New strategies key in the struggle and defence of media freedom in the region
AS the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA Zimbabwe) turns 25 years, there are key milestones that the organisation should strive to celebrate while leveraging on lessons learnt from bygone years.
Key reflections and critical decisions have to be made to continue the struggle for media freedom and the defence of free expression in Zimbabwe and in the region.
I will reflect on my role within the MISA Zimbabwe family when I took up leadership roles when I was elected MISA Zimbabwe deputy chairperson in 2004 and later took over the chairmanship of the organisation in 2007 up until 2012.
It is during this time that Zimbabwe faced its critical moments that defined the country as the most repressive in the region due to its fascists media laws that were used to shut down independent media while the same laws were used to silence critics and arrest hordes of journalists on trumped up charges.
It is during these trying times that I had the privilege of being the only chairperson to have worked with three different directors namely; Takura Zhangazha, Rashweat Mukundu and Nhlanhla Ngwenya.
Trying times these were.
The key challenges during the period I joined the MISA Zimbabwe leadership was to deal with challenges around the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), that was being used to arrest and intimidate the media fraternity.
Thinking outside the box, my board, and the secretariat, was instrumental in setting up the Media Defence Fund, and the Provincial Advocacy Committees that were critical in coordinating the work of MISA Zimbabwe. The committees were incorporated into the MISA Zimbabwe structures and were officially recognised as key cogs in the fight for media freedom and freedom of expression.
It is during that time that MISA Zimbabwe also played a pivotal role in the setting up and establishment of critical and vital media support organisations that played an important role in supporting MISA Zimbabwe’s advocacy for a free media in Zimbabwe.
Organisations that were established include the Media Centre, Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe (MMPZ), Media Alliance of Zimbabwe (MAZ) and the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ), where I am currently employed as the executive director.
These organisations played a complimentary role and targeted sectors of the media to lobby and advocate for reforms. The organisations increased the voices for media reform and created partnerships and unity in the different media spheres.
It is also during this period that we expanded our lobby and advocacy to a regional level through participating in the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR) sessions where we interacted face to face with government officials and highlighted human rights challenges facing citizens and the media in Zimbabwe.
MISA Zimbabwe during that time was a thorn in the face as the organisation was always on a collision course with government due to the former’s highlighting of media violations perpetrated by the government. At that time I took my advocacy and lobby for media freedom to a higher level as I was elected into the MISA Regional Governing Council (RGC), where I later became the Deputy Chairperson and a member of the Management Committee.
Later, over the years, I was appointed into the MISA Trust Fund Board (TFB), the highest decision making body in the region, a position I hold to date.
During my tenure as chairperson, it was more like a cat and mouse relationship where even the talk in government circles was to equate MISA to a regime change institution, but that perception has changed now as MISA Zimbabwe is now consulted on a variety of media reform issues and still continues in its lobby and advocacy for media freedoms.
The focal and rallying point during my tenure as chairperson, were the calls for the unbanning of the popular Daily News that had earlier been banned under the infamous AIPPA. The Tribune, another independent paper, also suffered the same fate as the Daily News as government increased attacks against independent media.
One very key success during my tenure was to ensure that we did not have journalists wallowing in prison at any given time as a result of the many cases of arrests that were taking place during that time.
It is also during that time that the Media Lawyers Network was established together with the capacity building of lawyers to providing legal aid to journalists in distress. It was during that time that the MISA Zimbabwe Media Defence Fund was strengthened and fortified in order to protect journalists who were being purged through arrests.
It is during this period that we also began campaigns around the unbanning of the Daily News. Protests against the Daily News’ banning were popularised during this period as campaigns were held inside and outside Zimbabwe.
The struggle has been long and protracted and MISA Zimbabwe will need to redefine strategies to continue the fight and rid the region of bad media policies and laws that infringe on citizens’ rights.
The struggle is still on……Aluta Continua!