The police did not know that the concert, slated to take place in Warren Park, was a ‘public awareness activity’. The event, dubbed “Free the Airwaves Now” was organised by MISA together with the Artists for Democracy Trust group to lobby for urgent broadcasting reforms.
The concert has now been cancelled because of the police ban.
MISA-Zimbabwe Director Nhlanhla Ngwenya said the banning of the concert “is clearly an erosion of our rights to affirm and express ourselves”.
The broadcasting sector continues to be dominated by the state-run ZBC, despite the urgent media reforms dictated by the Global Political Agreement (GPA) that formed the unity government.
Recently, the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) announced its intentions to licence two commercial radio stations, in a move widely criticised as nothing more than a Zanu (PF) ‘ruse’, to give the illusion that the media landscape was reforming.
Last week, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s spokesperson, Luke Tamborinyoka, told SW Radio Africa that the licensing plans were “all part of Zanu (PF)’s machinations ahead of the next SADC summit to give the impression that the airwaves are being freed.” – SWRadio
Post published in: News