Sharing stories enriches lives
Day 1, Saturday 11 May
Checked in at 9:30 and had to wait for two hours for the bus to come. We left after midnight and the highlight of the trip was when one of the guys in our group had a clash with the co-host. He was angry because of the delay and a bit drunk and they exchanged words. With him being a student activist and a former SRC president at MSU we were treated to words, which later became a hit on our trip. He would say: ‘foolish fool’, ‘deodorized bullshit’ and a whole lot of other words that are now synonymous with him!
Day 2, Sunday 12 May
We arrived just before noon and had a formal meeting to facilitate introductions. Met Louis and Brian, the trainers. It was a free day so we went out shopping. Six volunteers were asked to stay at a different location from the rest of the team because the lodge was full. I volunteered with the lady sitting next to me because no one was any showing interest in doing so. We were some lucky bastards as we got to stay in a hotel – not that fancy but far much better than the lodge! In the evening we were told a call came through from the lodge saying the training was starting at 7am instead of 9am!
Day 3, Monday 13 May
First day of the training, woke up early for 7am but little did we know it was a prank! Failed to find the culprit. We were given really great phones for our work towards the end of the day after we had grasped a lot of what Mobile Community Zimbabwe (MCZ) was. So MCZ is a community of citizen journalists who report on the stories not covered widely or at all in the mainstream media.
Day 4, Tuesday 14 May
The lessons and group exercises just made me miss my school days. Did our first video assignment around the lodge. Interesting stories came up and we had a great laugh. We had a big discussion on media law and ethics. Most of the participants were wondering whether we were supposed to get accreditation like journalists. The local trainers explained to us that if we get accreditation then we lose the whole idea of citizen journalism. Also they reminded us they do not expect to get from us the hard-core news stories we read in the press everyday.
Day 5, Wednesday 15 May
Had a class assignment to work in groups of two. We went to ZAMCOM the largest school of journalism in Zambia. Made video stories there too. Did more outdoor playing around with the garden set up at the college and interacting with the students! After class, we all went out for drinks.
Day 6, Thursday 16 May
We were divided into three groups and we visited three different community radio stations. I joined the group that went to Radio Christian Voice; a Christian based community radio station.
Day 7, Friday 17 May
We went to the market where Zimbabweans sell various goods. Used Storymaker to do interviews. It was a lot like a market place in Zimbabwe because everyone around that area could speak Shona or Ndebele, though most were born in Zambia. Went for a mini bus tour around Lusaka on our way back to the lodge. We were given the afternoon off so we took a long walk to a local market place. In the evening we watched the videos we had made in the morning. Said our goodbyes.
Day 8, Saturday 18 May
On this day Intercape really insulted us! We got up early preparing for the journey, checking in time was 9:30am. When we got there we were told the bus was going to leave at 1pm. We left after 2pm but fortunately we managed to get by the border before they closed. Arrived in Harare just before midnight.