Media News South Africa

No guts, no glory

The national Forum for Community Journalists will be paying tribute to Sam Nzima's daring and courage as photographer and journalist during the thirteenth annual No Guts No Glory Seminar, which is being held 17 - 18 August 2006 at Loskop Dam, near Middelburg in Mpumalanga.

A total of 110 journalists of 50 different community newspapers will attend this event, aimed at inspiring and motivating reporters and their editors.

The name of the seminar was coined by one of the first guest speakers, who, in presenting an address on the topic of investigative journalism, used the catchy theme 'No Guts, No Story, No Glory'.

Nzima will personally be sharing his experience of how just one photograph can permanently transform the life of a journalist with seminar-goers. It was Nzima who shot the photograph thirty years ago of the mortally wounded Hector Pieterson during the Soweto youth uprising.

Nzima had earlier hidden the roll of film containing the historic Hector Pieterson images in his sock during a body search by security policemen, in which they confiscated all his other films. Among these were photographs of a police vehicle that had been set alight that same morning. Nzima later had to flee for his life, after being harassed by the security police. Since 1977 he has been staying in Bosbokrand.

His former chief sub-editor, Brian Moult, will also be present. It was Moult who supported editor Percy Qoboza's opinion that this particular photograph be used in a time when such type of photos rarely, if ever, would be published on a South African newspaper's front page.

Other guest speakers will be the following:

  • Prof Johann de Jager on the relevant topic of 'The Growth and Power of the Community Press'. Prof De Jager completed his doctoral thesis 22 years ago on the subject of the community press. In it he quoted Oscar Henry Frewin (regarded as the father of the community press in South Africa), who stated as far back as 1953: "The Country Press has long been the Cinderella - why, we do not know - because the country newspaper is read from front page to back page by every member of the family."

  • Alet Pretorius, Mondi Competition winner and judge of the Oscar Frewin, Sanlam and Caxton Competitions, who will speak on the pertinent subject of 'What judges are looking for In a winning photograph'.

  • Owen Cassinga of The Lowvelder will address the theme, 'When a journalist is shot - what other journalists/editors can learn from the attack on Owen Cassinga and Teddy Ndlazi'.

    Contact Tobie van den Bergh on tel +27 (0)13 243 1434 for more information.

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