Zimbabwe
Media Development
Programme
In Zimbabwe, our collaborations enable us to train under-resourced young people to become Sunbox Ambassadors (SBAs) so they can use a Sunbox (solar-powered mobile cinema) to conduct screenings on relevant issues and spark social change.
Our first visit to Zimbabwe was at the end of our 2019 tour when we were able to screen The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind at the National Art Gallery in Bulawayo with our partners and newly-trained SBAs. ‘Over the last few years we have been building a base working with brilliant, mostly young women, trained to host screenings that spark conversation’.
Sunbox Ambassadors in Zimbabwe built up relationships and networks with a broad network of support from educational institutions and community-based organisations across the Matabeleland Region. SBA collaboration with these organisations during the screenings has promoted growth of Sunshine Cinema network partners in Zimbabwe which will greatly benefit future projects.
Under the SMAZ project Sunshine Cinema operates in:
- Matabeleland South (Gwanda District)
- Matabeleland North (Lupane Distcrict)
- Bulawayo Metropolitan (Bulawayo District)
- Midlands (Gweru District)
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“I am thrilled to join Sunshine Cinema because I have been awarded a chance to do what I love the most, interacting with larger group of people and co-existing with the people in my community, sharing ideas and trying to change the world for the best.” -
“I am excited to join Sunshine Cinema as a Sunbox Ambassador. I am confident that this opportunity will ensure that vulnerable groups get a platform to express themselves, and discuss pertinent issues for the betterment of their communities.” -
“I am so excited to be part of Sunshine Cinema because I now have the opportunity to impart my knowledge as an upcoming media person using the vast knowledge I have and the experience I will gain from Sunshine Cinema. Also considering Sunshine’s objective, I am so happy that I will bring good news and change to the community.” -
“I am excited and grateful to be part of Sunshine Cinema, a platform that I will use to amplify voices of rural communities more on issues that affect them. I believe film is a great and most interactive tool for sparking conversations and advocating for social change in rural communities.”
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“I have targeted screening venues based on the ideal films informed by what has been happening in my community - for example there is a high rate of drug abuse and I know that screening educational films to high school students will make a difference.” -
“I am happy to be part of this journey among young people telling the stories that matter the most.” -
“I am so excited to be part of Sunshine Cinema because I now have the opportunity to impart my knowledge as an upcoming media person using the vast knowledge I have and the experience I will gain from Sunshine Cinema. Also considering Sunshine’s objective, I am so happy that I will bring good news and change to the community.”
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“I am excited and grateful to be part of Sunshine Cinema, a platform that I will use to amplify voices of rural communities more on issues that affect them. I believe film is a great and most interactive tool for sparking conversations and advocating for social change in rural communities.”
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“Collaborations made it possible for me to be able to host screenings as well as produce podcasts that were targeted towards the rural populations. The partnership that exists between Sunshine Cinema and Centre for Innovation and Technology (CITE) made it possible for me to have my first screenings with them during their annual film festival. This opened doors for a new partnership with the Women’s Institute for Leadership Development (WILD). ” -
“I’m really positive about the impact we have made and I think we’ve managed to create a bit of ground. I actually get inquiries from people who are interested in having screenings done in their communities. I think we’ve managed to create a bit of an existence and brand awareness; we’ve managed to show that there is something called ‘Sunshine Cinema’ in Zimbabwe.”
“That screening was educational, there is drug abuse, mbanje [cannabis] and cocaine are the most used drugs and during lockdown most young people from my community abused these drugs and the end result was rowdy behaviours. The solution is to create job opportunities or recreational activities for youths so that they do not spend most of their time idle” – Nothabo- Feel it Institute- Bulawayo
In 2022 Sunshine Cinema, in partnership with FilmAid and Internews, launched a programme in Southern Zimbabwe aiming to improve recovery from COVID-19 and strengthen community resilience.
Four young social activists – Emily Mbewe and Willmore Dube from Bulawayo, Linda Muswati from Gweru and Gracious Nyathi from Beitbridge – led the social change programme. Trained in media facilitation and the operation of Sunboxes (mobile solar cinemas), they mobilised audiences and encouraged productive debate about the films screened within their communities.
The selected movies played a vital role in initiating conversations about important concerns affecting communities post the pandemic. During the COVID-19 outbreak, there was an increase in issues such as: school dropout, teenage pregnancies, early child marriages, mental health breakdowns and drug abuse. As a result, the films that were selected, including Amacala, Drugged Out the Future, and COVID-19 and Mental Health Awareness have been effective in serving as a crucial tool for discussing the real-life experiences and situations of the audience. Sunshine Cinema’s work was appreciated by partner organisations, as the films created a more comfortable atmosphere for young people to participate, gain knowledge and express their opinions. The fact that two students from Gweru sought assistance from the SBA after watching Amacala (a film about child marriages), is evidence that the movies had a significant impact on the audience.
“Thanks to Sunshine Cinema, now I know that with only my mobile device I can make productions, and even work as a freelance reporter for different media organisations. I am empowered and now I have the capacity to make myself better in terms of finances.”- Lymon Moyo, aspiring filmmaker and content creator
Sunshine Cinema organised a mobile filmmaking workshop in 2022 as part of the FilmAid COVID-19 project. The attendees of the mobile workshop created a total of five short films that focused on the effects of COVID-19 on: individuals with disabilities, female vendors, rural residents and the environment.
Two mobile filmmaking workshops are scheduled for 2023.
Under the COVID-19 project, Sunshine Cinema operated in:
- Midlands (Gweru District )
- Matabeleland South (Beitbridge District )
- Bulawayo Metropolitan ( Bulawayo District)
“ I was more touched by the misinformation part, we do that every day amongst youth as we are always on the media and just forward information, I’ve learnt that the harm that is done by misinformation no matter how sincere the intention, the consequences affect a lot of people”- Male participant, Gweru , Fake: Searching for Truth in the Age of Misinformation film screening
In 2023 under the Strengthening Media and Accountability in Zimbabwe (SMAZ) project, four SBAs – Zibusiso Moyo, Linda Muswati, Siphathisiwe Ncube and Emily Mbewe – received training on how to utilise the Sunbox to screen documentaries that highlight the dangers of disinformation and cyberbullying, while promoting media literacy. The training was aimed at preparing them for a journey where they would use the mobile cinema to create a critical opportunity and space to spark conversations, encouraging public discussions on the importance of evaluating media content.
The SMAZ project focuses on enhancing media literacy over the next five years among local communities, with documentary films raising awareness about: misinformation, disinformation, cyberbullying, fake news, fact-checking and investigative journalism. These films also cover media capture in Zimbabwe, transparency and accountability. This objective is to improve citizens’ ability to use media to prompt accountability.
During the lockdown period, Sunbox ambassadors (SBAs) pivoted to connect to their communities through the power of sound. Sunshine Cinema developed a free podcast series called The SunCloud that is still running. Every week SBAs selected relevant topics and recorded interviews with community leaders, civil society groups, journalists and filmmakers. Ambassadors interviewed a wide range of teachers, activists and young leaders on topics such as: COVID-19 myth busting, self-expression, social and economic justice and women empowerment
The content is shared on community Whatsapp groups, social media platforms and webinars with low-data usage.
“My podcast experience has been enlightening , as interacting with people from different backgrounds has helped me spark conversations about the importance of access to credible information and also ways that can help meet their information needs.”- Zibusiso Moyo, Sunbox Ambassador, Lupane
“As a first-time podcaster with Sunshine Cinema it has been an astonishing experience as it gives me a chance to interact with people who have broad knowledge on information disorders and how to counter them, in turn helping people in my community.”- Emily Mbewe, Sunbox Ambassador, Bulawayo