Journalism and Media Studies Lecturer at Wits University. Master of Arts in Digital Documentary from the University of Sussex. A former journalist at eNCA, Reuters, AFP and The Citizen.
The past two days have been the best, most productive, most informative that I’ve had since our in-depth journey has begun.
I meant a number of extremely helpful sources, who helped to give me an even clearer idea of where my story is heading. We also had our our Multimedia Pitch Meeting yesterday, ya that didn’t go so well for me. Have no solid idea’s to speak of but I am wracking my brain night and day trying to figure it out.
I could write up a report on the intricacies of the past two days but I’d rather show you why it was so awesome 🙂
Containers at China Mall, Crown Mines. Photo: Pheladi Sethusa
Double volume mall. Photo: Nolwazi Mjwara
Early morning shoot at the Chinese Police Forum. Photo: Pheladi Sethusa
SAPS officers attending a Mandarin lesson at the CPF. Photo: Pheladi Sethusa
Shandu having the time of her life with a gum ball machine at RMB. We were there for an interview with TCA chairman Erwin Pon. Photo: Pheladi Sethusa
In our four way interview with Erin Pon. Reporter Dineo doing her thing. Photo: Shandukani Mulaudzi
[Yes these titles are reference’s to the Kate Cann‘s book]
Today was the day I had to get my act together. Today was the day I had to decide what I was doing and how I was going to do it. Today is the day things started making sense.
NEW NEW: Derrick road entrance, the home of ‘new’ Chinatown. Photo: Pheladi Sethusa
Headed back to Cyrildene this morning to chat with someone from Marais Attorney’s, one of the only places that aren’t run or owned by Chinese people in the area. I had a chat with a 24 year old clerk, Ou Jia. He was born in Shanghai and decided to move to South Africa when he was 12. He said he just couldn’t live with his parents (yes, you read right). “Don’t get me wrong I like my parents, I just couldn’t live with them anymore,” he said.
He has been working at Marais Attorney’s for two years now and feel they help to bridge the Chinese community in Cyrildene to the “outside world”.
He said what they do is important because most Chinese migrants who are in South Africa come from rural backgrounds and have very little education, “they have a poor understanding of the law and how things work here.”
A shot at creativity. Photo: Pheladi Sethusa
After my interview with him the two encounters that followed were a highlight of the day.
First we walked into a restaurant trying to have a chat with the owner. The three people we spoke to called a chef from the kitchen to come translate for us. We explained who we were and what we wanted to do to this young black man, he then relayed our message in what seemed like fluent Mandarin.
When he wasn’t getting his point across he started speaking in English, very slowly. Then the they went on to have a whole conversation about their stock and lunch time and we had to slowly retreat from the whole thing.
Then we went to the cultural centre, which turned out to be a library. A young woman, Hubi told us a bit about the library and even started opening up about her personal life. While she was speaking her colleague shouted at her in her mother tongue then said to us (very sternly at that) “We’re working here! You go outside”. So that’s what we did. What a day indeed.
Last week I had all this unconstrained excitement for our in-depth project to begin. All the preparatory and introductory speakers and an outing made me super keen to dive in, to get in there.
Then Friday came along and took at least 50% of the built up excitement away. We had pitch meeting’s in our groups and then went on to pitch our story idea’s to the rest of the class. I was really excited about the two idea’s I had come up with until I heard them being pitched by other groups. Shit. That word became the opening for my pitch, the pitch I had imagined would be all fresh and original. I suppose that’s what happens when there are other geniuses in the room 😉
Anyway after some discussion I then settled for a new story altogether. Development or under development of Chinese spaces/infrastructure in the city, a look into the future of Chinese spaces in the city.
I woke up with no plan and no direction. Yes I had a topic but what I’d do with it was my worry and the biggest challenge of the day. At first I figured it might be a good idea to work backwards by going down to Old Chinatown, to get a little historical context and all. But that idea didn’t really tickle me.
FIRST STOP: Rivonia Oriental City Photo: Pheladi Sethusa
So I read up a little bit in the morning and found some great research done by Dr Yoon Jung Park, a senior research associate at Rhodes University and the University of Johannesburg. Her research focuses on Chinese migrants in South Africa. Her work looks into perceptions, ethnicity, identity, class/power dynamics and more. Upon reading she highlighted “new” spaces that Chinese people are occupying to branch out (in lack of a better phrase). This then made me do a little noodle dance that saw me heading out to Rivonia.
Rivonia Oriental City opened up just over a year ago. It’s not a ‘typical’ Chinese mall as there is a lot of integration and diversity. There are a hybrid of different stores including commercial South African staples like Pick n Pay and Truworths, we also saw a Kenyan coffee shop, well to say Kenyan is a stretch, they had pap and vleis as the meal of the day, but I digress. There was also a black hair salon next to a discount variety store.
However, there was not much difference in the Chinese stores present in the mall. There were clothing stores and gift and variety stores that sold the same merchandise. Interestingly there was a corridor next to the Pick n Pay that lead to the kind of oriental stores we have become accustomed to. Something about the low lighting and lack of activity making it not so ‘typical’.
GET CLEAN: Miracle soaps being sold at a stall on wheels. Photo: Pheladi Sethusa
Speaking to people at the mall proved challenging, a strong language barrier being the catalyst. The people we did manage to speak to had been in the country for some time and as a result could speak English. It was interesting to hear one guy Nathan Cai say he had “too little” Chinese friends and only wanted more, while someone else, Rose Zheng said she had “too many” and wanted to diversify her friend group.
Rose also said that she liked that this mall was different to China Mall: Dragon City, where she had worked previously. She liked the diversity of shops and people she was surrounded by, pointing out that all the businesses are not all Chinese owned and run. “It’s nice because we are in South Africa,” she added.
Being at the mall and getting insight from some of the people there did not make my angle any clearer but it did give me direction, I was heading North and now in a more North Easterly direction. Ooh suspense.
As I mentioned in my last night, today my journalism class had a field trip. We went down to the old/new Chinatown in the city. Today I choose to tell the day’s tales in a visual manner, enjoy.
Okay I might have added some spices in that headline, what I mean to say is ‘Let the in-depth games begin’.
Today was our first real introduction to our in-depth projects. A month dedicated to writing and producing in-depth features on a certain topic.
This year’s topic is China–Johannesburg – a look at the Chinese diaspora in this city. A topic that didn’t come as a surprise to most of us because there was a leak (journalists, can’t tell them anything).
We were all divided into groups, each getting a sub-topic and a mentor. My group got given the topic ‘history and the future’ – a topic I begin to appreciate more and more as the day went on. Our mentor is the one and only, Kenichi Serino (yays).
Basically what we have to do over the next four weeks is immerse ourselves fully in this community in order to produce a long form feature with multimedia components (ranging from video, photography, audio and and and).
Our prep consisted of a number of guest speakers to give us some background and advice on our topic. It was a long day but a very informative one. Ideas were coming in and out of my mainframe all day. Especially because a bulk of what the speakers had to say touched heavily on my group’s topic.
Hearing the stories about the realities of being a migrant and of life in China made it abundantly clear that the next month would be an enlightening one. In a real and genuine way, in a way that would bring me closer and deeper than any documentary or article could.
My favourite quote from the day came from Emma Chen, owner of restaurant Red Chamber in Rosebank, she said: “Nobody dislikes the Chinese government as much as the Chinese themselves”. A loaded statement, that left me with much to think about (and investigate).
Tomorrow we have a field trip planned, I can barely contain my excitement. Let the adventure begin J
This little thing called life got in the way of me posting a ‘best reads’post last week, I will not let this thing called life do that to me again.
Last week was one of the last editions we’ll produce in a while, so it was jam packed with copy to feed the appetites of our readers.
Here are some of my personal highlights from the edition:
EFF triggers PYA exodus by Thuleto Zwane. One would imagine that it would take more than kitch red berets to sway comrades’ alliances, one would be wrong. I kid, I kid. Interesting to see how quickly the new political party is gaining ground among some students.
Dr Last loses by Shandukani Mulaudzi. Things came full circle last week when a verdict was reached regarding our supposed ethical misdemeanour with one of our sexual harassment stories. Good to know that even back then our ethics were intact.
Wits improves in world rankings by Dineo Bendile. Since my first year of studying at Wits I have been one of its most ardent supporters. Defending it left, right and centre at braai’s and other such gatherings. It’s good to know that we are indeed getting better as an institution and that I can brag even more 😉
Enjoying food that has roots by Mfuneko Toyana. For no other reason than the deliciousness that came from this meeting. Glad I got to tag along and literally get a taste of Kenya.
“Go see Josh” by Sibusisiwe Nyanda. Lovely and inspirational story about weight loss. Josh had me going til he mentioned something about no carbs, that’s when I knew I couldn’t do what he did. But inspirational nonetheless.
Witsie bail-out by Nolwazi Mjwara. A look at the contentious issue of students on campus being bailed out of jail by the university.
Survivor: ANN7 edition by Nokuthula Manyathi. Another one I got to sit in on last week. It was interesting to hear first-hand how things are going over at ANN7. The tweets weren’t lying.
As the clock struck 11 last week Thursday, we were frantically proofing and designing our way towards another deadline.
#teamvuvu did a steller job producing one of the last editions of the year. We only have two unofficial papers left to produce but we won’t have to worry about that right now.
Dreams of spending the long weekend with friends and family were quickly put at bay by our final exam staring us right in the face. We wrote for a whopping 5 and a half hours, some wrote for even longer than that. Exhaustion aside, it might be the most fun exam I have ever written (just hope the marks are ‘fun’ as well).
In keeping with the spirit of no rest for the wicked, tomorrow we start prepping for our in-depth project. All we know about the project is that it’s a long, research type project that will have us working like we’re part of amaBhungane.
Blue light wreakage – my semi-winning photo.
I’m pretty keen because its a chance to so something a bit more substantial and less rushed than we’re accustomed to. I’m particularly looking forward to being afforded the time and resources to have a bash at a proper photo essay. An exciting few weeks lay ahead.
Oh in other exciting news, one of our lecturers is going to use some of my photo’s in a new book she’s publishing. Along with this I got an honourable mention at the prize giving for the fifth Wits Photographic Competition. Winning.
Write. Snap. Click. 