M84MC Coursework (Group Project)

This module M84MC – Applied Communication, focuses on six areas of activism and amongst the six is Environmental Activism. Our group considered environmental right because of our interest in environmental issues. We found a UK-based environmental right activist group, which interest is on tree protection and did a study on their activities. This analytic report highlights our findings and recommendations.

Our analytic report is divided into two sections. In the first section, we present the views of some theorists on the definition and history of environment. Theories backing this subject have been included to give voice to our report. Then, the case study on Coventry Tree Warden Network is presented from their profile, campaigns, challenges, prospects and our recommendations.

 In the second section (coursework two), we examined the theme of our study on our various countries – Nigeria, India, China and Ghana. With the case studies in our respective countries, we did a comparison with our findings in the Coventry Tree Warden Network.

Our report could be viewed here: M84MC Project on Environmental Right Activism

 

L-R: Victor Banigo, Ruqy Alhassan, Ankita Roy and Fei Chen

Post Photography Project

As part of the requirement for my Post Photography module, I undertook an independent project by practicing what I learnt from my tutor Jonathan Worth and other professional photographers. It was exciting choosing an appropriate topic, negotiating with those included in the study, photographing them, conducting an interview, preparing the photo essay and writing a narrative.

Titled “The Water Fountain and its Visitors” the project is about the regular visitors to a water fountain at the City Centre, Coventry. During the project, I had an interesting discussion with one of the visitors to the water fountain – Ucheowaji Ogbologugo, a PhD research student in Coventry University. The outcome of the discussion is presented in a storytelling format. The project which is in pdf is attached here: Victor Banigo Project on Fountain.

It is advised to study the review on this project (see Post Photography Project Review on this blog) as to understand the rationale behind the study. I will appreciate your comments on: banigov@uni.coventry.ac.uk or sirvicbans@gmail.com.

Post Photography Project Review

My Post Photography Project Review is on this attached pdf file:

Banigo Victor Gordon Post Photography Review

Appendix A: Post Photography Project Appendix A

Appendix B: Post Photography Project Appendix B Journey to CU

Appendix C: Post Photography Project Appendix C Loss of Camera

Appendix D: Appendix D

Appendix E: Appendix E

Summary of Class Sessions

This link is the summary of class sessions from week one to week eight:

Victor Banigo Post Photography Class Sessions

After Photography – “Into the Digital”

After Photography – Fred Ritchin

Summary of Chapter One – “Into the Digital”

By Victor G. Banigo

“Photography is a reflection of the societies that have spawned and embrace it.” Ritchin is saying that photographs show our unnoticed real world to us. However, we have to accept photographs for them to make meaning to us.

Ritchin described photography as “powerful instigator” which I think means that a photograph can set an agenda and raise rational discourse.

Ritchin emphasized that the digital age has introduced the “Digital revolution”, where the media brings our past experiences in a new form popularly called the new media, social media and open media.

Ritchin gives examples of how digital devices are given names from nature and our daily utilities – like “apple, mouse, web, windows, word, firefox…”

The poetic author in describing the analog system quoted one MIT Psychologist Sherry Turkle, who observed that the ancient Desktop produced by Macintosh was not user friendly. In the same vein, Ritchin highlighted the view of another writer, Umberto Eco who ridiculed the analog system as a step-by-step to salvation process with the MS-DOS like the Protestant group while Windows took the Anglican-style schism.

The digital system has created an evolution in the media as Ritchin highlighted some of the features of the digital media:

• Leverage abstraction – reveals everything we see in a photograph or movie.
• Nonlinearity – is the behavior of a circuit, particularly an amplifier, in which the output signal strength does not vary in direct proportion to the input signal strength.
• Circumvention of nature
• Stimulates new philosophies of life
• Translate everything into data
• Images can be output as music
• Music can be turned into text
• Sounds can be mixed to produce different sound
• Playing with data – change format
• Architecture of infinitely repeatable abstractions – original and copy are the same and as such, the original loses its meaning. (During our enrolment, our documents were scanned and we were told that if we misplace our originals, we can come and make another original from what was scanned.
• Changing / reshuffling of books, movies, photographs sequence
• Right to “Consumer choice”
• Photographic act – omnipresent communication strategy: you can take a photograph and print it immediately.
• Introduction of Webcams – Live telephone conversation
• Introduction of Satellite – Live broadcast via the internet

Despite these features, Ritchin quoted Microsoft executive Linda Stone who described text messages and e-mails as “continuous partial attention”. I think she is correct because most of us spend hours reading and replying messages. Moreover, it is a challenge to some couple as they do not have time for their marital responsibilities.

Ritchin compares automobile to photograph as he says that photograph creates new realities making us view the world as photographic. An example of my study of the photographic world is the “Unphotographable” by Michael David Murphy.

However, Ritchin quoted a sculptor Alberto Giacometti who 40 years ago did not see the world as photographic: “My view of the world was a photographic view, like I believe that it is for almost everybody, no?… One never sees things, one always see them through a screen.”

Concluding, Ritchin stated “Once the world has been photographed it is never again the same” which I think implies the art of distortion through photography.

From Port Harcourt International Airport to Coventry

I left my home at about 3.40 pm on Sunday 11th January 2015, in company of my friend, Ebuka to one of my fathers-in-the-Lord house at Agip Estate, to be assisted by his son Obelem, who I had earlier arrange to escort me to the airport and bring back my car to my house. Obelem was more familiar with the route to airport, so I asked him to drive and he accepted. We arrived Port Harcourt International Airport about 5 pm. I came down with my luggage and bid them farewell.

I entered through the departure gate and met a long queue of passengers checking in for Lufthansa Airline, so I joined the queue. When it got to my turn to be checked, I was told that I had excess luggage and was advised to transfer the stuff in one of the bags to the other two. I agreed and had to lose one of the bags, though it was empty. I was screened by an officer at the Immigration Centre and cleared. I went to the airline counter, checked in and moved to the luggage screening area. My luggage was screened and I moved to the departure room to wait for the departure time – 9 pm. Just before I entered the departure room, I was screen again by another immigration officer and was allowed into the room. At 9 pm, we were called for boarding. The airline officials took about an hour to screen us one after the other; we were searched, and our hand luggage were searched too.

We left Port Harcourt International Airport at about 10 pm, one hour later than the flight schedule. We stopped over at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and picked other passengers. The exercise took another 1 hour 30 minutes. After the boarding at Lagos, we left for Frankfurt.

Airline operators are distinguished by how they keep to flight schedule, the neatness of their flight, the care and overall service given to passengers. For Lufthansa, my flight was delayed in Port Harcourt for 1 hour and in Lagos, 1 hour 30 minutes. Perhaps, this was as a result of the screening and checking of hand luggage.

The service given to us by the flight attendants was superb. From Port Harcourt International Airport to Lagos, we were served snacks, juice and water. Thirty minutes after takeoff from Lagos, we were served dinner. The meal had spaghetti, salad, fruits and cake. We had variety of drinks: soft drinks, red and white wine and fruit juice. At about 5 am, we were served breakfast – snacks with tea.

I appreciated the things provided by the airline to make our journey interesting. Each of the seats had a blanket and a pillow. Headphones were passed round for those who care to listen to music or watch a movie. Of course, there was a DVD player in front of each seat.

By the grace of God, we arrived Frankfurt Airport at 6.30 am. Frankfurt was not my last destination, so I looked for Lufthansa counter and booked for Birmingham. The flight was scheduled for 11.55 am. We boarded at 11.45 am and took-off 12.20 pm. I do not want to compare the flight schedule takeoff at Port Harcourt, Lagos and in Frankfurt. However, I think that we all – blacks, white; Africans, Americans, Europeans, Asians, and every other human being created by God, should be treated fairly and equally.

We arrived Birmingham Airport at 1.00 pm and I went through the immigration checking formalities. I was checked and cleared by a female British Immigration Officer and headed for my luggage. I boarded a taxi for a fee of 32 pounds. The driver brought me to the Students Centre of Coventry University.

By Victor G. Banigo

My definition of PR

Public Relations is the act of building friendship and maintaining the relationsip through quality service delivery that will lead to cheap or free publicity.