Wrapping Up

The time has come for me and Sipho to hand over the model for community radio theatre that we have been working on this semester. Today we presented our ideas to the Knight Foundation (an initiative by the Journalism department to promote community/civic journalism) in the hope that they will be interested in following through with the ideas we have been developing. Although we have produced a series of short radio dramas over the past few months, it is the research we have done and our ideas for community based audio theatre that became the most important contributor. Although we might not have been aware of this at the time, what we produced has come secondary to the ideas we have developed.


Considering Radio Grahamstown’s community station status and the fact that our productions revolve around township community life, the Knight Foundation felt our suggestion for community radio dramas was appropriate. What is already on the cards for them (Knight Foundation) is the rejuvenation of Radio Grahamstown by hiring new production and station managers and changing the station’s content to include discussion shows that relate to the community it serves and not just music. The impression I got is that our model would be very much sustainable for the ‘new and improved’ Radio Grahamstown if the productions are run appropriately and professionally by someone who knows what they’re doing.

Naturally, this put a smile on both mine and Sipho’s face. Although our actual pilot episodes might not be aired on the community radio, our hard work in terms of developing this idea of community based audio dramas is good enough to be continued by someone else. Along the way Sipho and I have learnt various aspects of producing audio drama, learnt how to work with people from different walks of life and we’ve made new friends (corny as that may sound). Although I’m happy to tie up the loose ends of this project, I’m also sad to see our part in it come to an end.