Annual festival - meeting the people
It is festival time again. From Friday 27th until Sunday the 29th of September 2002, the Voice of the Cape will be having its annual Spring Festival. This event is regarded as the station's biggest community outreach program, which has since 1996 consistently drawn between 50,000 and 60,000 people at the Greenpoint Stadium in Cape Town.
The sole purpose of the festival is to meet listeners, promote local business, highlight cultural activities and entertain the masses in an Islamic environment. At the same time, the station gives back to the community. 20% of VOC's profit is donated to deserving charities, while up to 20 community organisations use the festival to raise much-needed funds for themselves.
The festival, which has become a focal point on the Muslim community's calendar, is also increasingly attracting tourists interested in a unique cultural experience.

Meeting the people	Fun in the sun

60,000 coming en masse	Giving to those in need

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Volunteer program brings new voices to VOC

One of the ways that VOC empowers the community is by giving those with an interest in broadcasting the opportunity to discover and hone their skills.

Volunteer training has been gradually explored over the past two years. The introduction of VOC's Nightshift and the institution of VOC's 12 community forums allowed raw novices with a passion for radio access to this medium

Since then, the station annually launches a volunteer drive to draw people interested in the world of broadcasting. This includes exposure to news, advertising, presenting and technical skills. Successful volunteers are absorbed into the station's support structure.

CONTINUOUS TRAINING - To stay current with a fast developing industry, VOC's staff also constantly undergo training. Seen here with American broadcast specialist, Terry Fitzpatrick (centre) are senior reporter, Warda Sampson, German interns Phillip Wittrock, Nicola Jantzen and volunteer, Nizaam Booley.

Volunteer application form:

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On the Move

At VOC's birth, it used studios at the Waterfront and offices in Riebeeck Street, Cape Town. Later the station moved to Jamieson Street, where a need for new premises and equipment motivated VOC to embark on a pledge drive among its listeners. The three-week appeal allowed the station to move to its present location in Main Road, Salt River.

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Web site competition

With 20 days to go before VOC launches its website, the station has launched a competition to engage prospective graphic artists in the community. The search for an offbeat, animated character that would not only represent the ethos of the station, but also come up with funny quips on a weekly basis, kicked off this morning. The competition is open to people of all ages, irrespective of their training and carries a prize of a R2000 investment in a Shariah compliant unit trust. Entrants must be able to draw the cartoon character in 10 different moods measuring 3 by 4cm. While entries would be welcomed if it is faxed to VOC at 021-4477271 or hand delivered to VOC at 2 Queenspark Rd Salt river, entries that are emailed to mzk@mweb.co.za as image files in giff format would have preference. It is also advisable that prospective entrants have a working knowledge of macromedia flash. The competition closes on September 23 and the winner will be announced on the last day of VOC’s annual festival on September 29. More details are available at 44774089.

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VOC Women’s Network – Giving a Voice to Women

When VOC's Women's Network came into being in May 2000, it was with the intention of bringing women into the world of broadcasting in a more meaningful way. The aim was to make a difference and to assist women of all races and cultures who are in need, not just those in underprivileged areas, but also ordinary women who lack support.

This led the group into launching several social involvement projects in poor areas like Ruyterwacht, Garden Village, Athlone and the townships, to the benefit of various organisations like Habibia Orphanage, District Shelter and Ruyterwacht Women's Forum. But more meaningful then that, was the Network's role in organising workshops for women, like one which looked at establishing much-needed support groups for women.

The Network is a key element of VOC's annual Spring Festival when they operate a Tea Garden with great success. Last year, their takings from this festival allowed the Network to send one Muslim revert from Transkei on haj.

Even though the females who initially started this organisation are Muslim it is not only for Muslims, ladies of all cultures are welcome to join them on a mission to empower themselves through networking, skills transfer and spiritual upliftment. Their vision is to raise awareness and actively pursue options to promote solutions on women's issues.

Helping others to help themselves: Women had lots to say at a workshop organised by the VOC Women's Network about establishing support groups for women. Here participants give rise to their concerns.

Food for thought: The Tea Garden is one of the main attractions at the annual VOC Spring Festival. Operated by the Network, these women helped to make one woman's dream of going on haj

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Prison broadcast

VOC breaks new frontier with first live prison broadcast

September first will be a busy day for VOC when the station breaks new ground on two fronts. On the same day that the station celebrates its 7th anniversary and launches this web site, VOC will be doing its very first live broadcast from inside a prison. The broadcast follows the success of the station's weekly program dedicated to prisoners, Prisoner's Hour.

"This program was so well received by prisoners that they had made numerous requests to meet the staff members who had dedicated airtime to them. This is why we decided to go to them and find out more about what life in prison is like," says VOC's Administration and Programming Manager.

The broadcast at Paardeberg Prison in Paarl took months of negotiations with prison authorities and is another first for the station who was also the first to do a live radio broadcast from Robben Island a few years ago.

The program starts at 8 am and ends three hours later. During the broadcast, presenters Yusuf Fisher, Yusuf Gaidien, Ismail Jacobs and Munadia Karaan will meet prisoners, interact with them and authorities in order to find out about their experiences and the routines in prison.

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Voice training

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