By Kaiya Laguardia-Yonamine
In July, I spent five weeks at Joy News filming, editing, scripting, and finalizing features and short documentaries. My schedule was jam-packed with something new to do every day. And while I was there, one of them finally got published.
It was a feature story focusing on the writings on the back of trotros, Ghana’s most convenient and affordable mode of transportation. With the help of my supervisor and doc team, we made a quick segment interviewing drivers on their life stories and reasons for using windows to share these unique messages.
Feature below: “Talking Trotro” (Facebook link here)
To me, this was just a silly little video, but I didn’t realize the amount of traction or attention it would end up receiving from Joy’s audiences. Some of the engagement came from people simply seeing a new face on screen (and not knowing how to pronounce my name, haha). But as a whole, it was a fresh angle to something that many Ghanaian people see every day but never stop to think about. I’m glad I was able to use my curiosities to ultimately create a fresh angle and story, especially for something that is so commonly seen.
It was a fun time interviewing strangers and learning more about everyday workers in the process. I’m grateful to have filmed this piece that kick-started my internship and really set the tone for the rest of my time here at Joy.