ZoeBaraka has been a storyteller her entire life, and now she is training the next generation of storytellers: students who are studying digital media at International Covenant College in Kigali, Rwanda.
VIDEO SCRIPT
Reporter: [00:00:00] In East Africa, storytelling has a rich history. Today, next generation storytellers are using digital media technology. Students who want to tell stories with a Christian message are studying at the newly reopened International Covenant College in Kigali, Rwanda. ZoeBaraka is a member of the faculty.
ZoeBaraka: I teach introduction to script writing, and I was assisting, uh, for digital storytelling, which is a course under the DMT program at ICC. I was born as storyteller. It just came to me naturally and now I get to impact students as well, uh, teaching them how to write scripts and how to find stories around them, and I consider myself very lucky to be able to do that.
Reporter: The intensive applied course in digital storytelling allows students to learn from visiting media professionals and to combine that knowledge with hands-on experience.
ZoeBaraka: Honestly, at the end of the two [00:01:00] weeks that we got together, I could see budding filmmakers and script writers, and screenwriter and editors actually coming out of that group.
Reporter: Zoe and her colleague Richard, work closely with the students to help them develop professional skills while staying true to their Christian faith.
ZoeBaraka: As a lecturer, I saw him work and you can tell he’d done this for a very long time. My impression is Rwanda is very fertile ground and Richard is one of the people that’s very actively watering the ground.
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Reporter: In addition to working in digital media, Zoe does voiceover work and has developed an unusual podcast thanks to the help of artificial intelligence.
Binky: Hi, I’m Binky, your resident baby podcaster with Tiny Talks.
ZoeBaraka: But I remember going on chat GPT and saying to chat, I uploaded a picture of myself and I said, can you create a Pixar character of me?
Binky: It’s your favorite emotional support baby, [00:02:00] Binky the baby,
ZoeBaraka: and I said, I’m trying to create a podcast with a baby doing this and that and that. Suddenly I was giving out advice as freely as I wanted to, but using baby humor.
Reporter: Whether it is digital filmmaking or exploring the world of AI generated podcast characters, Zoe Baraka is helping the next generation of East African storytellers make a difference.
ZoeBaraka: I am ready for it, and I think it’s why I’m at ICC honestly, making sure that those who go out there who are well equipped and well trained in storytelling, digital media and communication, in the Christian sense of it will have all that they need to be able to grab the territory that, uh, seems to have been dormant for a very long time now.
Reporter: In Kigali, Rwanda, I’m Sam Ebersole, reporting for Global News Alliance.
People Interviewed and their Titles
ZoeBaraka Akom Stanely, faculty, International Covenant College
Recording Location
Kigali, Rwanda
Organization featured in this Story
International Covenant College
Reporter/Producer for the story
Sam Ebersole
Producing Organization
GNA
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