We also used this time to discuss what worked and what did not work. Xoliswa and Sicelo said so far, they cannot think of anything that we have not done in terms of giving the project exposure and also advertising for them. Shockingly Sicelo told us that he did not know that we were leaving them to do things on their own. He thought that there was another group of students coming after us. I find this very shocking because during the course of the journey we kept reminding them that they must learn to do things themselves whilst we are around so that they won’t suffer when we are no longer there. I guess he did not understand that, he thought that we were leaving but another group is going to come after us. In retrospect I think Sicelo is the only one who did not know because if my memory serves me well; a couple of weeks ago Xoliswa asked us “when are you guys leaving?” this means she knew that we were leaving. We (students) however explained it properly to both of them and they understood.
In the meeting, we (students) also emphasized the fact that they must know that the slot that they have at Radio Grahamstown is theirs, it is for uMthathi. They can therefore do anything they want, they can discuss any topics that they want to discuss but they need to negotiate and communicate with Thenjiwe so that she will know what their plans are. We told Xoliswa and Sicelo that, the slot is theirs; they must not feel threatened by anything or anybody. I saw smiles on their faces after we told them this, it became clear to me that they were not aware of the fact that they have to take charge and be in control. This signals the value, importance and above all how necessary it was for us to have this meeting because we all got a chance to sit down and clarify things to each other. When we asked Xoliswa and Sicelo what is it that they wish the next group could do differently, they said they cannot think of anything for now but they will let us know so that the next group will follow up on that.
In terms of what still needs to be done, Alex, Chris and myself said they must try as much as they can to find people from the community who have benefited from the project. People who have been helped by uMthathi to open or enhance their small or big businesses, with that said last Friday we managed to have community members as studio guests. There were four of them, and they talked about their experiences and their feelings on the project. This was great because it was very nice to hear their different views and experiences. We (students) however suggested that next time they must minimise the number of studio guests because we noticed that due to time, they could not talk freely and they did not talk about everything. Sicelo agreed and he said he likes the idea because he also noticed that there was not enough time for each person to share his or her story.
What also came up in the meeting is the importance of communication, me, Alex and Chris suggested that since we are no longer going to be there as mediators; they must make sure that they keep communication going. This is very important. We then suggested that they must at least call Thenjiwe once a week and update her about their plans for the next show, the guests and the topic to be discussed. Xoliswa agreed and she said she will try her best. Communication is a key factor, if they master this; surely they are going to work very well together. For the next group of students, I think from the word go, they must emphasize on the importance of communication. They must be strict in terms of how they want things to go, and most importantly from the beginning they must sit back and let them drive everything so that it won’t be difficult for the uMthathi people to continue on their own.
Last Friday, we had a debriefing session where students and their community partners met to talk about different things and to also wrap up everything. I am disappointed because we (Chris, Alex and I) presented without anyone from uMthathi or Radio Grahamstown present. Xoliswa had lots of meetings to attend and Thenjiwe agreed to meet but she forgot to come. This was a bit disappointing but we presented nonetheless. We presented in front of Shireen Badat from Upstart (community project), Masixole Mdingane, Rhodes music radio station manager and our fellow classmates. They all gave us great feedback, they applaud us for the great work that we have done.
Before the presentation, whilst we were at Radio Grahamstown for our last show, Thenjiwe thanked us and she gave us an opportunity to say goodbye to the listeners. She told her listeners that we were working behind the scenes and that we are the ones who made the Masakhane feature possible. This was a very nice.
Well, I cannot believe that we have come to the end of this journey. It has been wonderful. I recall what I wrote in my very first blog about the project; where I said I am looking forward to everything that is going to happen. Indeed I have enjoyed every part of it. Even though there were days when I felt as if what we are trying to facilitate is not making any progress but I have come to understand that those were the strongest parts. Here we are now, we persevered and indeed our perseverance was worth it.
I am very happy with what we (Alex, Chris and I) have managed to do. We said we wanted to produce audio for the uMthathi project and we have managed to do that. On that note let me jump in and say, I am so happy, actually I am extremely happy that we have managed to record the PSAs with members of the community. As I have previously mentioned, on Friday we had about four community members as studio guests. They were there to talk about their personal experiences and what they have learnt from uMthathi. This is what I have always wanted for the rest of this semester so that even other members of the society will see how uMthathi can help them, and how the project can change their lives.
So after the show we asked all four of them to record the PSAs, I first explained to them what they need to say. That went well. What a good way to end the project, at least we have something that we can pride ourselves with. Me, Alex and Chris have worked hard to make things happen. As facilitators I think we have done our job because we have managed to build a relationship between uMthathi Community Project and Radio Grahamstown. Of course we did not do this alone; we managed to pull this through with the help of our partners, uMthathi and Radio Grahamstown. I must applaud Thenjiwe for a job well done; I must applaud her for giving the Masakhane a chance on her show and for allowing the show to be broadcast in the station. Special thanks go to uMthathi for working very well with us. They were very co-operative, they know what they want and they also value their work.
I must say, even though our partnership officially ends here, I will continue to go to Radio Grahamstown every Friday to listen to the show and to just keep the relationship going. Not as a journalist, not as a student but as ordinary Pumeza Zaza Mabusela. I have worked very hard, I refuse to let go.
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