Digitalisation
THE realisation by the country that the film sector is one of the most important appendages of the cultural industry that should be localised and owned by the Zimbabweans while transforming the economy is not just a national but a global crusade brought about by digitalisation.
The discourse of localisation of the film industry as a purveyor of social, economic and political ideology can therefore no longer be relegated to the arenas of less important artistic or moral diatribes but rather should be guided and supported by the Government as has recently been the case.
Apart from creating employment for thousands in many developed and developing countries, the film industry is an important driver of the country’s culture and ideology. It can be used as a vehicle through which the country packages and delivers the national ethos and values.
In Zimbabwe, the transformation from the obsolete analogue television to digital satellite television that is spearheaded by the Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services is expected to bring with it a lot of changes to the entire broadcasting sector.
The ministry is working on creating a vibrant film sector that will support the digitalisation programme that is expected to bring with it 12 channels that will be on air for 24 hours at least according to Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Chris Mushohwe. He said digitalisation kowtows to the dictates of ZimAsset and required active participation of all the stakeholders in the industry.
Prior to the efforts by the Government the country had no film industry to talk about. What was there was only a hotchpotch of fragmented artistes who could hardly be called an industry, just like a stake of timber cannot be called a ship.
The artistes had close to zero support from the Government and this resulted in the country losing a lot of talent to other countries that were better paying. As a result the country’s television screens were dominated by foreign films that had no link and that did nothing to market the country’s culture. The foreign films found their way because of the yawning gap in the country’s film industry — the complete invisibility of any such local world class competition.
And like in the food industry, the film industry is one area where developed countries such as America have maintained a hegemonic control of what most developing countries watch hence influencing the countries’ culture in a big way thereby Americanising developing countries’ cultures.
The country therefore needed to free itself from the influence of dominant cultures taking over national culture and defining the societal values by decolonising the film industry and make it a vehicle of local cultures.
Local filmmakers were labouring under difficult and frustrating circumstances trying in their fragmented and unrecognised position to produce films with nothing coming from the Government and as that was not enough, there was no market to sell their productions as ZTV — the sole national broadcaster was not offering competitive rates because there was no competition.
In sound economies and in developed countries the film industry is one important sector that Governments have vested interests in because of its strategic influence as one of the mass media products. Mindful of its power, most Governments fund and control the film industry. A number of positives are however, set to be achieved with digitalisation gathering pace.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Mr George Charamba said digitalisation, apart from providing clear visuals and better sound quality through the use of high definition television quality standards would lead to the revamping and revitalisation of the local film industry.
The industry will be funded by the Government through the Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services.
It will also create employment to thousands of people who will be doing various film productions as the main focus according to him was to ensure the gap that currently exists in the country’s local film sector was closed.
Digitalisation will also spell an end to monopolistic abuse of the country’s population by ZTV through liberalising of airwaves as six more private television stations will be licensed giving film producers and others in the arts industry a whole range of stations to choose from to sell their products.
This will create competition and prices will respond to the market demands as opposed to artistes forced to take what is on the table because they have nowhere to take their productions to. This will also correspond and be reciprocated by the need to produce quality products.
It will also expand the television transmission network to ensure the provision of digital television services throughout the country. It also avoids transmission interference between countries.
Cde Charamba said owing to the country’s dormant film industry, Zimbabwe had a lot of rich but unexplored historical narratives from where filmmakers could draw their storylines and synopsis. He gave examples of the story of the protracted liberation struggle, the land issue and other issues that could be turned into real films that have a direct connection with the local populace.
“I know there is public anger over ZBC. The public broadcaster has been failing but we are saying let’s look beyond ZBC. Yes, it will remain our public broadcaster but the days of its monopolistic abuse are over. We are going to licence six private television stations and another six television stations that will of-course fall under ZBC.
“So what we are saying is that film producers will not be obliged to sell their productions to ZBC only as is the case now. The ministry (Information, Media and Broadcasting Services) through the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) will be looking at the films, approve and fund them from where the filmmaker will choose which station offers better payments to take their productions to.
“The funding will be an entitlement given to every filmmaker in Zimbabwe and will not by any means be used to compel filmmakers to sell their productions to ZBC.
“In terms of narratives we are one country with a very rich historical narrative that has not been explored so there are plenty of stories to choose from that define who we are as a people, our values so that the world out there understands where we are coming from as Zimbabweans,” he said.
Cde Charamba said the Government was committed to making sure the digitalisation process kicks off with local content as it moves with the tide of decolonising the film industry and giving it the impetus.
He also pleaded with the film school to be flexible enough and introduce short term crash programmes that would be discipline specific to expedite the horning of skills in different film production areas.
Cde Charamba said people should not however, expect films that were perfect as soon as possible but urged patience saying Rome was not build in one day. He said the country should always look back and trace the footsteps, the milestones and the landmarks that tell a story of evolution from mediocre to perfection.
Deputy Minister Cde Thokozile Mathuthu also hinted that emphasis was on local content with foreign content coming only to add to a little flavour and terrestrial exposure to the country’s film industry. She said in that vein, Government was ready to grow the local content industry to greater proportions and to ensure the filmmakers were continuously supported.
“We want to make sure variety in terms of local content production is guaranteed. We no longer want TV stations with the same boring and monotonous programmes. The greater Zimbabwe story needs to be told and we will only allow foreign productions in the country to flavour our variety and to add terrestrial exposure. We will also ensure that the content industry in the country is grown to greater proportions,” she said.
She added that Government was going to ensure that digital compliant equipment would be provided to the filmmakers so that there will be no excuses of not producing local content that connected with the Zimbabwean people’s life experiences and culture.
She said rural communities were going to get the decoders for next to nothing. The discourse of local content is not however, confined to Zimbabwe alone as South Africa is also gunning for 90 percent local content as it moves to promote local artistes and production houses that have been labouring under the weight of foreign film repression.