Who Am I?
First and Foremost, this is hard, trying to define who I am in one piece of writing is rather limiting. It's limiting because I cannot be defined in one post, I am constantly meeting and constructing new parts of me. So I guess that's how I would define myself, a constant evolving identity that seeks to always reinvent the self. Stay and see as I explore and define these new parts of me, but for now read below my attempted description. x
CUE SOLANGE
"I can't be a singular expression of myself
There's too many parts, too many spaces
Too many manifestations, too many lines
Too many curves, too many troubles
Too many journeys, too many mountains
Too many rivers, so many.." -Solange (Can I Hold the Mic (Interlude)
So lets begin with what I would say if we were meeting in person in the year 2021..
"Hi my name is Avuzwa Japhta, I'm 21 years old but these days I feel at least 35 years-old."
"Why do I feel 35, well, because I'm an final year multimedia studies student overwhelmed by my degree whilst trying to plan the rest of my life within a few months."
"But alas, I have music and friends to keep me afloat, I have prayer and my journal to keep me centered and grounded, and last but least I have my mother to keep me motivated and sane." "Oh and how could I forget I have fashion and writing to help keep me creative"
SEE LINK TO MY FASHION BLOG
Who Am I as a media storyteller?
Journalism and Media Studies fourth-year student, specializing in multimedia storytelling. Rhodes University, Makhanda, Eastern Cape South Africa (2021).
I have always been drawn to all things storytelling-related. As I grew I discovered the power of media as an all-compassing representational medium, and thus began my pursuit of becoming a media practitioner.
As a former drama student, visual and text storytelling formed an integral impact on how I consumed media. These media forms seemed to resonate with me and ignited a desire to produce captivating stories.
My media production is greatly informed by who I am and where I come from. A Xhosa woman raised in the cosmopolitan Western Cape, representation is a constant component in my work. I am greatly intrigued with stories of identity and how it is used as a source of art expression.
This blog serves as a platform to facilitate my voice as expressed through different media content. It is an ever-changing website meant to provoke dialogue regarding each explored topic.
Where do I see myself in five years?
This is a daunting question that I don't take lightly, I am aware of the power of my thoughts and words because had I been asked this question exactly five years ago, I was quite clear that I wanted to pursue a degree in journalism and now that I find myself at the end of this goal I recognize that whatever I set my mind too I can achieve.
I point this out to highlight that I know that my future will undoubtedly lead me to the spaces that I envision for myself.
I want to curate media content that explores the dichotomies within identities, forging a new way of perceiving sub-cultures. Celebrating and creating platforms that seek to diversify the representation of marginalized bodies.
Writing and video content are my preferred creative mediums however, I took Multimedia because I wanted to develop my media production skills. The course reignited my love for audio storytelling and allowed me explore this form of media within a modern context. Furthermore creating this website sharpened my design skills and forced me to develop a mediated voice that encapsulates the media practitioner that I am right now. I enjoy the process of birthing a concept through media that offers an authentically differed perspective from the manicured surface norm.
Studying at Rhodes University has taught me the importance of immersing oneself within our surroundings and serving your community in whatever way possible, this is a lesson that plan to carry throughout my media practitioner career and life.
What were my goals for multimedia?
My main goal was to develop my media storytelling skills whilst developing my own production aesthetic. I did not want to lose the parts of me that celebrated my identity and I did this by creating a capstone project that employed my voice as a black woman to explore a topic that personally resonated with me... mental health issues. Even more importantly I wanted to create content that I would enjoy and consume outside of the Makhanda context especially as a young person that is as passionate about consuming media as I am about producing it. And even more importantly I wanted to contribute awareness to the mental health epidemic particularly within the African demographic.
Creative Output
Establishing my voice as a media practitioner.
This document illustrates how my conceptual journey began and how the initial topics that appealed to as a budding multimedia student inspired my final capstone project.
Click link below.
Media Ecology
This written piece explores how my media consumption has defined my identity and subsequently media production.
What is a Media eulogy?
"Media ecology looks into the matter of how media of comunication affect human perception, understanding, feeling, and value; and how our interaction with media facilitates or impedes our chances of survival. "- Neil Postman
"The word ecology implies the study of environments; their structure, content, and impact on people."- Neil Postman
Click link below.
sKIN
This E-PUB explores identity through a cultural lens. A collaborative piece produced in my second year journey. I include this piece on this platform because it illustrates how my journey of exploring identities of marginalized has progressed from this point. The editorial I wrote for the E-pub showcases the tone of my writing and in hindsight represents the type of media content I wish to produce.
Click below to view E-PUB.
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