Banned! Screening of 'Fifty Shades of Grey'

www.nhimbe.org

                                                                     February 2015 Issue

Banned! Screening of ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’
The Censorship Board of Zimbabwe, according to Ster-Kinekor Zimbabwe, denied the
cinema theatre certification to screen the American blockbuster movie Fifty Shades of
Grey.
In an official announcement Ster-Kinekor Zimbabwe posted on their Facebook page on
the 10th of February 2015:
The film Fifty Shades of Grey, which premiered in many countries on the 13th of February,
will not be screened at Ster-Kinekor, Sam Levy’s Village. The Zimbabwe Censorship Board
has denied certification to screen the film, in its original form, based on the explicit
nature of intimate scenes contained within the movie. It was felt that heavy censorship
would compromise the integrity of the film and thus, a decision has been made by Ster-
Kinekor, Sam Levy’s Village, not to screen the film within its complex. “We are aware that
other Ster-Kinekor complexes in Zimbabwe have advertised the arrival of the film in
anticipation that a certificate to screen would be issued. In order to avoid confusion,
please be advised, that Ster-Kinekor, Sam Levy’s Village, is owned and managed
separately.” – Source Ster-Kinekor, Sam Levy’s Zimbabwe

Nhimbe-NPAAC firmly believes freedom of artistic expression is the indispensable condition
of a healthy democracy at all levels of society. In a pluralistic society it would be impossible
for all people at all times to agree on the value of all ideas, and fatal to moral, artistic and
intellectual growth if they did, and it would be a gross violation of human rights and
fundamental freedoms for the Censorship Board to determine and prescribe art they deem
'acceptable'.
In the In re Munhumeso & Ors 1994 (1) Z(S) LR 49 the Supreme Court pronounced the
importance of freedom of expression in the following manner:
i. It helps the individual to obtain self fulfilment
ii. It assists in the discovery of the truth
iii. It strengthens the capacity of the individual to participate in decision making
iv. It provides a mechanism for establishing a reasonable balance between stability and
social change.

Censorship of what we see and hear and read constitutes an unacceptable dictatorship over
our minds and a dangerous opening to religious, cultural, social, political, artistic, and
intellectual repression.
This recent act of censorship is a test case for the new constitution that provides guarantees
for freedom of artistic expression.

                                              1-3

SPAA 2014 GRADUATES IN NAMA PLAY

The Nhimbe School Playwrights and Actors Academy’s (SPAA) 2014 graduates Ronald
Sigeca, Lesley Masuku and Trevor Siyani acted in the play Umbiko kaMadlenya, which won
a National Arts Merit Award (NAMA) for the outstanding theatre production.

'I am glad to be part of this award winning play and wouldn’t have been part of it if it wasn’t
for SPAA'. Sigeca

Umbiko kaMadlenya is a theatrical adaptation of the novel written by the late Mayford
Sibanda. The play scooped all theatre awards in the 2015 NAMAs as it also won the award
for best director (Nelson Mapako), outstanding male actor (Memory Kumbota) and
outstanding female actor (Bathabile Dlamini).
The story of Umbiko kaMadlenya starts almost a year after the death of the Ndebele king
Mzilikazi when a new king had to be installed. The whereabouts of Nkulumane
complicated the succession issue. Some people did not want to repeat the mistake of
installing Nkulumane without credible evidence that Mzilikazi was dead. There was
genuine fear that if Lobengula assumed the throne, should Nkulumane return, similar
retribution would take place.
The main character Mbiko, played by Memory Kumbota (SPAA Trainer), is one of the
distinguished heroes who claimed to be on Nkulumane’s side. He had personal ambitions
to be king himself, but used the Nkulumane affair as a political ploy.
Mbiko was installed and became king after proving Nkulumane would not return.
Lobengula killed Mbiko.

POLICY Briefs
PARLIAMENT ARTWATCH

National Assembly Bills
Gender Commission of Zimbabwe Bill       On 4th February, the Acting Minister of
Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development, Hon. Mushohwe, began the
second reading stage by delivering a speech explaining the need for the Bill and its
objectives. The debate then had to be adjourned because the Portfolio Committee’s
report on the Bill was not ready for presentation. Later the Speaker explained that
consultations were still under way between the committee and Ministry. [Comment: It is
hoped that these consultations and the consultations said to have taken place between

                                             2-3

Ministry and Parliamentary Legal Committee, result in amendments to the Bill being
brought up at the Committee Stage.]

Motion
Gender-based Violence in Churches On 10th February Senator W. Sibanda presented the
Report of the Thematic Committee on Gender and Development on this subject.

The Gender Commission of Zimbabwe Bill is particularly relevant to our work following the
formulation of the inaugural Nhimbe Gender Action Plan 2015-2018 (to be launched in May
2015). The significance of promoting gender equality in the transmission of cultural
knowledge and skills, the protection and safeguarding of heritage, and the emergence and
strengthening of a vibrant cultural and creative sector cannot be overemphasised. The
Nhimbe GAP aims to address existing challenges in achieving gender equality in cultural life
apparent in local heritage protection and transmission (tangible and intangible); unequal
opportunities for women to share their creativity with audiences; “glass ceiling” for women
to reach senior management positions or to participate in decision-making processes;
negative stereotypes and limitations on freedom of expression based on gender and specific
challenges to accessing technical and entrepreneurial training as well as financial resources.
Furthermore, limited knowledge about how gender can be meaningfully integrated in
heritage safeguarding and the availability of sex-disaggregated data is restricting the
potential of the national cultural policy to reduce these inequalities in the past and to
ensure that women and men can equally enjoy and benefit from heritage and creativity. The
GAP is a companion document to the 2015-2018 Nhimbe Trust Strategy also to be launched
in May 2015.

Changes to Parliamentary Committee Membership
The Speaker and the President of the Senate announced to members of the National
Assembly and Senate, respectively, that the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders
[CSRO] had appointed committees for the current Second Session of Parliament. The
committees remain largely as constituted for the First Session, but there have been some
changes in the Committee on Education, Sport, Arts and Culture.
A number of these changes, but not all of them, are the result of the individuals
concerned having lost their positions in the ZANU-PF party hierarchy at the party’s
December 2014 congress and/or their positions as Ministers or Deputy Ministers in the
two weeks that followed. Former Ministers and Deputy Ministers who are now
backbenchers are now not only eligible for, but also obliged to accept, assignment to
Parliamentary committees. Backbenchers are expected to serve on two committees.
Composition of committees Section 139(4) of the Constitution provides that committees
of Parliament must reflect, as closely as possible, the political and gender composition
of the House concerned. Standing Orders repeat this and also require the CSRO when
appointing committees to take into account the expressed interests or expertise of
members. In practice the CSRO also takes account of party nominations for committee
membership. The changes to the Committee on Education, Sport, Arts and Culture are:

                                             3-3

   Hon. S. Muchenje withdraws from the Committee on Small and Medium Enterprises
    and Co-operative Development to join the Committee on Education, Sport, Arts and
    Culture.
   Hon. T. Banda withdraws from the Committee on Lands, Agriculture Mechanisation
    and Irrigation to join the Committee on Education, Sport, Arts and Culture

SUBMISSION National Education Curriculum Review

Towards The Incorporation of Creative Education into the School Curriculum in
Zimbabwe by Stephen Chifunyise

The position paper, Towards The Incorporation of Creative Education into the School
Curriculum in Zimbabwe was written by Stephen Chifunyise following wide consultations
with the creative sector for the purposes of coming up with a collective position for
consideration by government in the on-going National Education Curriculum Review. The
Position Paper has been submitted to the Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture through Ms.
N. Masiyanise – the Director of Research, Policy and Coordination for onward submission
to the National Curriculum Review Panel and the Ministry of Primary and Secondary
Education.
For a copy follow the link:
http://www.nhimbe.org/sites/default/files/policies/Towards%20the%20incorporation%20of
%20creative%20education.pdf further comments or submission can be sent to the
Director of Research: n.masiyanise65@yahoo.com

Last round of negotiations on the UN post-2015 development agenda launched in NYC
on January 19, 2015

Endorsement from 120 countries reaches +2,000 signatories, including more than 800
organizations

   UN Secretary General synthesis report “The Road to Dignity by 2030” was released
    on December 4 as a lead up to the final round of talks. It recognizes the enabling role
    of culture:

“We must also mobilize the power of culture in the transformative change we seek. Our
world is a remarkable mosaic of diverse cultures, informing our evolving understanding of
sustainable development. We still have much to learn from cultures as we build the world

                                            4-3

we want. If we are to succeed, the new agenda cannot remain the exclusive domain of
institutions and governments. It must be embraced by people. Culture, in different aspects,
will thus be an important force in supporting the new agenda.” (Para. 132)

   Global networks leading the “Future we want includes culture” campaign have
    responded to the report by calling for the outcome document to more fully embrace
    the transformative potential of culture. The International Federation of Library
    Associations and Institutions (IFLA) have issued its own response with emphasis on
    access to information.
   Consultations with UN member states in preparation for the final round of
    negotiations have shown reluctance to reopen the outcome document of the Open
    Working Group containing 17 goals and 169 targets, if only to streamline it although
    there is no consensus on this.
   Focus is likely to shift to targets and indicators, with an emphasis on measuring
    tangible results and accountability. UNSG synthesis report calls for indicators to
    include other measures than GDP.
   Global cultural networks have just issued their proposal of specific targets and
    indicators “Recognizing the role of culture to strengthen the UN post-2015
    Development Agenda”. They argue for taking into account the great strides
    accomplished by multilateral organizations such as the OECD, UIS, UNESCO, WIPO,
    UNCTAD and the World Bank in meeting the challenge of universal comparative data
    for culture.

Other news

   The Third UNESCO World Forum and Cultural Industries adopted the Florence
    Declaration outlining recommendations for the incorporation of culture in the post-
    2015 development agenda.
   United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) members are to adopt a renewed
    Agenda 21 for Culture (see second draft) at their Summit of Bilbao (Basque Country,
    Spain) on 18-20 March 2015.
   The Red Latinoamericana de Arte y Transformación Social (Latin American network
    for the art and social transformation), with members in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil,
    Chile, Peru, Uruguay and central America, joins the other global networks in the
    “Future we want includes culture” campaign.

What you can do

   Read the proposal on cultural indicators and send us examples of cultural initiatives
    that have made a positive contribution to development with their indicators and
    measures of results to help us put forward a platform of universal reach and appeal
    to UN member states. The best examples received will be annexed to the proposal.
    Please be succinct and concrete. Write to us at info@culture2015goal.net
   Forward the proposal on cultural indicators to your country's permanent
    representative to the UN and to the persons in charge of defining your country's
    position (Foreign Affairs/International Cooperation).

                                            5-3

   Use the communications tools to ask organizations and individuals that have not yet
    endorsed the Declaration to do so.
   Share the Declaration in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese, Chinese and
    Russian
   Follow #culture2015goal on Twitter

OPPORTUNITIES

Call for Blog Entries
To encourage debate and writing about issues affecting arts and culture in Zimbabwe,
Nhimbe–NPAAC will be posting a weekly blog of 500–600 words on the Nhimbe–NPAAC
Blog. Papers and articles can be as determined by the writer. We encourage writers to
send interesting, provocative and insightful content. For further details email:
info@nhimbe.org

                                          6-3