Studio Yafa, the radio and multimedia program created by Fondation Hirondelle for Youth in Burkina Faso, has just organized two media education sessions for high school students in Ouagadougou in partnership with the Goethe Institute.
Each of these sessions brought together 10 students from two Ouagadougou high schools supported by the Goethe Institute. Each session lasted three days and took place in the premises of Studio Yafa. The objective was to explain to the young participants the basics of journalism and information processing.
Videos "masterclasses" produced by Fondation Hirondelle and giving the floor to journalists from various backgrounds were screened and commented by Fondation Hirondelle's Representative in Burkina Faso. The approach and principles defended by Fondation Hirondelle on journalism and the role of the media were also explained, with video support. Finally, journalists, presenters and technicians from Studio Yafa explained their work and coached the students to enable them to conduct two debates in the studio, under the conditions of a real program. Some students put themselves in the journalist's shoes, while others played the role of guests. Each student had to prepare and express his/her ideas on the theme of the show. Three themes were chosen: excision, depigmentation and the use of the telephone in schools. Each student left with the programs on a USB key and a certificate.
"When I came home after the first day, I told my parents: your future journalist is here," said an enthusiastic young participant. I learned how to articulate my words, my ideas, to write a paper. I liked it a lot. I also liked putting on a headset, speaking into the microphone, and learning how to express myself in a debate".
Studio Yafa is a radio, video and multimedia production studio dedicated to young Burkinabe people. It provides information and spaces for dialogue on the social and political life of the country. After a phase of recruitment and training of its staff from October 2018, the broadcasting of Studio Yafa programs began in March 2019. Created and implemented by Fondation Hirondelle, the Studio Yafa project is financed by the Swedish and Swiss cooperations, and by the European Union.