A few weeks ago, a question on one of our twitter accounts; “What ticks you off?” There are several responses. One follower says; “People who aren’t punctual”. Another replies; “My boyfriend not taking my calls”. Surely our generation has bigger problems?

And so 25 Rhodes University students asked 25 high school learners the same question posed on the twitter account; “What ticks you off?” To our surprise, the responses went way beyond the dating game.

“I hate how the government promises to build people houses and then doesn’t. That makes me angry,” said one. “When people talk behind my back about my living circumstances- that really makes me mad,” said another.

This is how a project between Rhodes students and local Eastern Cape teens was born.

The 25 Voices project is a film-making collaboration between 25 teenagers living in Joza, a township on the eastern side of Grahamstown, and 25 third year journalism students from Rhodes.

These short films exist as a snapshot of Grahamstown. A neatly-packaged record of the struggles, successes and growing pains of local teens whose lives are personally affected by issues ranging from substance abuse and homophobia, to the high-school dropout rate and fear of sexual violence.

The Journalist will be showcasing some of these films over the next few weeks.

Explore. Enjoy. Share www.25voices.org