An amazing and enriching experience with MISA Zimbabwe
MISA Zimbabwe turns 25 this year. I had an amazing experience with the organisation during my internship.
I did my internship at MISA Zimbabwe from 2019 - 2020. I am currently in Masvingo from where I have just completed my degree in Media and Cultural Studies with the Great Zimbabwe University.
My experience at MISA Zimbabwe was amazing and I learnt a lot during my internship.
MISA Zimbabwe advocates for media freedom and freedom of expression as well the right to access to information. Access to information and freedom of expression are rights which should be enjoyed by every citizen.
MISA advocated for media law reforms resulting in (Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act AIPPA being repealed as it was a draconian law which limited media practitioners from conducting their duties freely.
AIPPA was replaced by the Freedom of Information Act and Zimbabwe Media Commission Act. The Parliament of Zimbabwe conducted public hearings in order to get the public’s views on these laws because they affect the wellbeing of citizens.
I also had the opportunity to meet Members of Parliament during the public hearings. After these public hearings I had an appreciation of how these media laws affect the work of media practioners.
I was delighted to witness the media law reform process and this is a success story for MISA Zimbabwe as it advocated for media law reforms to ensure a conducive working environment for journalists.
I had an amazing experience at MISA Zimbabwe as I also participated in the media law reform process.
During my internship, MISA conducted Internet governance conferences with stakeholders from various organisations in Zimbabwe and out of Zimbabwe such as South Africa and Namibia as well as media practitioners from various media houses.
These conferences taught me about digital rights such as the right to freedom of expression and the right to online privacy and the importance of these digital rights.
With the emergence of the internet, people are now using it to abuse other people’s rights such as the right to privacy and people are being cyber-bullied. Conferences like the ones held by MISA Zimbabwe help raise awareness on digital rights.
However, Covid-19 had a negative impact on my internship during my tenure as an intern at MISA Zimbabwe. I was not able to perform my duties effectively because we were not able to work from the office due to the lockdown restrictions.
As time went on, the lockdown restrictions were lifted and we were able to go back to work and perform our duties effectively.
I had challenges during the early days of my internship because I was still in the learning processes, but with time, I was able to write reports, organise events including media monitoring with the assistance of my supervisor and other interns.
In my opinion, MISA Zimbabwe should have a virtual internship programme as that will provide students with the flexibility to work from wherever is convenient for them, since we are now living in this digital era.
I would like to extend my gratitude to the MISA Zimbabwe family for giving me the opportunity to become part of their family.
They showed me the real definition of team work. I would like to also thank my mentor, Chido Luciasi, for being patient with me, encouraging me and teaching me everything that I know today.
Happy 25 MISA Zimbabwe.