Zimbabwe, la dissidenza si confida con RFI

Un interessante approfondimento sulla vicenda delle operazioni che la polizia dello Zimbabwe sta effettuando in alcune zone della nazione africana per confiscare i ricevitori a onde corte sintonizzati sulle emittenti internazionali e antigovernative.

Per Radio France Internationale, Laura Angela Bagnetto è andata a intervistare diverse personalità dell'opposizione, inclusa la fondatrice di SW Radio Gerry Jackson.

Radio seizures target rural Zimbabweans

By Laura Angela Bagnetto

Sat, 2010-11-06 02

In Zimbabwe, reports are coming in indicating that police in Mashonaland East have been raiding homesteads and confiscating shortwave radio sets. Shortwave is the one way rural Zimbabweans get independent information, and a rise in radio seizures means elections are on the horizon, according to a Zimbabwean exile and founder of an independent radio station. "What's happening at the moment is that the ruling Zanu-PF party, though they are supposed to be maintaining a coalition government with the MDC, are maintaining an iron grip on power. They're in full election mode," says Gerry Jackson, the founder London-based SW Radio Africa [1], which is broadcast via shortwave to Zimbabwe. "They are gearing up for an election any time, which Mugabe, the president, has said he would like to see happen before June next year. So confiscating the radios is just part of their normal electioneering," she adds. SW Radio Africa is founded by Zimbabweans for Zimbabweans.

Radios are distributed to villagers by non-governmental organisations so that they can have access to independent radio stations like SW Radio Africa other than state-run Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation. Okay Machisa, the executive director of ZimRights, a Harare-based human rights group with offices around the country, won't tell RFI the names of the groups distributing radios; he says he fears for their safety.

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