360º Video as a New Tool for South Sudanese Journalists

“Often, what the international audience hears about the country is about fighting and famine. And although these issues are still affecting many people in South Sudan, it’s also important for the world to hear stories of resilience, home-grown solutions and hope against odds that seem stacked so high.” — Laura Bain, JHR Team Leader in South Sudan

For the latest “My People, Our Stories” initiative, we went to Juba, South Sudan, to train ten local journalists on how to tell stories in 360º. Divided into groups of two, each team produced a short documentary from and about their communities, exploring stories from access to clean water to living with disability.

Coming from different fields — radio, television and print — the journalists were eager to learn a different medium of storytelling that they had not yet explored.

We started the training, in partnership with the Journalists for Human Rights, by showcasing Contrast’s content in VR headsets and discussing the theory behind immersive storytelling. After distributing the Samsung Gear 360 cameras to the journalists and running them through how to operate it, we headed out to the field. Each of the journalists had several ideas of what they wanted to tell the world and each other about their country.

“360º video is a great tool to highlight untold stories to make the government and partners wake up,” said Rose Keji, a multimedia journalist working for Catholic Radio Network (CRN) and Juba Monitor where she focuses on business and gender issues in her daily reporting. “360º could be useful for stories related to health, forced marriages, on families living in the streets, and other issues that would show what life in South Sudan looks like.”

Together with Doris Kade, another journalist at CRN, Rose produced a story about Suzy Jada who, due to economic reasons, is forced to depend on water from the Nile River. More than 40 percent of South Sudan’s population don’t have access to safe drinking water.

South Sudan became the newest country in the world in 2011, after it gained independence from Sudan. Decades of war have shaped many people’s lives, and continue to do so as the country is torn apart by a civil war between the forces loyal to the current President Salva Kiir and those of his former Vice President Riek Machar. Since the war erupted in 2013, about a third of South Sudan’s 12 million population have fled their homes, becoming either displaced in South Sudan or refugees in neighboring countries.

Difficult economic conditions and violence are everyday companions for many in South Sudan. In the capital Juba, life stops after the sun goes down, the marker for when military checkpoints spring up around the city and gangs start roaming for prey.

Such difficult circumstances can complicate a journalist’s job, making it even more dangerous at times. “It’s not easy to work as a journalist in South Sudan because of the current political situation,” said Ray Okech who works at Eye Radio. “I have been working as a journalist for the past seven years. I was arrested more than four times while on duty, threatened by security authorities, sometimes beaten, just because they do not understand how the media operates.”

Out of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index, South Sudan ranks low at 144th. The government closely monitors what journalists are doing, requiring journalists to obtain permits to film anywhere. Even the seemingly innocent act of taking a picture with a smartphone in the street without a permit could lead to arrest. During our training, we needed to get permits from the Media Authority for every story the journalists covered. They needed to carry them everywhere, and each of the locations they filmed at needed to be included in the permit. This is an everyday reality for journalists working in South Sudan.

The media is mistrusted not only by the government, but also by the public. “When you use your camera, they consider this as a weapon and journalists as enemies,” said Maura Ajak, reporter at CRN. “People are still traumatized from what happened during the war. They are still afraid to answer even the most simple questions because they are afraid to get into politics and, subsequently, get arrested.”

Maura and Ray produced a story about Kim Bany who lost his leg as a young teenager in 1997 during Sudan’s second civil war but has found strength in wheelchair basketball. He is now fighting for the rights of other people with disabilities in South Sudan.

Maura feels there is lack of positive stories from South Sudan in the local and international media. While in the field filming the 360º video, Maura and Ray received a lot of stares from bypassers who asked what they were doing. It was a surprise for many that journalists were covering an inspirational story rather than only talking about the political and economic situation in the country.

“It’s important to hear a different kind of human rights story coming out of South Sudan,” said Laura Bain, the JHR Team Leader in South Sudan. “Often, what the international audience hears about the country is about fighting and famine. And although these issues are still affecting many people in South Sudan, it’s also important for the world to hear stories of resilience, home-grown solutions and hope against odds that seem stacked so high.”

Widespread poverty in the country brings additional challenges for journalists in South Sudan. “Sometimes we feel we can’t continue doing what we do, because people think we have to give them money after we talk and/or film them,” said Rose.

The economic situation also affects journalists directly. Many are paid quite poorly, leaving them with little choice but to do additional odd jobs on the side, often after long hours spent reporting and documenting. Cosmas Mundu from South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC) has more than 17 years of experience in journalism, and has undergone a number of trainings, including one at Al Jazeera Media Headquarters. He trains other journalists in Juba. However, his monthly salary is only around $38 USD, and in order to provide for his family and eight children, he has to look for extra jobs, such as commercial projects.

With most of South Sudan relying more on radio instead of television, videos documenting the country are less prolific. Using 360º video distributed through social media could be an effective way to report on visual stories in the country. The aim of the “My People, Our Stories” initiative is to empower the South Sudanese storytellers and provide them with additional tools like immersive cameras to do what they love the most — tell stories.

Rather than treating them as subjects of another documentary, the project encourages them to tell their own stories about their communities for a global audience. This initiative not only gives an opportunity for the viewer to see South Sudan through the locals’ eyes, but also brings new voices into the global community of 360 storytellers.

Throughout the month of August, we will be continuing to share the first 360 videos of these journalists in South Sudan, covering topics that are important to their community. Make sure to check back every Thursday on the following link, and stay tuned for the following stories.