Background of Area | Project Overview | Community Meeting | The Way Forward | ALL MULTIMEDIA

After a month of acquainting ourselves with four areas of Grahamstown, previously unknown and only recently familiar to us, we were ready to have our community meeting. This meeting served not only as a ‘showing’ of the work we had done in the community, but too had three main aims.

Firstly to create a place, a common setting where members of the four neighbourhoods: Tantyi, Hlalani, Xolani and Zolani could come together and speak about the crime affecting them, their family and neighbours. The community was also encouraged to speak about the crime happening in their homes, in their neighbour’s homes and the neighbouring community.

Secondly, we wished to bring to the surface, issues that the community hold close to their hearts, the issues that bother them and the areas where improvement is needed. And finally, the meeting hoped to be the place where ignorance is eradicated and people start to realise that crime is- as cliché as this may sound- a reality and happens all the time in their street, neighbourhood, town, province and country. It is a major issue that needs to be dealt with.

In the staffroom of Tantyi Primary School, with just over 30 chairs shared amongst 8 tables, is where the community meeting was held. Everyone (short of one person) in the group arrived at the school in two cars at 16h00 to set everything up, including the technology (laptop, projector) before our guests arrived. Sorting out equipment, setting the tables and delegating duties for the evening set us at ease for a bit. When we looked at our watches again, it was fifteen minutes to 18h00. No-one had arrived at this point, save one lady. 

We called it the “door-to-door campaign”. We walked around a block knocking on doors telling people about the meeting, what it is about, how it will benefit them and that we produced media here in the in their streets. With disinterested faces hesitantly agreeing to come greeting with: “Sizonikubona manje”, we lured them with the fact that biscuits and tea would be served at the meeting. Yes! Now they look interested. So it went on for a whole block of houses.

In the end, the audience amounted to 24 people, nine of which were between the ages 8 – 12, five between 13 – 18, four between 19 – 26 and six people 35+. The meeting, dominated by females was graced by the presence of one young man in primary school and eight other young boys who had just entered the education system.

Our group produced six stories written for publication in Groccott’s Mail, four audio slides, one television documentary and addition brochures and flyers to hand out to the audience. The two MC’s for the evening, Siphosethu and Sibongile, firstly introduced us as a group and explained to the room what we are doing here tonight, the aims and why this bears significance to them. 

We played back the audio slides, documentary and provided a summarised version of the stories written with discussion thereafter. The proceedings of the meeting were all recorded on film. The audience engaged well with the footage and the interactions were great. 

People were also handed pamphlets encouraging people to walk home safely and in a group after a night out.

After lengthy discussions on the causes of crime, shifting the blame, people sharing personal experiences of crime and looking at possible solutions to crime in their respective areas, the meeting was brought to a clos3. Leaving the staff room as we have found it, we hope that we have changed the communities’ views on and attitudes towards crime.

The community was so interested in the meeting, that a few members enquired about what would be spoken about at the next meeting. Needless to say, it was difficult explaining the nature of our project and our limited interactions with the community. What can be said though, is that the meeting will act as a springboard for further community discussions.