has to stay on one's toes technological and that counts for journalist (and journalist students) too. Life happens and when it happens it happens real fast. But pictures capture life's moments and allow you to relive those moments and then still find new memories in those moments. I love taking photographs and telling stories. If you have a second allow me to show the world through my eyes and my lens.
As a group we hope to tackle on what it is like to be a media studies student in this digital age. We read to broaden our horizons, then we hope to stimulate discussion and broaden our horizons and that of our followers together through discussion.
Being a journalist in this new digital age we are faced with problems and issues. How do we keep reading alive when the world we live in is so digimated? How do you get people to buy your newspaper with the plethora of information that is at their fingertips at the ready in real time? How do we get people to stick around long enough to read our blog? This and much more is what I, with the help of with my group hope to address.
The world of Journalism is changing. Not only is it changing fast but it is fast becoming faster and faster in itself. This fast pace is due to the inception of the interweb version 2.0. Thanx to twitter, blogs, and the plethora of online community social networking panels, journalist have a way harder job to do now. Anyone can be a journalist in this day and age.
So what is a journ student to do?
We take back our craft.
Let us show you how we do this – Rhodent style.
J3tsetter out.
Let it out... let it ALL out
Deadlines. Deadlines. DEADlines. That is my life right now. Any lovely delusions I might have had of journalism were crushed a long time ago. Now there’s only constant stress, the non-existence of sleep and, of course, the pressure to keep up with the pace in this ever-changing mediated world.
Yet, if someone offered me the chance to be anything else, I’d still want to be a journalist. Why? Because as clichéd as it sounds, we have the power.
We have the power to improve lives or to destroy them. Citizens respond to us: they read our words, they listen to our bulletins and they watch our broadcasts. We’ve got influence. A lot of it. But what have we done with it? The objective of today’s media industries is to make money. The idea of profit has blinded the original purpose of journalism: to convey the truth to the public and to give a voice to those who can’t speak out.
Now all we get is shoddy reporting, misquoting, the inaccuracy of facts and a few cases of plagiarism here and there. The most disturbing thing of all is that sensationalism has become the new body suit for writing. Ludicrous headlines, gross exaggerations and the exploitation of exclamation marks: these are what sell newspapers today. And people just lap it up. Well, why shouldn’t they? After all, journalists are supposed to be looking out for the public’s best interests. Yeah, right.
If you’re like me, and are bothered by the way things are run in the media industry, then why not type about it? We need the opportunity to unload our burdens, to comment and to complain, without feeling restricted by chains. This is where our hero Journopad comes in.
It is a friend to any journalist and reader around the globe- it enables us speak out... on a blog. Want somewhere to publically let out your frustration? This is the place to do it. No beating around the bush, here you can be brutally honest on how you really feel about the world of journalism. On Journopad you’ll find it all: the humour, the outrage and the controversy. So let it out... let it all out.
As journalists we need to realize our role in society. We have the authority to inform, to engage, and to empower. Let’s use that authority to do at least a little bit of good in this crazy world.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
let's be frank...
By Lunga Khuzwayo
Being young and female in this day and age allows me to feel free to voice what ever I want. However, voicing opinions comes with great responsibility. I pride myself in providing honest and constructive criticism on the political and social issues that concern the youth…oh yeah and praise only when it is deserved. Charity begins at home; before reaching out beyond South African borders, I feel our focus should be on South African affairs. The youth of today tend to be politically disabled, there needs to be an encouragement for us to be politically active as the future is us. You like Zapiro? I like Zapiro. Already we have something in common, bringing light-heartedness to political affairs. Aiming for the blunt truth- there will be no compromise. All affairs swept under the carpet will be dusted out. Sugar-coated talk will not exist within these four corners of this blog…Let’s be frank, why? Because we can.
Journopad is about upcoming journalists. In the media industry, politics is always good for business, reporting on current issues and ensuring the nation is well informed. This can also be a drag, being a journalist is not easy work, which is something we have discovered as Journalism 1 students. This blog allows us to vent our frustrations on a cyber page, such as impossible deadlines, late nights, group work (*sigh*), endless typing and a constant battle to get into Journalism 2. Indeed, journalism has kept us on our toes. But, we also need to recognise the important of our existence. We report the truth and Journopad is a platform where we say what the problem is and offer solutions. We influence a close-knit relationship between those who want to be journalists and the duties that come with it. As journalist we hold a great accountability as to what we send out to the public, and here at Journopad we vow to deliver what others are afraid to say. There are no boundaries.
