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Cindy Munyavi

Tafadzwa Zimoyo
It is always something enriching for me to spend my weekend watching TV. With the scorching heat, you are left with no choice but to make sure the blood is flowing well.

While my bias has always been towards entertainment, discovery and of late sport, I also make it a point to tune into leading news channels like BBC News, Al Jazeera, CNN and France 24 to catch up with latest updates evolving around the world.

My mentor always said, “You can’t be a journalist when you don’t even know what is happening around the world, either way it affects you because you are a human being.”

Back to business, being the social animal that I am, I find these channels to be an important source of news taking place around the world, and this has come in handy when I hook up with the guys for our usual discussions and debates. Besides the breaking news, I also find their features and analyses very interesting, especially those with issues to do with Africa and other parts of the Third World.

BBC recently carried a story about how a TV advert by leading South African fast food chain group KFC purportedly parodied Australian surfer Mick Fanning. The channel quoted Fanning’s mother Elizabeth Osborne describing the advert as disrespectful.

What I found interesting is that, this should set an example for Zimbabwean companies about how NOT to do an advert, especially if it is meant for public consumption on TV. I could not help but also feel for farmers and the people of Guatemala whose crops have been ravaged by drought. With the rains in Zimbabwe being unpredictable this season, save for those that fell for two three days recently, the picture of the farmers in that country worrying over a poor yield, made me think of the situation back home.

These are some of the stories that keep you glued to the news channels because of their human interest element.

The farmers who farm in the drought-prone area of the Central American country, were captured commenting on the ravages of the drought in a way that some of our people here often express themselves whenever the rains fail to fall.

“We have often had some droughts but not like this year. We sowed the seeds, the plants are here but they have not produced anything. This year we have not been able to harvest,” one farmer who grows beans and corn was quoted as saying.

The way that BBC captured this is the way that our own ZBC TV should go out there and capture the reality from the farmers and the people and tell the reality on the ground.

Another story that captured my fancy is the one that was reported by Al Jazeera News on Sunday about the Egyptian parliamentary elections. The report went on to question if these elections would usher in a new democratic order in the country whose government has been operating without a parliament since 2012.

Sometimes, however, I find some of their analyses and features to be biased especially when it comes to countries that are deemed to be hostile to the countries where some of these news channels are based or run from.

This is one area where I find our ZBC TV to be helpful as it broadcasts news that feed the local viewers with the real facts about Zimbabwe.

Although some critics have accused ZBC TV to be biased towards some sections, the channel has proven to be a station for the people and for that they should be given the kudos they deserve. They can, however, learn one or two things from these news channels like BBC News, CNN and Al Jazeera by trying to report news on the dot.

Food for thought.

Now allow me to congratulate Zambezi Magic or if I must say Zimbabwe, for continuing to promote local music on DStv.

The exciting programme Zim Top 10 music video chart show which is screened every Saturday at 7pm on DStv’s Zambezi Magic Channel 160 was full of surprises.

I never knew the country is full of talented artistes. By this I am referring to video producers. Some of the current videos are now on the same level with regional countries if not international standards. Curated by Zambezi Magic and totally picked by the viewers, the Zim Top 10 lets viewers pick which fresh tracks they’d like to see at the top of the charts via their social media votes.

The Zim Top 10 also features classic Zimbabwean videos, exclusive brand new video debuts and some of the freshest videos from the SADC region. The show is all about the music and is your weekly fix of the hottest music from Zimbabwe and SADC.

Visit http://zambezimagic.dstv.com for information on how to vote for your favorite video and how to submit your music video.

Below are the videos on the charts:

10: Nobuntu – Narini

9: Afrika – Zvinhu

8: Da Ruler – Goodbye

7: Cindy Munyavi – Kutsvaga Mari

6: Selmor Mtukudzi – Zvidikidiki

5: ZionTaks Medley – Ladies Edition

4: Kapital K – Good Over Here

3: Tocky Vibes – Aenda Nenyika

2: Tkae Chidz ft Simba Tagz – Skubu

1: EXQ & Roki – Alleluya

Umm, where are my boys, Stunner and Mudiwa. Let’s wait and see.

Till next week . . .