Taking control of the medium

A core component of the Ulwazi Programme, which uses volunteer field-workers to collect indigenous knowledge and local history from their own communities, is the transference of digital skills.  Many field-workers arrive at the Programme offices with limited ICT skills – some never having worked on a computer before – and we conduct a series of workshops with them, teaching them basic computer usage, working with content online and the use of digital  recording equipment (audio, image and video).

This process can sometimes be frustrating but the field-workers who stick it out acquire a valuable new set of skills.  So, on a recent research trip to Umbumbulu, it was very rewarding to see Bongiwe and Zanele (the two field-workers from the area) take control of the shoot, from correctly framing the shot to operating the video and audio recorders.  Working with the Programme team, they’ll then edit the video, transcribe and translate the interview and create a page on the Ulwazi Community Memory for it.

All in all, a job well done!

Bongiwe framing the shot

Zanele and Bongiwe conducting the oral history interview