One rainy Monday morning in 2012
ONE rainy Monday morning in 2012, I arrived at number 84 McChlery Avenue in Eastlea, Harare. I had a laptop bag in my hand and this raw passion and enthusiasm to make a difference in the media industry. Most importantly, I was looking forward to learning the ropes from the media aficionados at MISA Zimbabwe.
I was taken under the wings by legends. I am forever grateful to Mrs Jaqueline Chikakano, Ms Koliwe Majama, Mr Nyasha Nyakunu, Mr Tabani Moyo, Madam Anne Musodza, and many others.
Looking back, I can attribute most of what I have accomplished so far, both as a journalist and as a media scholar, to my stint at MISA Zimbabwe.
Among other things, I learnt about media rights, media advocacy and community media in Zimbabwe. I also learnt to write news in vernacular. I got to understand, much broadly, the media landscape in Zimbabwe.
Upon completing my studies in South Africa, I returned to Zimbabwe, where I briefly worked as a freelance journalist.
While covering a demo, I had an unfortunate encounter with the police, and MISA Zimbabwe stood by me. They dispatched a legal representative and ensured my side of the story was heard. Their work in advocating for media rights and freedoms is commendable and crucial to promoting democracy.
Some areas can still be improved, especially now that the media exists in the digital age.
There are a lot of onlinebased media start-ups and citizen journalists that require training, support and protection from the ominous laws and policies that are being proposed to silence them.
Incidentally, I am about to complete a Masters of Journalism Degree in South Africa. My research focus is on independent media start-ups.
The study was partly influenced by my experience at MISA Zimbabwe and heavily relied on the reports published by MISA Zimbabwe.
Once published, I will certainly share my findings as I am confident they will benefit a lot of online media start-ups in Zimbabwe and Africa at large.