Ikasi Creative Media’s student crew film a scene in Robertson. From left are sound operator Moller Wait, camera operator Shaheen Isaacs and Lena Jacobs being interviewed. PICTURE: Lamise Inglis.
A Bellville-based NPO is hoping to equip rural youth with skills in photography and film-making to give them a platform to share their own voices as well shine a light on the social issues plaguing their communities.
Ikasi Creative Media was founded by Lika Berning and has been operating for nearly six years.
They have two offices, one in George and one in Bellville, according to Lamise Inglis, Ikasi managing director.
“We started out on the Garden Route and now we’re tackling other areas in the Western Cape. We train rural youth in digital media as well as film and television production. We’re an accredited skills development provider and offer a full qualification in these mentioned courses.
“I currently have 25 years of experience in media, previously I worked at SABC TV news as well as eTV. When I decided to join Ikasi I already had the production experience and I had done some training courses so I was used to training people throughout my career,” she said.
When asked what spurred her interest into joining Ikasi, Ms Inglis said: “I was excited by the notion of giving back to the community and imparting my experience with the youth and helping to change lives. As a managing director, I’m in charge of the daily operations and overseeing the training we give our students.”
Kuils River resident and Ikasi student, Zubair Taylor, told Northern News that the course allowed him to explore his passion for photography and videography and learn what goes on behind the camera.
“The course was recommended to me by a family friend but I was always fascinated by photography and videography and the intricacies behind the film-making process. The most exciting portion of the course was the camera work and learning about all the different camera features like the ways to take certain shots and portraits.
“They’ve also given me the platform to grow on a personal level by offering me the space to showcase my personal voice and encouraged me to be more outgoing and confident in myself and what I produce. The course has truly influenced my personality for the better,” he said.
Zubair is currently studying Psychology at the University of the Western Cape.
So far Ikasi has trained over 300 students over their six year lifespan.
“One of our main challenges we face as an NPO is funding, even though donors are happy to fund a project, they’re not actually covering operational costs and that is important for us to survive from month to month.
“So since we don’t have funding, have to wait for a donor before we run the training programme which is obviously not ideal. Another challenge is if the students get jobs and have to work somewhere else the training can stall. Thirdly, since most of the rural students live far from town we often have to find a central location place and transport them to that area to accommodate them,” said Ms Inglis.
The future goals for Ikasi are producing more socially conscious content and telling unique stories that elevate the voices of the community and promote activism, Ms Inglis added.
For more information contact Lamise Inglis at 082 887 1313.