TV offers exciting programmes

screen for long watching channel after channel.
This has become a part of me and when I watch television I see so many exciting things. I wonder if people follow TV as much as I do.

But judging from the feedback I got from viewers, I guess there are many out there who like me, enjoy watching television.
Don’t you just love to watch documentaries, well I do. July 1 is the day Zimbabweans commemorate the life of veteran nationalist Dr Joshua Nkomo, who was affectionately known as Father Zimbabwe.
ZBCTV as well as radio stations did well in remembering the gallant freedom fighter.

For those who watched the documentary on Father Zimbabwe on ZBCTV I am sure you learnt a thing or two about this great son of the soil.
And on Sunday, the BBC Knowledge programme called “Lost Kingdoms of Africa” had a special treat for Zimbabweans through their historian and presenter Dr Gus Casley-Hayford.
On that programme he featured Great Zimbabwe which he described as “the mythical city fortress built of stone” and “Africa’s eldorado”.

In that documentary, Casley-Hayford began his journey from Kilwa Kisiwani on the Swahili Coast where people used to trade in gold, spices, beads and porcelain with traders from India, Portuguese as well as the Middle East
From Swahili Coast he then went to Manyikeni in Mozambique enroute to Great Zimbabwe.

He also gave snippets of Mapungubwe in Limpopo Province, South Africa a place also known as the golden kingdom and finally Great Zimbabwe.
A spiritual guide who performed the ritual sang the song “gore negore kusangana nezvimwe” as she conducted a traditional welcome ceremony.
Minutes later, Casley-Hayford and others toured Great Zimbabwe giving details of how trade was conducted and the social structures of the people who lived in that era.

However, in his analysis Casley-Hayford acknowledged that Great Zimbabwe was a gold kingdom, the capital, palace and bastion of southern African trade.
Unfortunately he then brought up the “mystery”. No professional archeologist, right from the first colonial British types to visit the area in the 1890s, has ever seen much mystery.
All have said it was obviously the local people at the time and place and, from the state of the walls in light of the technology used, probably a few hundred years ago. All that has happened since is greater precision over dating and the order of building within the complex, with the height of the centre in the 15th century, and more conclusions reached over its purpose and why it declined, almost certainly through

ecological collapse of the surrounding valley.
So there is little debate on who actually built Great Zimbabwe. However, Great Zimbabwe was and still is a symbol of great architectural geniuses of local people who built the fortress as a sign of wealth that was there at the time. BBC Knowledge channel on DStv makes for good family viewing as it takes you places where you’ve never been before. Just out of curiosity how many of you have been to Great Zimbabwe?
Movie of the Week

On AfricaMagic Plus they screened this interesting film called Pastor Jones, which I found relevant in this day and age. I say so because more Zimbabweans stung by economic hardships are turning to evangelical churches at the speed of light.

The film is about a young couple, which is on the brink of divorce. The wife turn to Pastor Jones (Jean-Claude Lamarre) for a place to stay and a job, but the pastor falls for her.
You should see how Pastor Jones manipulates the word to save his interests. Even though he did things with this desperate wife, he managed to convert people to follow Jesus Christ (May peace be upon him).
I understand there is one Pastor who is doing exactly that and perhaps it won’t be long before the net closes in on him. We will keep you posted.

Just to break the monotony of movies and documentaries I also watched MTV Base’s music programme called Beyonce – Year of “4” Album.
Wham, I now know why Beyonce who is married to rap mogul Jay Z always gets fans eating out of her palms. The lady is hot and a workaholic too.
Perhaps what I enjoyed most was the video shoot of her latest single titled “Run The World (Girls)”.

It was a special feature on Beyonce giving insightful glimpse as to what makes her tick.
Believe it or not, Beyonce is phenomenal and she’s putting women on the forefront like no other artiste. One thing that sort of struck me was that she went out of her way to ensure that her new video came out, as she wanted it.

So in that video shoot she really wanted to try out one dance move that she had seen on YouTube by Mozambicans of the tofotofo fame.
What struck me most was that even the most talented of choreographers in the United States couldn’t dance exactly as the guys from Mozambique until Beyonce decided to fly the group to the US.
After four months of searching, her team finally found the group and was subsequently flown to feature in that video for just about 10 or so minutes.
I just wonder what Beyonce is planning on in her next video and who knows, maybe one day she will be thrilled by Alick Macheso’s Borrowdale or razorwire dances and feature Extrabasso in one of her videos.

E-mail of the Week
Thanks for your newspaper articles. When and what time does the Alice Makaya show flight?
She is a very good presenter, well groomed and she carries herself very well.

The main anchor on Good Morning Zimbabwe Tracy Sibanda is a bit pompous particularly when she is interviewing guests.
She needs to tone down a bit considering that most of the guests will be appearing on television probably for the first time and will be nervous and she always come out too strong.
Her dressing, make up and hairstyles need improvement. – From Jay.
[email protected]