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Email: info@jivemedia.co.za
Address: Jive Hub, 279 Boddington Estate, Nottingham Road, 3280
The future is not what it used to be. As a species and as a planet we are on an unsustainable path – and the direction ahead is not too clear either.
At Jive Media Africa, we’re passionate about solutions. But we also know that the really tough problems seldom come with solutions attached; or they wouldn’t be problems.
In fact, there’s a class of problems which seem to resist solution. These kinds of problems may never be fully resolvable because they involve complex dynamics, paradoxes and competing values. Attempting to solve any one part of the problem is likely to cause further unanticipated problems.
Such challenges have been collectively referred to as ‘wicked problems’. And many environmental challenges fit into this category.
Take wildlife crime for instance – a wicked problem due to its complex and interconnected nature; Ecologically, it threatens biodiversity and ecosystems. Socioeconomically, it perpetuates poverty undermining lives and livelihoods. Perpetrated by international networks and organised crime, it spans borders, posing challenges for law enforcement. Inconsistent laws and loopholes hinder legal responses.
With such complexity, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. But just because a problem resists a solution, it doesn’t mean attempts shouldn’t be made to manage it.
As Albert Einstein famously stated: “The significant challenges we face, cannot be solved with the same kind of thinking that created them”. That’s why Jive Media Africa has teamed up with journalism training organisation Roving Reporters to pioneer a new framework for getting to grips with complex problems.
We need new perspectives and new approaches that shed light on the specifics of problems in their own context. Such new perspectives emerge from dialogic spaces, which bring together the best of science and creativity – and the Khetha 2024 Story Project provides just that. The Khetha ‘tripod’ approach arose from monthly coverage of the Tipping Points series by emerging environmental writers undergoing training with support from Roving Reporters and Jive Media Africa. Find out more here.
The Jive – Roving Reporters collaboration is centred around a webinar series entitled “Tipping points” by Jive and a parallel journalism training programme ‘New Narratives’ by Roving Reporters. In the webinars, a range of ‘experts’ join with public audiences to explore a particular topic. These webinars are then reported on by young journalists and early career researchers, who are mentored through the creative approaches that are needed to tell powerful stories for public audiences.
This innovative programme, currently supported by WWF-SA and Oppenheimer Generations Research and Conservation, creates a platform for discussion and debate, and equips young young journalists and early-career scientists to delve into the complexities of topics from wildlife crime, to biodiversity conservation.
The multifaceted approach of the Khetha 2024 Story Project involving webinars, online training, and story grants, represents an effective training model to enhance media reporting on wildlife crime and conservation challenges in the Greater Kruger.
The establishment of the Khetha New Narratives ’24 reporting teams, comprising 18 emerging environmental writers, has also proven pivotal to the success of this training model. By providing training in feature writing and radio documentary production, participants in the programme are being guided from concept to final public dissemination, ensuring their stories highlight crucial human and wildlife interactions in ways often overlooked by mainstream media.
One participant of the programme said: “I come away from these programmes feeling even more empowered to use my writing to effect positive change. Whether it’s raising awareness about the social factors driving wildlife crime or showcasing the efforts of frontline communities, I’m confident my voice can make a difference.”
For those directly involved in conservation themselves, the structure allows for dialogue and reflection, and for raising awareness and understanding of critical, yet often complex issues –driving positive change in conservation efforts across southern Africa’s protected areas.
At Jive Media Africa we’re comfortable with complexity, and passionate about approaches to develop capacity to find the best paths forward.
As the tourism industry takes stock after the devastation of Covid-19 lockdown, we’re excited to showcase a challenging, yet exciting project undertaken recently by Jive Media Africa.
The world’s largest trans-frontier land-based conservation area; the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) spans five countries and includes three UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Working with tourism authorities and tourism marketing agencies in the five countries, and travelling the length and breadth of the region to gather inspiring stories and breathtaking images, we are finally able to share “A Journey Through KAZA” – a beautiful brochure that reveals an appealing and accessible tourism destination, to promote trans-boundary travel and immersive natural and cultural experiences.
With more than 15 years behind us, of helping experts to strategise their messages for maximum impact, Jive Media Africa was thrilled to be part of the team revealing the hidden gems at the heart of Africa. Our journey through KAZA brought us into close contact with the colours, vibrancy, music, dance, food, and culture (not to mention the breathtaking natural splendour) of the region. These are the elements which we have chosen to feature in this brochure, a powerful tool in the hands of those who are tasked with marketing the region.
SADC/GIZ Transboundary Use and Protection of Natural Resources (TUPNR) Tourism Support together with Boundless Southern Africa, procured Jive Media to produce this brochure and position the KAZA TFCA as a distinct, multi-faceted, and attractive tourism destination which has the potential to boost socio-economic development and biodiversity conservation goals. This was done by identifying, developing, and packaging content related to KAZA TFCA’s biodiversity and cultural heritage story and tourism offerings (accommodation, activities, attractions, and natural and cultural heritage encounters).
The regions span the borders of five southern African countries – Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe – covering an area of over 519000 sq km (200387 sq miles). It’s a treasure trove of natural and cultural wonders.
Click to view the final output of an awe-inspiring brochure
Jive Media Africa has continued to #ActivateAfricanKnowledge as we travelled through the five African countries in our quest to reveal the rich tourism potential of the KAZA region to the world.
Talk to us if you are also ready to play a part in visioning and realising a brighter future for Africa.
Can data improve the lives of billions of people? When the data in question tells the story of Early Childhood Development in 138 countries (and is launched at the United Nations General Assembly) then it certainly can. Presenting it in an accessible and engaging format was the unique challenge that Jive Media Africa was faced with. Read more
Reaching large audiences with important information is a challenge faced by many government departments. Carefully considered policies can fail at implementation if key audiences remain disengaged. Read more
The Mission MeerKATcartoon series, produced by Jive Media Africa, explains how radio astronomy works and why this pathfinder telescope is being built in the Karoo.
Download all 5 x 8 page comic books produced for the SKA (Square Kilometre Array) and MeerKAT (the Karoo Array Telescope). Read more
Research is an essential tool to secure health and wellbeing for the people of Africa and the world. Without deeply understanding the complexities of health issues, we are unlikely to develop the necessary innovations to address them. However, when that research involves human subjects, it becomes critical to consider both the potential benefits and the potential risks of that research. It’s a complex field, and one which requires unique responses to local challenges. Jive Media Africa are proud to be working with the South Africa Research Ethics Training Initiative (SARETI) to develop communication tools to support the initiative by celebrating and nurturing health research ethics expertise in Africa.
SARETI is an African-based, multi-disciplinary Masters programme at the University of KwaZulu Natal (Pietermaritzburg) focusing on strengthening and deepening research ethics in South Africa and Africa. SARETI provides a variety of educational opportunities, varying from short courses to full masters programmes, and partners with numerous organisations in Africa, the United States and Europe. SARETI’s staff represent many facets of research ethics and are drawn from South African and international universities.
Jive is particularly excited about this work because it challenges us to think about how to do better public engagement around science. As an organisation which spends a lot of time navigating spaces between science and society, we feel that research ethics practitioners have a lot to contribute to the discussion on public engagement. Research ethics processes require researchers to engage with participants, often members of the communities which suffer the health problem at hand.
And this engagement doesn’t only happen at the end of the research as a way of “disseminating” findings but by necessity happens before, during and after the research. Not only do experts have to find creative ways of translating their science in order to have conversations with “non-science” audiences, but they are also compelled to listen to the responses of these audiences – and to think through the benefits and the risks of their research.
That kind of interaction fundamentally alters the research and over time, shifts the research agenda. And in a world where decisions are made for millions by relatively few, having meaningful conversations with people about their health and wellbeing, and about the impact of research in their lives, has to be a good thing.
Please visit the SARETI website if you would like to view or receive copies of the 2010 to 2014 newsletters: http://sareti.ukzn.ac.za/Newsletters.aspx
How do we go about changing the way South Africa understands and invests in Early Childhood Development?
Jive Media Africa has been part of a research-process led by the FrameWorks Institute in Washington to better understand how experts, stakeholders and the public understand key issues in Early Childhood Development (ECD).
The aim is ultimately to work towards creating new narratives which can be used to communicate key learnings about ECD to positively transform our society. The research report which was designed and produced by Jive Media Africa, is entitled: Early Means Early – Mapping the Gaps Between Expert, Stakeholder, and Public Understandings of Early Childhood Development in South Africa.
The work has taken place in co-operation between the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Human Development, Stellenbosch University, UNICEF and the MRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit. The report was authored by Eric Lindland (PhD), Prof. Linda Richter, Prof. Mark Tomlinson, Ntombizodumo Mkwanazi and Kathryn Watt.
Jive Media Africa designed and implemented a ground-breaking communication campaign for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in association with the National Dept of Social Development (DSD).
The Everyday Heroes Comic Book Campaign highlights the role of communities in supporting victims of crime and violence.
There are six comic books in the series: Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Child Sexual Abuse, Human Trafficking, Abuse of Older Persons and Abuse of People with Disabilities.
These comics have been translated into six South Africa languages.
The contract also involved developing a website, animatics, a distribution strategy, as well as carrying out a pilot project and M&E.
Jive Media Africa is excited to be working with SANSA (The South African National Space Agency) to grow Space Science and Engineering in South Africa.
Did you know that we, South Africa, take over communications with NASA’s rockets soon after launch when they come round to our side of the planet? … And did you know that we’ve got eyes in the sky which are constantly feeding us information to help us plan and respond to development issues? … And did you know that we’ll soon be sending a South African to the International Space Station?
Jive Media Africa, in partnership with Proof Communications, developed a communications strategy for SANSA, as well as assisting in the production of newsletters and print products.