The Rhetoric of Africa

Writing History for Trans World Radio (TWR)

Brooke Halteman

Setting:
Geographical Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
Socio-economic Characteristics: High crime rate,
corrupt authority, emerging nation
Specific Location: TWRs African Regional Office
Characters:
American Journalist Intern (Brooke Halteman)
Team of Graphic Designers and Videographers
Villagers in Swaziland
Plot:
The American journalist intern travels to Johannesburg to
th
create a 40 anniversary book for TWR, the worlds
largest Christian radio station. While she is there, she
learns about the foreign culture and the audience she will
be writing for in her publications. Through extensive
research and interviews with TWR staff and villagers in
Swaziland, the journalist decides on which events in
TWRs history have been the most impactful and have
made the greatest impression on people involved with the
radio station. Using this information, the journalist
rhetorically composes several articles and a final book to
be distributed to TWR donors and listeners.

In the past, most

TWR publications
revolved around
getting facts out to the
public. But as I was
reading through fact
after repeated fact, I
realized that I wanted
to make my history
booklet more engaging
and different than
previous publications,
so I started looking for
information that could
be written in the form
of a story.
- An excerpt from my final
internship evaluation

The Story in History

Making research enjoyable to read

Sift through old TWR
magazines, brochures, and
newsletters from the past 40
years and conduct interviews

Find trends in historic

documents that focus on
stories rather than
technical advances

Decide on the most

important, captivating
events of TWR-Africas
40 year history

Construct a good ratio of

both factual and story-like
information to make an
effective history booklet

These images from my trip to

Swaziland illustrate my work with
an interpreter, the villagers I
interviewed, my experience
learning about traditional customs,
and a blind man with his teenage
interpreter.

About 1,000 copies printed

and distributed in Africa and
beyond, as well as an online
PDF available