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Mbulelo Mpofu, [email protected]
AFTER the European Union (EU), in collaboration with the Culture Fund of Zimbabwe Trust announced the awarding of grants to 42 exceptional projects by Zimbabwean artists as part of the first round of the Creative Actions II project in January, Eveline art student Musawenkosi Nyoni knew what her purpose was.
She was to take her love for Intellectual Property (IP) Rights advocacy to new levels after being granted funding to the tune of over US$9 000 under the Bulawayo IP School Clubs banner.
She curated a two-day IP workshop last week to highlight issues that bedevil creative minds and rob them of their financial rights and rightful recognition.
The Creative Actions II Project aligns fully with the Government of Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy 1 (NDS-1) and contributes to its implementation by funding innovative artistic and cultural expressions, empowering civil society, promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment as well as, providing training and skills development programmes for arts and culture practitioners.
Nyoni said the contempt and total disregard shown towards IP in Zimbabwe’s Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) prompted her to establish the Eveline High School IP School Club last year.
“I realised that with wanton piracy in the book industry and copyright infringement in diverse IPs in the country, there is disrespect and it’s something that needs to be addressed. Many times, one sees the photocopying, plagiarising and production of counterfeits getting a head start, something that should be arrested.
“I then decided to be an advocate for IP rights and the better way in my capacity as a student was to establish an IP club at school and invite other students to join in.
“With the help of our patron, Gamelihlo Moyo, we have managed to raise awareness on IP issues and this workshop is one of the highlights of our journey as a student-run club,” Nyoni said, while thanking the sponsors for making the workshop a success.
From an initial 18-member group, the club now has 30 active members and is open to adding more.
Nyoni, an aspirant singer in her own right with Harvest House International’s Harvest Music, said she hopes curating such a workshop will serve as a reminder to other young people not to trample on other people’s copyrights, but rather, they be “soldiers in the battle to protect IP rights”.
At the seminar, Mpopoma, Pumula, Founders, Northlea, Mzilikazi and Gifford High Schools were well represented.
To help them articulate IP issues, Nyoni, who is the club’s president, invited veteran playwright Raisedon Baya, thespian Lady Tshawe, Gift Charuvinga and Alex Mangoro to furnish learners on the importance of protecting patents, utility models, industrial designs, trademarks, geographical indications, traditional knowledge and expressions of folklore, new plant varieties as well as copyright and how to set up a functional student-led club.
The seminar also prepared the schools for the upcoming IP School competition slated for the end of September or early October. – @MbuleloMpofu
Online Reporter