As part of Rhodes University’s School of Journalism and Media studies’ 50th anniversary celebrations, a mural featuring legendary South African journalists and broadcasters was unveiled on Friday.
The mural, titled JS50 Mural, features people such as news anchor Dr Noxolo Grootboom, former Daily Dispatch editor and activist Donald Woods and political activist and editor of South Africa’s first Xhosa newspaper John Jabavu.
Grootboom, who attended the unveiling, gave a keynote speech, highlighting the importance of communicating in indigenous languages, especially in broadcast spaces.
She said indigenous languages should be kept alive by the journalism students at Rhodes University.
Grootboom said delivering news in an indigenous language continued being distributed by radio stations as this was a far more wider-reaching medium than TV and newspapers.
“It’s a proven fact that the medium has and continues to play a role in promoting and preserving indigenous languages.
“This has, over the years since 1994, resulted in an active community radio movement, with community radio stations largely broadcasting in local languages.
“This is especially critical in a country such as ours which has over 31% of its population-based mostly in rural areas.
“A population that speaks and understands their own language, [will be] equally particular about preserving their language and culture.”
Grootboom touched on her own personal experiences as a young journalist, asking students, depending on where they are in the country, to at least learn how to greet in the local language.
“As you all know, Johannesburg alone is a melting pot of languages.
“For me to get stories, I learned how to greet in other languages such as Tswana and Sesotho,” she said.
“The response I got was unbelievable because as soon as I used that tactic, I would get any story and newsmakers would just light up and give me a broad smile.”
Grootboom emphasised she was not dismissing English, which is mostly used in commercial spaces.
“I’m just merely emphasising that neglecting using one’s language can be to their detriment.”
Rhodes University vice-chancellor Prof Sizwe Mabizela said the role of the media was essential in upholding transparency, accountability and democratic participation.
“A vibrant and thriving democracy requires a free and independent press that can hold those in power to account,” Mabizela said.
“Let us all, individually and collectively, play our role in defending this fundamental right.”
The JMS50 Mural looks back at the history of the school from where more than 5,000 students have graduated.
According to the JMS50 website, to capture the spirit of being rooted and forward-looking, the university commissioned the mural to convey this intention to those who study at the school, but also to those who pass by the building and wonder just what goes on inside it.
“We deliberately anchor ourselves in the fertile Eastern Cape media scene of the past by commemorating these notable figures — Jabavu, Phyllis Ntantala-Jordan, Ernest Cole, Woods and Grootboom,” the website reads.
“We also gesture towards the ancestral figures of the deep past who were great artists and storytellers for all humankind.
“We show our love for our place through the iconic flora of the land that surrounds us and we look to the future through our entanglement in the ever-changing technologies.”
HeraldLIVE
Rhodes journalism school mural honours industry legends
News anchor emphasises the importance of promoting indigenous languages in modern media
Image: KAREN VAN ROOYEN
As part of Rhodes University’s School of Journalism and Media studies’ 50th anniversary celebrations, a mural featuring legendary South African journalists and broadcasters was unveiled on Friday.
The mural, titled JS50 Mural, features people such as news anchor Dr Noxolo Grootboom, former Daily Dispatch editor and activist Donald Woods and political activist and editor of South Africa’s first Xhosa newspaper John Jabavu.
Grootboom, who attended the unveiling, gave a keynote speech, highlighting the importance of communicating in indigenous languages, especially in broadcast spaces.
She said indigenous languages should be kept alive by the journalism students at Rhodes University.
Grootboom said delivering news in an indigenous language continued being distributed by radio stations as this was a far more wider-reaching medium than TV and newspapers.
“It’s a proven fact that the medium has and continues to play a role in promoting and preserving indigenous languages.
“This has, over the years since 1994, resulted in an active community radio movement, with community radio stations largely broadcasting in local languages.
“This is especially critical in a country such as ours which has over 31% of its population-based mostly in rural areas.
“A population that speaks and understands their own language, [will be] equally particular about preserving their language and culture.”
Grootboom touched on her own personal experiences as a young journalist, asking students, depending on where they are in the country, to at least learn how to greet in the local language.
“As you all know, Johannesburg alone is a melting pot of languages.
“For me to get stories, I learned how to greet in other languages such as Tswana and Sesotho,” she said.
“The response I got was unbelievable because as soon as I used that tactic, I would get any story and newsmakers would just light up and give me a broad smile.”
Grootboom emphasised she was not dismissing English, which is mostly used in commercial spaces.
“I’m just merely emphasising that neglecting using one’s language can be to their detriment.”
Rhodes University vice-chancellor Prof Sizwe Mabizela said the role of the media was essential in upholding transparency, accountability and democratic participation.
“A vibrant and thriving democracy requires a free and independent press that can hold those in power to account,” Mabizela said.
“Let us all, individually and collectively, play our role in defending this fundamental right.”
The JMS50 Mural looks back at the history of the school from where more than 5,000 students have graduated.
According to the JMS50 website, to capture the spirit of being rooted and forward-looking, the university commissioned the mural to convey this intention to those who study at the school, but also to those who pass by the building and wonder just what goes on inside it.
“We deliberately anchor ourselves in the fertile Eastern Cape media scene of the past by commemorating these notable figures — Jabavu, Phyllis Ntantala-Jordan, Ernest Cole, Woods and Grootboom,” the website reads.
“We also gesture towards the ancestral figures of the deep past who were great artists and storytellers for all humankind.
“We show our love for our place through the iconic flora of the land that surrounds us and we look to the future through our entanglement in the ever-changing technologies.”
HeraldLIVE
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