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Novel tactics tune Zimbabweans in to change
Sunday Independent (SA)
June 04, 2006

http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=14510

"There are very few platforms for people to express their views. The state media does not often tell the story of the ordinary Zimbabwean"

Ask Zimbabwean Zenzele Ndebele about his job and you'll get a mouthful about the challenges facing an entire urban community. Ndebele is production manager for Radio Dialogue - a spirited community radio station in Bulawayo - and if his feisty and straightforward manner is anything to go by he would probably make big waves on air. The station exists in the vacuum that is the Zimbabwean broadcast media environment. In most countries community radio stations are licensed and regulated by an independent broadcasting authority. In present-day Zimbabwe access to information, particularly in broadcast media, is strictly controlled by the government. "At the moment there are only four radio stations in Zimbabwe and they are owned by the state," says Ndebele. "This means that they broadcast Zanu PF propaganda." Radio and television in the country are regulated by the Broadcast Services Act (BSA), a piece of legislation much maligned by media observers and practitioners alike, and rendered draconian by the many limitations it places on the basic tenets of freedom of expression and access to information. Thus, says Ndebele, "there are very few platforms for people to express their views. The state media does not often tell the story of the ordinary Zimbabwean".

The BSA in its present form seems intent on keeping this status quo intact. According to the Media Institute of Southern Africa, under the BSA, Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings "is the only broadcaster in the country permitted to carry out diffusion services and is currently used to propagate the ideals of the ruling party". A station like Radio Dialogue is within its right to apply for a licence under the act, but the success of the application is subject to such a slew of bureaucratic and restrictive conditions - including licence fees considered out of reach of even commercial stations - as to render it a non-starter from the word go. Radio Dialogue was established as a trust in 2001, which may partly explain why it has managed to survive the often ruthless media terrain in Zimbabwe. A committed staff of 16 has come up with innovative ways of engaging the citizens of Bulawayo in debate and dialogue on topics ranging from health and environmental responsibility to how to dress for funerals or get along with one's neighbours.

A particularly novel approach is the Taxi Tunes series. Radio Dialogue records cassettes, which are then distributed free of charge to taxi organisations that are members of the station. The cassettes are played in the taxis for the benefit of commuters - stimulating dialogue and raising awareness. At present the trust makes between 500 and 3 000 copies of each series, depending on the availability of funds. The Taxi Tunes initiative raised the eyebrows of some people in government, says Ndebele. "Soon after we started, the state gazetted a law under the BSA that made it a crime to produce tapes and distribute them to public transport operators. They said it amounted to broadcasting, so we would need a licence to do that. Obviously, it was just a move to stop people from sending information to the community. We knew that even if we applied they were not going to give us the licence. Since the passing of the BSA in 2000, no one has been granted a licence to operate a private radio station in Zimbabwe."

Not to be thwarted, Radio Dialogue decided to put participatory democracy - what's left of it in Zimbabwe - to good use. "We now distribute the cassettes through ward representatives in Bulawayo rather than directly to taxi operators," explains Ndebele. "There are 29 wards in the city and each ward has a committee of seven people. These are ordinary people elected by the community and many are members of Radio Dialogue. By using them to distribute the cassettes we are making the programme one that is community-driven and that gets to the community." The Taxi Tunes are popular, particularly among young people, because they often feature well-known celebrities and tackle issues affecting youth. One of the cassettes features discussions on the problem of owindi or touts - men who hang around bus and taxi ranks and target schoolgirls for sexual favours. "Some of these guys are drivers, others are conductors or they load passengers into taxis," says Ndebele. "They 'fall in love' with young girls and sometimes spend whole days with them in the taxi. They provide transport and money to the girls, most of who come from poor families." The cassette features interviews with young girls, taxi drivers and the touts themselves, as well as parents and teachers. People hear a variety of opinion on the topic and so are able to engage all sides of the story.

Ndebele says that this particular cassette is very popular among taxi drivers because "their voices are also heard". It has spurred the community to act. The programme has made parents and teachers more vigilant. "Teachers are now becoming strict and not allowing these taxis to enter school premises. Parents are also making efforts to get their children home." Radio Dialogue is integrating the Taxi Tunes concept so that members of the community are engaged as people who not only have something to learn but also something to say. "We organise meetings in community halls to discuss social and political issues such as food shortages, corruption, good governance, refuse collection and so on," says Ndebele. "We work with community members to produce local news, which is read as part of a live broadcast at the meetings. The meetings are recorded and distributed to our members." The community meetings create space for people to speak out, express their views, share good and bad experiences and address common problems together. Ndebele compares the initiative to giving a voice to the voiceless. "We also invite government representatives, including MPs and councillors, to answer questions and respond to allegations. Our aim is to make them accountable to the people they claim to serve." Accountability does not come easy in the present climate and invited officials often don't show up or, if they do, deny prior knowledge of the problems raised or simply pass the buck and promise the community that "everything will be OK". Things are not OK for the majority of Zimbabweans, but in Bulawayo at least, dialogue, debate and the spirit of community are alive, on and off the air.

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