It has become the norm to see members of the police force buying pirated CDs on the city pavements. These are very same custodians who are supposed to enforce the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act passed in 2004.
It is also suspected that the bulk of the CDs played by the national broadcaster, be it on Power FM, Radio Zimbabwe, Sports FM or National FM are pirated.
If raids were carried out in the houses of our dear ministers it would not be surprising to see more than half of them possessing pirate CDs or downloaded music in their smart phones, I Phones and IPods.
The piracy virus has multiplied to the extent that local musicians are left with no choice but to unwillingly use it as a marketing tool. They have ruled out any hope of ever making income through album sales and solely rely on live performances.
The government made commendable strides when it established the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe to foster arts promotion and development.
It can never be overemphasized that at a time when the government has failed to create employment, the arts fraternity is and will remain the biggest employer in the country.
It is also one of the major tourist attractions in the country. The NACZ is working towards ensuring that the arts sector contributes about 10 per cent of GDP by 2013.
It has worked with several affiliate associations such as Zimbabwe Union of Musicians and the Zimbabwe Music Rights Authority in a quest to guard musicians against piracy and other professional hazards.
But most NACZ officials strongly blame the government’s negative attitude towards fighting this “animal.” Without adequate funding the Council has become another idea that is great on paper, but lacks the wherewithal to be implemented fully,
Piracy should be treated with the same collective response as has been done to HIV and AIDS – with the government at the fore if any meaningful achievements are to be made. – For feedback and future column suggestions e-mail to youviews1@gmail.com
Post published in: Arts