Ngoni Dapira

EASTERNTIMESZIM yesterday (Tuesday) took part in a digital media boot camp held in Mutare for young content creators in the eastern border city.

15 content creators comprising of freelance journalists, photographers and film producers attended the one-day boot camp organized by The FeedZW. The FeedZW is a project of Magamba Network Zimbabwe, one of Zimbabwe’s leading creative and digital media organisation that primarily produces youth driven content with the aim to build a democratic and just Zimbabwe.

The workshop facilitators seasoned journalist Privilege Musvanhiri (right) and media consultant Francisca Sibanda-Chamunokara (left), who are both passionate about mobile journalism take participants through the basics of mobile journalism.

The programme which was facilitated by seasoned journalist Privilege Musvanhiri and media consultant Francisca Sibanda-Chamunokara, who are both passionate about mobile journalism with vast experience in the media industry, was meant to teach Mutare content creators about mobile journalism as part of an ongoing programme that The FeedZW will be running countrywide working with young content creators.

The FeedZW project officer Tafadzwa Tseisi said the main objective training is to empower Mutare based content creators with mobile journalistic skills that enable them to amplify voices of the voiceless from diverse communities.

Some of the participants following proceedings and taking down notes during a presentation.

“We also intend to help Mutare based media startups with financial literacy and business planning,” Tseisi said, adding that three similar events will be held in different provinces in a bid to decentralise the activities. “We have made concerted efforts as The Feed ZW to decentralise our content because Harare is not Zimbabwe. Going forward we hope to have similar trainings in three more provinces and the best media startup initiatives will be incubated  and get financial as well as technical support,” he said.

Magamba Network is also running different projects playing a critical role in opening up democratic spaces in Zimbabwe through new media, culture, youth activism and innovation. The projects include Open ParlyZW, Magamba TV, Shoko Festival an Moto Republik.

Musvanhiri (left in front) shows some of the participants how to use their mobile phone for a live broadcast online, when one is a correspondent for an international online publication.

The training comes at a time that Easterntimeszim is rebranding this year expanding its operations by initiating a women’s desk project to empower and encourage female freelance journalists in Manicaland Province.  Although in most conventional newsrooms there is now a breakthrough for female journalists with women editors, men still dominate and it’s even worse for female freelance journalists that need a safe hub, which is what Easterntimeszim will soon be launching through its women’s desk and citizen journalists kiosk initiatives.

The mobile journalism kiosk programme to promote citizen journalism, augurs well with the developmental thrust of the publication in promoting ‘real news which changes lives’, integrating community involvement and ownership of developmental concerns in their surroundings.

Established in 2018, Easterntimeszim is an online news site that aims to achieve comprehensive coverage of developmental news in Manicaland, linking its diverse communities to global audiences. Its vision is to take professional journalism to the next level by working closely with both professional and citizen journalists, improving their skills and craft of writing in-depth, objective and balanced news.