Online Reporter
Sunday Mail Reporter
CONTENT creators should have the freedom to use multiple languages and tell the full Zimbabwe story, as they tap into the US$10 million set aside for the creative industry, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere has said.
Zimbabwe has 16 official languages, which are English, Shona, Ndebele, Shangani, Sotho, Venda, Kalanga, Nambya, Chewa, Sign Language, Tonga, Chibarwe, Ndau, Tswana, Koisan and Xhosa.
Most content creators tend to focus on the three mostly spoken languages – English, Shona and Ndebele.
The Government has set aside US$10 million for local content creation as part of a major drive to expand television and radio services.
Speaking at an engagement forum with content creators in Bulawayo on Thursday last week, Dr Muswere said:
“We do not want everyone to participate in English; we want everyone to participate in any of the recognised national languages. We want to see a drama in Venda, Ndau, Kalanga, and we also want to be able to have cartoons in Tshangani and IsiNdebele, that is who we are.
“We did both policy, entrepreneurial and development strategies in order to grow the public broadcaster. So, now, the money is there that we have generated.
“For last year alone, more than US$50 million was generated from both marketing and advertising as well as licence fees.
“Now is the opportunity for you to be able to participate.”
Dr Muswere emphasised that content must cater for all ages and be relevant for each group.
Funding, he said, will be provided to support productions in national languages that tell a true Zimbabwean story.
“Broadcasting as an ecosystem is very key as it is the catalyst that is going to drive macro-economic growth in all sectors of the economy,” he said.
“As we journey towards an upper middle-income society, the public broadcaster`s mandate is to inform, educate and also entertain the nation and the globe about what is taking place in Zimbabwe based on facts and ethics.
“This workshop should be able to become the yardstick that is going to set up the framework in order for the public broadcaster to be able to finalise both the technical and content production in order to set up ZBCTV 2.
“But for us to be able to achieve the second station, we need the content and the content has to come from all of you as Zimbabweans.”
Dr Muswere said contributing content that honours national heritage, informs on news and current affairs, encourages tourism and direct investment and documents the accomplishments of the Second Republic is a universal responsibility.
Noting that promoting creatives is a key pillar under the National Development Strategy 2, Dr Muswere said his Ministry is committed to prioritising growth of the digital economy, youth empowerment and job creation.
He highlighted plans to establish production hubs in all 10 provinces, a move intended to decentralise content creation and ensure wider national representation.
Limit English in all public broadcasting. ZBC-TV sounds like a foreign broadcast with presenters trying so hard to sound like people from Yorkshire England. Most of the local channels are so irritating and programs are anchored by youths who not only can’t speak vernacular but also battle to speak good English.