ShujaazFM mini fellowship 2011
The winner of the 2011 One World Media Special Award was ShujaazFM, a multi-media project based in Nairobi, Kenya. In May 2011, three members of the Shujaaz team were invited to London to pick up their award, and to participate in a mini-fellowship designed to offer some professional development in radio.
ShujaazFM was set up in 2010 by Well Told Story, a Kenyan media house, to inspire and motivate millions of young Kenyans to take action to improve their lives and engage with urgent practical issues that shape their future.
The project comprises a daily 5' radio drama that is syndicated to 23 FM stations throughout Kenya, alongside a monthly comic and plenty of audience interactivity via SMS messaging, Facebook and Twitter. ShujaazFM is written, illustrated, acted, recorded and distributed by a dedicated team of young Kenyans in their teens and 20s.
In May 2011, three members of the team came to London for 5 days to take part in a series of activities, meetings and site visits designed to give them an insight to the UK radio sector and beyond. They also had the opportunity to build future contacts and share their experiences of running such a successful project.
The Fellowship
Fellowship sessions included:
- Visits to BBC Bush House and Broadcasting House, to meet senior radio drama figures and watch a radio drama recording
- Visit to the studios of Capital FM, hosted by the Deputy Programme Director
- Attendance at the cutting room of a new film by Kevin Macdonald about the impact of Bob Marley on African culture
- Visit to the production offices of Somethin' Else, an independent radio production company, hosted by the Executive Producer, Radio 1 programmes
- Visit to the factual radio production offices and studios at BBC Broadcasting House
- Visit to Raw Material Music and Media, a youth project in Brixton
Peter Paul Kades and Eunice Maina of ShujaazFM, checking out the studio at Capital FM in London
What did they say?
"I have learnt so much from the exposure and I am challenged to do even greater things"
Eunice Maina, ShujaazFM
"The experience varied from professional journalism to artistic to technical work. With certainty I am confident to say that this has come at a time I needed it and I will make sure to use it to better Shujaaz. Skills that I gathered included recording, script writing and planning for recording schedules and professional ways of recording radio drama."
Peter Paul Kades, ShujaazFM