Amidst all the activities that we underwent during our project, we of course needed to find space and time to reflect. Most importantly, we wanted the youths to reflect so that we could understand what the project meant to them. Finding this space and time was not always an easy task, as there were times that our access to the youths was quite limited due to the fact that they had other extra-curricular responsibilities or exams to study for, so our project was not their primary focus. Another issue was that although by the end of the project most of them had grown accustomed to the camera being around, not everyone was comfortable speaking in front of it. However, we did manage to shoot some great interviews that give insight into the feedback and reflection that we got during our sessions. These will also give you a little insight into the personalities of the youths that we were working with, and an idea of what the project meant to them from their own perspectives.
Dimakatso and Jerry are siblings who both attend Leth'iThemba. Jerry was with us from the very start of the project, and we had the pleasure of watching his confidence grow throughout. At the start of the project he declined speaking on camera, and would keep to himself as much as possible, but in the final weeks we saw him dancing, singing and speaking to audiences at the events and he even agreed to be interviewed on camera! Dimakatso only joined us in the final stage of the project, but she was an amazing addition to the Leth'iThemba team, and she gave us some amazing insight into what being a youth leader meant to her and her peers.
Mpho is a youth leader from Repheleng who was also with us from the start of the project. In this interview she tells us why her group felt that it was important to address discrimination in a way that is relatable to everyone, as opposed to addressing a specific type of discrimination such as xenophobia.
Phendulani, from Leth'iThemba, was totally drawn to the cameras from day one. We showed him how to shoot on the big HDV cam as well as the DSLR that were being used to record the project activities and he took to it like a natural! Here he tells us more about what he learnt and enjoyed about our project.