Sundaymail Editor
Larry Kwirirayi
A few days ago, we came across a Twitter account called Zimpapers Knowledge Centre. In its bio, it reads: “Newspaper archive/Information resource centre. Content from 1891-present. Photographs and categorised newspaper articles.”
These are articles from the Rhodesia Herald and its successor, The Herald, as we know it. Add associated titles such as The Chronicle, The Sunday Mail, Sunday News and H-Metro, and the well of knowledge that we have come across since we started following it is pretty awesome.
It has images of when the late Queen Elizabeth II visited Great Zimbabwe in 1991; the late nationalist and then editor-in-chief of the African Newspapers, Nathan Shamuyarira, appearing in court in 1962 for not revealing sources.
He would win the case.
It also has pictures of revolutionary and nationalist Chief Rekayi Tangwena arriving at the Salisbury Central Police Station over a warrant of arrest in 1972.
Then there is the picture of King Lobengula’s daughter Sigxobozelo Khumalo with her two grandchildren, published on April 24, 1968.
Caught our interest
One that caught our interest a lot was a notice in 1932 of a wireless test for radio.
The May 11 notice said there would be a test on May 21. An earlier test had been done, but the 21st would see the first time a broadcast would be heard in “the Colony”.
The earlier had “gramophone music” and some people felt the “announcer had been speaking too loud and quickly”.
Some things never change!
Radio would finally start in 1933, based in Belvedere, Salisbury, now Harare, for guidance and weather reports.
It was in 1941 that a professional radio service was introduced.
Two were established, the Southern Rhodesia Broadcasting Service (SRBS) for the white population and the Central African Broadcasting Station (CABS) for Africans in Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia; and Nyasaland, now Malawi; as well as Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe.
We are really excited about this because it gives a sense of a people with a history.
For those with a sense of history, a whole new world is available at the Zimpapers centre. It means a lot.
Larry Kwirirayi (@kwirirayi) is a blogger with 3-mob.com
Online Reporter