Friday, October 30, 2009
Truth Undresses Journalism
A journalism based blog claiming not to be. It’s not a revolution or a rebirth of the journalism but first year journalism students at Rhodes University allow the reader to interpret what the text says and decide what their blog communicates. From the blog title ‘I know what you wrote last semester’ Jennifer, Klub Troskie, The Gnome and Jonny, they prove to reveal a new style of writing then what is usually identified in other blogs.
The creativity and appearance of the blog welcomes you to a world of uncertainty of what it resembles. The sarcastic and highly opinionated blog features breaking news, Politics and humour; in a passive freestyle approach, truly using the opportunity of a space with no boundaries. There is nothing better than having to be a follower of a blog which is flexible with dynamic features, finally viewing Journalism at its most vulnerable nakedness; Issues are scrutinised to engage with the readers.
Truth is the cement and face of the blog while criticism is its identity. It opens a liberating space discriminating fear; they have covered stories such as Racism, Retribution and Forgiveness.(http://iknowwhatyouwrotelastsemester.blogspot.com/2009/10/racism-retribution-and-forgiveness.htmls). Animals Rights;
(http://iknowwhatyouwrotelastsemester.blogspot.com/2009/10/animal-rights-our-consistent.html) and many others that could get you talking.
Unlike newspapers, the voice of the writer is not hidden and by that we get a taste of not just ‘facts’ and ‘assumptions’ of what the reader wants to know, but the raw thoughts of the writers themselves. It’s no longer just words on the screen but words that speak louder than chaos in news.
http://www.iknowwhatyouwrotelastsemester.blogspot.com/
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Out of the closets and into the streets

I am currently in my first year of studying at a tertiary level and during the societies evening that was held during the beginning of the year, I stopped at the OUTRhodes table, listened to what they had to say and I signed up. I can remember the feeling of signing up – it was an exhilarated and liberated feeling. The feeling one gets when one is proud of something they have done, perhaps I felt that I was being brave or it might have been the feeling of being able to breath of being apart of something, strangely signing up resulted in a sort of feeling. It is obvious that homophobia does occur on campus especially noted when the society has an event seeing as the posters get ripped off of the walls by fellow students and sometimes in passing one can hear conversations between fellow students pertaining their animosity towards LGBTI students.
In the beginning of the second term OUTRhodes members were able to attend The Pink Loerie festival in Knysna. I had heard of Pink Loerie festival and I had always wanted to go. The festival happens every year, usually during a long weekend and it is an LGBTI pride weekend. I signed up, paid the fee and I became strangely excited about my big gay weekend. One of my friends, who is gay, decided to go with me and together we counted down the days, anticipating that weekend. The Pink Loerie festival had been my first pride festival, in a metaphorical sense, I broke my pride festival virginity, and I now know that it was my first, but definitely not my last pride festival.
I met my friend, bags in hand, at the transport department and we were met with fellow members. During our first five minutes on the bus, we met two our now best friends, one of which, now happens to be my girlfriend – incidentally we started dating during this past weekend, so could I say that I started my first relationship during my college career?
The weekend was filled with different events that included, the Mr and Ms Mardi Grass competition. We had three members partaking in these two events. There was the pride march through Knysna. The pride march after party and several parties that happened during the weekend at Girlz Planet and Zanzibar. It also included several other events such as tattoo art and art exhibitions and so forth. It was the first time that I was able to be free, to talk about issues surrounding sexuality, of my own feelings during the weekend without worrying what people would do or say because no one would react badly during that weekend. I am lesbian and I loved the fact that I was able to say, “wow, that girl is so hot” and to have other women agree or have them themselves talk about other women. I was able to be myself, in public, for the first time in my life and I will never forget the feeling. I had established wonderful friendships during that weekend and enjoyed wonderful evenings out (literally and figuratively). There is no greater feeling than having a weight lifted from your shoulders and that is exactly how I felt, there was no need to bottle any emotions up within yourself. After that weekend I had a new found courage and I was able to be more open about my sexuality on campus. I do think that having that experience for the first time had enabled me to feel that I was apart of something bigger than myself, but more importantly, that I was not alone and that I should not be ashamed of being who I am. One thing is for sure, I am ready to have my second Pink Loerie experience.
Digesting that of 24

IAM A YOUNG JOURNO-HEAR ME R.O.A.R! by Camagwini Dolweni

Pink, fresh and diverse
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
The Other Side of Me

Sunday, October 25, 2009
Another coach bites the dust

Wednesday, October 21, 2009
BLOGGING SCHMOGGING! by Camagwini Dolweni
Saturday, October 17, 2009
BATTLE OF THE TONGUES
In order to adhere to government regulations, the University of Stellenbosch has introduced more courses taught in both English and Afrikaans, as opposed to the single medium of instruction being Afrikaans. Blade Nzimande has been quoted as saying this is a form of "covert racism"http:///www.mg.co.za/article/2009-10-05-a-deadly-war-of-languages. Is it really though? Is it so terrible that the University of Stellenbosch is using its constituitional right, by choosing one of the official eleven languages. The Afrikaaner race is a minority and could be said is dying out, so now that they are preserving their culture and language, its racist? Iam a young, black woman, so obviously Iam not being subjective in any way. I just feel that pulling the race card everytime white people want to do something to promote their culture its wrong? Iam aware that it tends to discriminate against non-Afrikaans speaking students that want to study at Stellenbosch, so is then that we don't have Xhosa Universities, Zulu and Tswana Universities? Why is it that English has to be the be-all and end-all of education? Our native languages are dying out, when people try to preserve them its perceived as racist? Am I missing something here, or is it because its white people? I'll have you know Mr. Nzimande Afrikaans is a native South African language and Afrikaaers are South African too.
Maybe Nzimande should mind his racial slurs!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Do nothing, win a Nobel Prize

Saturday, October 10, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Stranger than fiction, better than reality

Sunday, September 27, 2009
Changing the Focus of the Lens.

Call her a critic but it is 'deviants' like her who resembles the courage to change the focus of the lens, Wazi Kunene is a first year journalism student at Rhodes Unviversity. She is a passionate writer and very concerned with journalism in the 21st centuary. She is not experienced in the feild but hopes to make this blog a learning engine specifically with students currently studying jurnalism and proffessional journalists; creating a space for a mentor-mentee enviroment. Unfortunately this blog is going to be a victim through which she will share her deepest concerns about journalism. Discussing significant issues; ranging for ethics to story production in media institutions. It will be benefiting to follow this blog, for it will be open for, interesting and provoking topics and debating on the issue of what are 'news worthy' stories and the constant focus to diruptions, why focus on negative rather than positive.
More significantly than making points this blog will be a means of questioning the systems and structures of media institutions. Further having an opinion on the news produced every day; the kind of news available for people to consume, story construction and the turning of real life events to news stories. How did journalism take a turn for being a source of informing the world of important political concerns to thick newspapers filled with depressing, provoking and scandalous news; further saying it is the reflection of the world, through the watchers of the world: journalists.
These concerns need to be raised importantly because we are in the feild of journalism and we need to be clear about the journalism we will produce. Will we be watching the world through lens that only captures the negative? Will we be having sleepless nights digging up scandals and will we be jobless if nobody dies and if politicians and celebrities stoped having affairs? We need to be critical and not narrow minded, be informed of the world we are approaching. What difference can we bring to this industry and how can we avoid our talents and passions from being shut down by restriction of 'news values'. Will we be able to speak through the daily disruptions we will be reporting on? These are among the issues we need discuss and share our opinions about.
Journalism is said to give a voice to the voiceless, the question is what voice is being is given to people of a partivular class, gender, age and race? Journalism is a highly constructed feild and we need to be prepared and consider the question, so what? In stories we are still to tell and chane the focus of the lens, it is about time.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
WHATLIFE?IDOJOURN
By Camagwini Dolweni
This may not the perkiest or chirpiest blog titles, but it is real and that is what this blog, its bloggers and its followers are. Real people. Real journalists. Real students.
I am a very passionate aspiring young journalist with broad views, varied opinions and am on a mission to change the world one article at a time. I take journalism very seriously, because I believe it plays an important role in our world, not only as watchdogs or entertainment, but as a social commentator on the way we do things and why as human beings. As a young student I feel fortunate and enthusiastic about being at a journalism school that will only add fuel to my passion for it and hone my skills as a journalist.
Being a journalism student though, is not all passion and super-heroine antics, a lot of the time one needs to do a lot of admin, tuts and tests before one gets the chance to change the world. This is the ‘real’ part of being a young journalist-not always fun, but always necessary. This is why we give (with this blog) a chance for journalism students to express their views about life as a journalism student, serious issues that affect them and ultimately practising their talents.
With this blog we aim to take a tongue-in-cheek, humorous tone to life as a journalism student-the little life that a journalism student has-yet without making a mockery of the serious issues that will be discussed or posted by other journalism student bloggers. The language and style of the blog will be very colloquial, because we want to appeal to young people and personally I find that most of the time formal register seems to talking at the reader and not to the reader and this is something we want to avoid. What I really want to say in this blog is this: ““I’m young, I’m passionate and I’m just a regular person like anyone else”. So if you can relate then why not follow?