Behind the Scenes of Friday Night Reflections

A few people appeared on screen, but the show was produced by “an army of volunteers,” explains co-creator Ashif Jivraj. As national lead for photo, video and digital broadcasting for the Aga Khan Council for Canada, Jivraj brought knowledge and technical expertise from working in and teaching media production at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. 

"We're sitting behind the computer screen and we think we're doing a little show, [but] we can have quite a bit of impact," Jivraj said. “I'm deeply humbled by the opportunity to create something that can help join the Jamat and hopefully bridge that gap of loneliness so people aren't feeling as isolated.”

From writing to translating to editing, at least 20 volunteers would spend over 200 hours producing each show. Production began with a team meeting every Saturday to review the previous night’s broadcast and decide on the upcoming show’s themes. Topics have included the work of the AKDN, being an ambassador of Islam, devotional expressions, questions on COVID vaccines and pluralism.

Next, the team gathered content such as COVID-19 updates, recordings of His Highness the Aga Khan’s speeches, devotional music videos and messages from national leadership. The team also coordinated theme-specific interviews between guests, ranging from doctors to politicians to business leaders to celebrities, and the host (often an Ismaili journalist). Interviews happened on Zoom but, for optimal video quality, everyone simultaneously recorded themselves on their phones. For my set-up, I sat on my couch and prop my iPhone on a stack of books and a guitar amp for the perfect angle. In post-production, editors sliced, diced and tweaked to achieve an optimal broadcast.

By Tuesday, the raw content was ready. Next, volunteers created French subtitles, a Farsi voice-over and an American Sign Language translation to encourage inclusion.

Farah Ladha, a registered sign language interpreter, was a consistent, bright face in the corner of the digital broadcasts. She spent around 15 hours translating segments each week. Signs vary regionally, so she would contemplate how best to present the content.

“I watch the [videos] at least three or four times... pick up words that I don't know... and research terminology,” Ladha said. Word about sign language translation spread and members of the global Ismaili Deaf community tuned in regularly, Ladha added.

Then, the team moved on to the final edit. This process varied each week. If there were last-minute updates or technological mishaps, the team might finish just 30 minutes before showtime. Come Friday evening, the show was live-streamed in homes across the country and the world, connecting the Canadian Jamat from coast to coast along with viewers from over 40 countries around the globe.