INSIDE UK RWANDAN PROJECT

WHAT IS IT?

Our project is on the 21st anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide which occurred in 1994.

This topic was chosen by James as a project close to heart for him and one that lured the rest of us in because of the sensitivity and curiosity of it. It is something to admire talking to survivors of something so tragic, who are willing to share their journey and story with us so we can somehow be a part of it.

- An in depth multimedia documentary that revolves around a family who escaped the 1994 Rwandan genocide and have settled in the UK

- A poignant human interest story focusing on the lives that have come after and not focusing entirely on the genocide.

Our first audience would be the Rwandan community who we talk

to but also those around the UK who definitely would like to hear

the voice of their fellow people.

Finding our primary audience as mentioned previously will be easier to narrow down because they are what we are focusing the whole project on but also our secondary audience will be targeted by the popularity of our idea and the content we produce.

Which means depending on what media medium draws in the most attention is how we will sustain interest e.g. if our ongoing podcasts are the reason we are attracting more people to the site.

What content are you going to produce?

Our content will be displayed in different styles; from written stories, short Vice styled vid-docu’s and even audio podcasts which will all range from different discussions from various people we get into contact with.

An idea we will be hoping to enforce is to create a running podcast for each time we interview someone, so this way we can publish content consistently.

As mentioned previously we have looked at two websites which are based on Rwandan people and with one actually dedicating a page to the 20th anniversary with two short videos.

I easily believe we can surpass their website with our creative elements i.e. use of Thinglink, Story Maps, a more advanced video and photography style. Which is what they lack on both sites.

Our USP will be that we are going to be a heavy multimedia website for this type of idea which from our research on the other two websites has not been touched on at all.

http://jamesp709.wix.com/rwanda

These are the main software applications I have looked at and discussed to be used for the website;

• Creativist

• Wix

• Thinglink

• Tiki-Toki

As the web editor I have to ensure that my design skills for this website improve as we go along so I can ensure the website differs from the two which we are modelling off .

This is the list I have come up with;

oHTML

oIn depth looks into various blogging software

oExtensive plugin use

oCross platform optimisation

We have several methods to use to help us gain substantial traffic as we deliver content each time.

The use of cross platform promotion e.g. Tumblr, Twitter or Facebook.

Sending the site to Rwandan organisations we have contacted as well as humanitarian organisations

What we would like to avoid doing is the inappropriate use of “You’ll never guess what...” sort of promotion on social media. It is a serious and sensitive topic which we want readers to take in properly.

We have already been in contact with the Rwandan Youth Information Community Organisation (RYICO), who have said they they are very keen to help us with our project, especially with getting into contact with individuals.

Another organisation we have contacted but haven’t received a response yet is Rwandans in UK.

-Genocide

-Angle

-Charities and organisations

-Website and content

-Software and programs

We would be targeting families who are currently settled in the UK –primarily London - escaping the genocide, who would be willing to talk about their experiences.

Also members of the organisation we contacted (RYICO and RwandasUK) who would be able to get us into contact with younger members of the families.

These would be our type of questions to ask them when being interviewed

• When did you leave Rwanda to come to the UK?

What did you have to sacrifice and leave behind?

How has your life changed since living here?

Did you or your family have any traumatic experiences before you left?

How have you adjusted to your new life?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRP74BwOJl8#t=532

We would like to create and edit a video sitting down with one of the interviewees going through their family photographs and having them show us things they have brought back from Rwanda, easing our way into their story from the very start to the very end.

The screenshot shown is an example of a video interview we looked at to give us a sense of direction with how to interview our interviewees.

We understand that some of the people we interview may not want their face to be recorded so we have to respect that and ensure we keep to our

One platform we thought we would like to work on is the

transformation from the web to mobile optimisation. Which

can be difficult for this kind of project, as it is focused more for

tablets and PC/Laptop devices.

-We don’t think a Twitter page would be appropriate for our kind of project, however we could use our personal accounts to gain traffic.

-A Facebook page would be more appropriate. We could regularly post our own footage and text as well as share some of the information provided by the RYICO.

-Tumblr page.