The Amazing Voices of youth making their own films

Pupils from the Joza-based Upstart Youth Development Project laughed, cheered, and gasped their way through 21 short films they had made as they watched them in the Barratt Lecture Theatre on the Rhodes University campus last Friday.

They were joined for the two-hour screening by their mentors and collaborators - the third-year journalism class from Rhodes University - as well as appreciative members of the public. The project - Amazing Voices - was aimed at highlight- ing the broader social issues that affect South African youth.

The model for making the videos was participatory and the pupils both filmed and edited short films on topics they found interesting. Over three weeks, the students managed to create films ranging from stories about the love of music and sport to deeper issues regarding schools and the community.

Other films focused on lighter issues such as a young boy’s dream to be a rapper or a young girl’s dream to be a gospel singer.

Aphiwe Gotyana is a teen- ager who goes to Archie Mbolekwa high school. She loves her school and enjoys education but the toilets in her school are in a bad state. She produced a video in which she emphasises the problem with the hope that something will be done to fix it.

Chwayita Ncula is a young girl who is in love with soccer. She enjoys playing it and hopes one day she might do so professionally. She produced a film that focuses on the sport and why there is no soccer team at her school for Grade 9 pupils. Watch the films here:

bit.ly/GrovVoices