Arts views with Thabani H Moyo
THE Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) has announced that it has approved six National Commercial Television Broadcasting Service Licences. The announcement has ignited excitement and celebrations across the country. The excitement is for various reasons. For some the announcement is a long overdue step that presents before them platforms where they will be able to share their stories. For a long time Zimbabwe has been presented as a mono-cultural society because of its reliance on one National Television Station. One television station is not enough for a multicultural society like Zimbabwe. This meant that some communities were not well represented when it came to prograOpenView channelsmming and the new development has to correct this anomaly.
Our story as Zimbabwe has been told from a single perspective and this has been very unhealthy and saw television audiences shifting to other options offered by DSTV and OpenView channels. There has been a lack of pluralism and cultural diversity and it is hoped that the new stations will address this limitation. Television is important in forming positive attitudes towards different ethnic groups and cultures. In the past we have had problems where one ethnic group had dominated others and this has seen many conflicts arising due to the issue of finding coverage space. It is hoped that new television stations will usher in pluralism and cultural diversity which are basic values of public communication.
One hopes that the new stations bring with them freedom of speech, freedom of expression, pluralism and cultural diversity. Freedom of expression in this case refers to telling stories using multisided images and narratives. This will eliminate bias and help in creating multiple attitudes. In the process we as a country will get rid of prejudices and negative biases that we have towards each other. Different streams of opinions that will be provided by new television stations will have to cultivate a culture of tolerance towards divergent views. The move to grant new broadcasting licences respects the fact that as a country we are made up of multiple audiences. Our viewership appetites and needs are as varied as we are as a country and so are our linguistic needs as different audiences.
It is a painful truth that the current situation where we have one Television station with a monopoly is not good and cannot create a health society. Under the current scenario we have unserved and underserved audiences by our national broadcaster. The unserved are those who have tried to find other alternative sources of getting television programming that suits their wants. The underserved are those of us who will switch to the national broadcaster to watch just one ‘program of interest.’ In most cases the unserved and underserved were the minorities of Zimbabwe. It is hoped that the new media diversity will come with it diversity of voices and editorial policies that will be at the service of television starved Zimbabweans.
The excitement that we see today is because of expectations. We expect variety in programming from new stations! We expect variety in genres of programs! We expect different and well-informed standpoints! We expect different views and orientations! As a country we have a reality. This reality has been told over and over again from one perspective. We expect the formation of multisided perspectives and images on the Zimbabwean reality. This is so because we are heading for plurality in access, control and imparting of information. The new stations present to us plurality of information from plural sources.
One expects that the new players in this area are very independent. This independence we expect to see in the production of content. Content will reflect editorial independence of the new television stations. Content producers must be excited because they are presented with new possibilities to realise their dreams. This is the time for content creators to grab the opportunity and exhibit their skills in this area. We await the day when these new stations will start broadcasting.
Thabani H Moyo writes in his own capacity. He is a writer and a Theatre Arts teacher.
