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Bongani Ndlovu in PLUMTREE
IT is like coming home every day to your favourite meal lovingly prepared by your mother!
This is how the overjoyed Bukalanga Community in the Plumtree area of Matabeleland South has described the coming on air of Radio Bukalanga, which they said will help to preserve their language and culture.
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere yesterday officially commissioned the community radio station that broadcasts in indigenous languages with the bulk of programmes, up to 70 percent, in the local Tjikalanga Language.
The Plumtree Town Council gave the radio station a facility that was used as a country club and Radio Bukalanga turned it into studios. Dr Muswere toured the facility with his Permanent Secretary Mr Nick Mangwana alongside various Government officials. He was interviewed by station manager Yvonne Tjedu Buzwane.
Radio Bukalanga is now working on sprucing up the place and plans are afoot to complete the construction of a recording studio. The radio station started broadcasting earlier this year.
There is a reception area where one is attended to and there is a newsroom area where volunteer reporters from the community work from.
Residents told our Bulawayo Bureau that Radio Bukalanga is not just a community radio station in Plumtree town, but it represents the preservation of culture, heritage, history, and the pride of an ethnic group that is situated there.
“It is a day that will be forever etched in the hearts and minds of the community. We have come out to witness the auspicious occasion to confirm that indeed Radio Bukalanga is here to stay,” said an overjoyed elderly man.
“Listening to the radio in your mother tongue is like a breath of fresh air. It is like coming home every day to your favourite meal lovingly prepared by your mother.”
In support, various media houses had their radio stations; with all Zimpapers radio stations present as well as ZBC’s Khulumani FM. Other community radio stations from Matabeleland South such as Ntepe Manama Community Radio Station and Lotsha FM from Beitbridge.
Zimpapers Group Chief Executive Officer Mr Pikirayi Deketeke led a strong team that included Chronicle Editor Mr Lawson Mabhena, Sunday News Editor Mr Limukani Ncube, Capitalk Station manager Ms Nyaradzo Makombe and group public relations manager Mrs Paulline Matanda.
Various Government departments such as the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe, Transmedia and Zimbabwe Media Commission also joined hands with the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services.
The community spoke with pride and joy about the radio station saying it was an embodiment of their existence and will help preserve their culture.
For Ms Julia Nsingo, she thought her children would grow up not knowing how to speak Tjikalanga, but Radio Bukalanga came at the right time.
“This radio has made us happy and proud and it will help us, especially our children. For our generation they were kalangas born and bred here and we realised that when we grew up my parents spoke Kalanga, but for some of us we didn’t learn the language as at school we learnt IsiNdebele. Now my children will be able to learn Kalanga through the radio station,” said Ms Nsingo.
Ms Katherine Mthethwa said it was a proud day for the Kalanga people to have a radio station that represents their language and culture.
“We feel honoured and proud that we have a radio station of our own. This is a great day for us as the Kalanga people. The language of our forefathers is being made important and this will help our children and grandchildren will be able to speak the language,” said Ms Mthethwa.
Miss Thandeka Nkomo (18) said the youth have been learning a lot from the radio station.
“This radio station will enable us as the youth to know our culture, heritage and history. It keeps us abreast of current affairs and issues that affect the community. We are learning a lot as youth and we hope this radio station will continue for future generations,” said Miss Nkomo.
Mr Tjidzanani Malaba, who was representing the Tjikalanga Language and Cultural Development Association, said this was a fulfilment of a long-held desire to preserve the language.
“This is a wonderful and perfect day we have been looking forward to as the Kalanga people. It has always been our desire as a people to learn the language as the only way we could learn the language is the school and the media. So we are happy that one of the major ways to learn the language is here today,” said Mr Malaba.
He said Radio Bukalanga would bridge the culture gap between the old and young.
“We didn’t know how we could have celebrated until now with Radio Bukalanga. It is our hope that the radio will be transformative and it will reach more parents who have no appreciation of the language some of them do not even know the language.
“The radio will play a mediatory role, that mothers and fathers couldn’t play and perhaps was played by their grandparents and now they can’t do it for their children. We believe it will bridge that gap going forward,” said Mr Malaba.
He said community initiatives will be broadcast effectively to the people. Ms Oglady Ncube, Radio Bukalanga Board Secretary said the radio station will help develop the area and the province.
“It has been a long way coming and we are over the moon that this day has finally come. We are happy that now our language, culture and the whole province as this radio station will help us develop by giving our people information about various issues like farming and assist our schools in educating our children with the language,” said Ms Ncube.
Zimpapers group chief executive officer Mr Deketeke said the media’s presence was a way to give back to the community.
“As a way of giving back and making sure that the media continues to grow in this country we found it necessary that we support as many start-ups as possible and that our children that are going into journalism school have opportunities to be able to participate in media as careers,” said Mr Deketeke.
He said there is a lot of business around community radio stations, and it was important to identify and streamline them.
“We believe that radio can make money and radio is a business. There are businesses around these radio stations, like mining, farming, and let alone retail. The issue is really how to get organised, there are some advertising dollars that are coming in there are some CSR projects that can be done,” said Mr Deketeke.
He said Zimpapers was present to help community radio stations in any way, be it with training or tools at their disposal.
In his remarks at the official opening, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Dr Jenfan Muswere, said the radio station is in line with media reforms by the Second Republic.
“These are part of the projects that have been brought to success by the New Dispensation. They have been brought about by the reforms in the media industry, which also include the legislative and regulatory side of reforms by bringing on board several new radio players,” said Dr Muswere.
He said community radio stations were a clear testimony to the Government’s commitment to having heritage-based Broadcasting Services across the country.
“The licensing framework is to make sure that we are in a position to support our local languages, our rich language heritage, information Publicity and Broadcasting Services by decentralising and devolving these across all districts.
“Radio Bukalanga will be in a position to broadcast its content in their local language and take care of Bulilima, Mangwe and Matobo district. This dovetails with our agenda that an informed nation, a knowledgeable district, is very important for nation building,” said Dr Muswere.
He said the radio station will be integral to the dissemination of information.
“In importance, is the utilisation of radio services, because we believe radio station is an economy. The President introduced various economic empowerment programmes for women, men and youth.
“The radio station should be utilised to support our sovereignty as a nation. It should be utilised to inform to educate and entertain Zimbabweans and the rest of the world. It should be utilised to economically empower Zimbabweans across all provinces,” said Dr Muswere.
“The radio station should be used to inform and educate our parents about health issues, climate change and about the negative effects of sanctions that have been imposed on the country by our former colonial masters.”
Dr Muswere said the media is also there to inform the people of Government initiatives taken under the leadership of President Mnangagwa.
“This is to support our sovereignty, to support our self-determination and to fulfil the objectives of the liberation struggle and to support our President’s mantra of ‘Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo.’
“To support our right to determine our future because we are masters of our destiny. Yes, election observers were invited to observe elections in Zimbabwe, full stop it ends there. The right to determine who should be in office is the right of Zimbabweans. These were the objectives of the liberation struggle to ensure that there is one man one vote. This one of the objectives of the liberation struggle to ensure that Zimbabwe becomes and sovereignty state with the right of self-determination. With the right to support, protect to advance and to defend the rights and interests of Zimbabwe,” said Dr Muswere.
Radio Bukalanga is one of 14 community radio stations that were licensed by the Second Republic.
Seven of the community radio stations are in Matabeleland North and South provinces.
Radio Bukalanga is situated in Plumtree Town and broadcasts in TjiKalanga within a 40KM radius.
The seven community radio stations are Radio Bukalanga (Pvt) Ltd (Bulilima), Matobo Community Radio Trust (Maphisa, Mangwe Brunapeg); Twasumbuka Community Radio Trust (Binga, Kamativi and Siabuwa); Mbembesi Development Trust, trading as, Ingqanga FM; Ntepe Manama Community Radio Trust; Shashe Community Radio Broadcasting Association which covers Beitbridge and Shashe; and Lyeja-Nyayi Development Trust that covers Hwange and Victoria Falls have been licensed in Matabeleland region.
Online Reporter