News / Local
Bulawayo residents express anger over Zanu-PF jingles
07 Sep 2011 at 07:58hrs | Views
BULAWAYO residents have expressed anger and annoyance on the prolonged dosage of Zanu-PF party jingles through the country's sole broadcaster, the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC).
Residents who spoke to the Weekly Agenda said the jingles which are played at short and regular intervals, are annoying. An Emakhandeni resident said most city dwellers have installed satellite television receivers at their residences in a bid to avoid the Zanu-PF jingles.
"People have talked about this for a long time now. Those jingles are annoying, we are tired of them. Imagine how many times they are played a day. They are the reason why most people in the city prefer watching and listening to foreign broadcasts. We are really tired of these jingles," said the resident.
The city of Bulawayo and other towns are how synonymous with satellite television receivers on most houses. The receivers are also now a common feature in the rural areas in most areas of the Matabeleland and Midlands provinces. This is due to the partisan nature in which ZBC broadcasts and its poor programming.
Nomalanga Ncube of Romney Park said the ZBC should at least give other political parties equal opportunities when airing jingles. She said all political formations in the country have songs that praise them and their leaders which should also be given airplay. Ncube said it is not . only ZANU PF supporters and sympathizers who pay for licences and thus it is not fair that only one party's jingles are played.
She said, "Almost every political party in this country has got songs that praise it and its leaders. They should also be given some time on air. It is not that everybody who watches television and listens to radio is a ZANU PF supporter. I want to urge ZBC to give every party equal an opportunity on air.
"One will be forgiven to think that it is election time because of the manner in which ZANU PF jingles are played on television," added another resident.
Elections are expected to be held next year, 2012. Analysts have however argued that the playing.. fields is. not yet. level, given the partisanship of ZBC. In a recent statement, the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) said the Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) should monitor jingles that are played on TV and radio.
"ZEC must give voters information and updates using the public media on time. ZEC must also have an independent agency to monitor and regulate adverts, party jingles and music, and politically insensitive music," ZESN said in the statement.
The four leading political parties in Zimbabwe, ZAPU, MDC, MDC T and ZANU PF, all have party jingles. However, it is only the extra ordinary long ZANU PF jingles that are given air play. The majority of the jingles are produced by the Mbare Chimurenga Choir and the Born Free Crew. Zimbabweans should also brace themselves for Ndebele version of the jingles that were recently commissioned by Media and Publicity Minister, Webster Shamu.
The ZANU PF party has previously given explanations that the jingles are "revolutionary songs." Last year Prof Jonathan Moyo told the ZSC that:
"When we celebrate our history, which includes the heroic participation and involvement of by these leaders, you have no right to ban our history just because you do not have a history. We have political parties that sprung up around 2000, some of them sponsored by the elements which colonised our I country and these political parties want us to think the history of freedom, human rights, democracy and the struggle for these things started in 2000.
"So when you come up with a song that reminds everyone that it goes back to 1890 and so forth, first Chimurenga, second Chimurenga they cry foul and pretend that there is something hateful about this, that there is something inappropriate about this when the truth is that it is speaking to a history they do not have and therefore its exposing them as completely empty vessels when it comes to fundamental issues which define and make this country. That is why there are many Zimbabweans out there who are not going to brook this nonsense. Just like there were the Muriros who went and fought for their land including through the High Court, there will be many who will take the same route if some people start playing games and say our only public broadcaster cannot play our music, the music that liberated us because they want to mistake it for a jingle."
ZBC's partisanship dates back to 1980 when it beamed only ZANU and ZANLA activities ignoring PF ZAPU and ZIPRA.
Meanwhile, a Ntabazinduna senior police officer was recently booted out of the force for playing an MDC T jingle.
Residents who spoke to the Weekly Agenda said the jingles which are played at short and regular intervals, are annoying. An Emakhandeni resident said most city dwellers have installed satellite television receivers at their residences in a bid to avoid the Zanu-PF jingles.
"People have talked about this for a long time now. Those jingles are annoying, we are tired of them. Imagine how many times they are played a day. They are the reason why most people in the city prefer watching and listening to foreign broadcasts. We are really tired of these jingles," said the resident.
The city of Bulawayo and other towns are how synonymous with satellite television receivers on most houses. The receivers are also now a common feature in the rural areas in most areas of the Matabeleland and Midlands provinces. This is due to the partisan nature in which ZBC broadcasts and its poor programming.
Nomalanga Ncube of Romney Park said the ZBC should at least give other political parties equal opportunities when airing jingles. She said all political formations in the country have songs that praise them and their leaders which should also be given airplay. Ncube said it is not . only ZANU PF supporters and sympathizers who pay for licences and thus it is not fair that only one party's jingles are played.
She said, "Almost every political party in this country has got songs that praise it and its leaders. They should also be given some time on air. It is not that everybody who watches television and listens to radio is a ZANU PF supporter. I want to urge ZBC to give every party equal an opportunity on air.
"One will be forgiven to think that it is election time because of the manner in which ZANU PF jingles are played on television," added another resident.
"ZEC must give voters information and updates using the public media on time. ZEC must also have an independent agency to monitor and regulate adverts, party jingles and music, and politically insensitive music," ZESN said in the statement.
The four leading political parties in Zimbabwe, ZAPU, MDC, MDC T and ZANU PF, all have party jingles. However, it is only the extra ordinary long ZANU PF jingles that are given air play. The majority of the jingles are produced by the Mbare Chimurenga Choir and the Born Free Crew. Zimbabweans should also brace themselves for Ndebele version of the jingles that were recently commissioned by Media and Publicity Minister, Webster Shamu.
The ZANU PF party has previously given explanations that the jingles are "revolutionary songs." Last year Prof Jonathan Moyo told the ZSC that:
"When we celebrate our history, which includes the heroic participation and involvement of by these leaders, you have no right to ban our history just because you do not have a history. We have political parties that sprung up around 2000, some of them sponsored by the elements which colonised our I country and these political parties want us to think the history of freedom, human rights, democracy and the struggle for these things started in 2000.
"So when you come up with a song that reminds everyone that it goes back to 1890 and so forth, first Chimurenga, second Chimurenga they cry foul and pretend that there is something hateful about this, that there is something inappropriate about this when the truth is that it is speaking to a history they do not have and therefore its exposing them as completely empty vessels when it comes to fundamental issues which define and make this country. That is why there are many Zimbabweans out there who are not going to brook this nonsense. Just like there were the Muriros who went and fought for their land including through the High Court, there will be many who will take the same route if some people start playing games and say our only public broadcaster cannot play our music, the music that liberated us because they want to mistake it for a jingle."
ZBC's partisanship dates back to 1980 when it beamed only ZANU and ZANLA activities ignoring PF ZAPU and ZIPRA.
Meanwhile, a Ntabazinduna senior police officer was recently booted out of the force for playing an MDC T jingle.
Source - Dumoluhle Mayisa
