The Sunday News
SCHOLARS and critiques concur that of all popular media, television illustrates the power of mass communication to inform, educate and influence the public. Television is thus, one of the most powerful forces on the planet and “over the last 20 years, satellites, digital technology and the internet have all made more TV channels than ever available — bringing us comedy, drama, documentaries, reality shows, chat shows and 24-hour news.”
While some people may deny that power, saying television is just for “entertainment,” it is obvious that both adults and children learn a great deal from watching television, and it therefore follows that authorities must have a keen interest on what their people watch. For Africa, it has been accepted roundly that the future of African television lies in the provision of content that is not only relevant to our viewers but representative of our culture. That way, we then counter cultural imperialism, and also tell stories in our own narrative choices which help us mould the young the way we desire as Africans and also protect our culture from corruption by Western ideologies.
As Zimbabwe prepares to migrate from analogue to digital broadcast technology, we note that a lot of effort has been made to bring independent content producers and film makers on board so that they are in a position to provide the content that is truly Zimbabwean. In that score, job opportunities are going to be availed to thousands of Zimbabweans and we believe in the long run, digitilisation will have a positive impact on the country’s economy.
We also applaud the Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services for setting in motion plans to set up a regional television channel in Harare which will services Sadc countries, promoting the cultural ethos of member states. This will help reduce exposure to Western content, which leads to cultural imperialism.
The Minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, Dr Christopher Mushohwe, said the station will be hosted by member states on rotational basis.
“This is in line with our ethos as the Sadc region. As a block we should be able to tell our story and the television station will present each member with such an opportunity as we seek to have a wholesome integration among member states as Africans.”
Upon completion of the digitilisation project the country’s flagship broadcaster, ZBC will have six high definition channels with the other six channels reserved for independent producers. In addition, there will be 48 transmitter sites throughout the country for all provinces to have easy access to transmission. We applaud the ministry for its efforts in travelling the length and breadth of the country to sell the digitilisation story so that once the new era starts, everyone is on the same page.
