Back to Index

New Media: Same old regime politics: Resisting the repression of media freedom in Zimbabwe
Amanda Atwood and Bev Clark, Kubatana.net
October 2010

Download this document
- Word version (85KB)
- Acrobat PDF version (185KB)
If you do not have the free Acrobat reader on your computer, download it from the Adobe website by clicking here.

Presented at the New Media | Alternative Politics conference, Cambridge University Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities

Introduction

Some political scientists and social change activists have viewed new media and information communication technologies (ICTs) as having the power to transform organising, activism and politics. But this paper argues that even with these new tools, activists, political parties and individuals are still faced with many of the challenges of the "same old politics."

Using the work of Kubatana, Zimbabwe's civic and human rights information service, this paper discusses how the Zimbabwean government views new media through a lens of threat. Whilst more "elitist" new media tools such as the Internet and blogging are tolerated, attempts to develop audio information services accessed by mobile phones have been met with repression.

Background

Zimbabwe's economic and political decline over the period 1999 to 2009 has been widely documented and reported on. Political tensions began with the creation of a trade union-based opposition political movement and the rejection of the government-sponsored Constitutional reform process in 2000. The fast track land reform process which followed the defeat of the ruling party in the Constitutional referendum decimated Zimbabwe's commercial agriculture sector, as well as the input production and output manufacturing industries which depended on it. It also marked the beginning of a protracted period of political violence, particularly associated with elections and opposition politics. Poor economic management by government contributed to the rapid decline of the Zimbabwe dollar and hyperinflation. By 2008 it was impossible to gather accurate inflation figures because the situation was so untenable. Political and economic instability led to the closure, or withdrawal, of a large number of businesses. Deepening murmurs of popular discontent with the policies of the ruling party were met with increasing repression by the state.

In an effort to maintain power, the ruling Zanu PF party created, or more rigorously enforced, laws to limit freedoms of assembly, political association, expression and access to information. The Public Order and Security Act (POSA) gave the police wide-reaching powers to prevent or disperse "political" gatherings of three or more people. The Broadcasting Services Act (BSA) constrained the space for independent broadcasting. The Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) similarly instituted obstacles for independent print news publications and media houses. The Media and Information Committee established during this time further confined the operations of independent, freelance and international journalists. Throughout this period, laws and regulations were interpreted and enforced with a view towards limiting freedom of expression, preventing access to information, and stifling dissent through repression.

Download full document

Visit the Kubatana.net fact sheet

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP