All a journalist needs is access. But this can be hard to come by. For Johnny Miller, drones have transformed the way he tells stories. He has used them to report on social inequalities around the world in his project Unequal Scenes. Now, Miller is empowering people across Africa to access drone technology and take their journalism to new heights.
Together with Code For Africa, Miller founded africanDRONE, a non-profit sharing technological knowledge throughout the continent. By creating open networks, Miller empowers journalists and activists to use drones to gain information and report on social issues. Drones give people entry into spaces that may be too dangerous, difficult to reach, or restricted. “Our core mission is to get African drone pilots the resources that they need to do their jobs more effectively,” Miller says.
This initiative is not only upskilling Africa’s journalists, but also giving citizens powerful insight into their world. Miller and his team provide piloting instruction and support drone mapping activities. With the use of drones, people have been able to study flood resilience in Tanzania, and aid disaster management efforts in Kenya. “I believe drones are democratising technology, and they can change our perspective,” Miller says. “They don’t have to divide us.”
Footage by africanDRONE was used in the creation of this film.
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