BY TAFADZWA KACHIKO NEWLY-LICENSED local independent television station, KeYona TV, is calling for content creators to create less than 10-minute productions that are set to be broadcast in 42 countries in commemoration of Africanism in May. KeYona TV chairperson Cont Mhlanga made the announcement last week during an interface with filmmakers under the Zimbabwe Film Industry Development Platform as he shared the station’s expectations at Theatre in the Park in Harare. Mhlanga told filmmakers to produce content that celebrates instead of sympathising with Africa’s heroism. “We have a very special programme for the Africa month (May). Our dream is to have something that runs from May 1 to the end of the month. KeYona TV wants to tell a story that is not a blame, sympathy or bitterness. We want to transfer heroism to our children,” he said. “Give us not more than 10 minutes telling an African story of your choice. It can start from the first slave to be liberated. The content must have been submitted by March 31 and in April we start to give necessary resources. We are going to broadcast it to 42 countries, so it will be available on many platforms. We want this to be an annual marathon programme for producers.” Mhlanga said KeYona TV’s May special programming was not only going to market African producers, but would also be a test for the channel’s capacity. “This is set to showcase our content producers. Can we produce? We are still trying to reach out to the Arabic Africa. We want to break the divide of French, Portuguese, and English. We would rather work through translators than being confined to one language,” he said. Mhlanga encouraged the content creators to collaborate with their counterparts beyond the borders. “We have turned back people who want to do everything. Don’t be a jack of all trades because everyone wants to do something. You are the writer, director, and producer. Everyone is speaking for themselves. We want to work with people who are speaking for the industry. We have a hashtag, #Let’s create together,” he said. “We are not a channel to tell a sports story that has already been told or defined. We want to take that boy from Ngundu, Chipinge and Tsholotsho to the World Cup. If you come across sporting talent in your village, give that to our sports journalists. That is the sports we are looking at. We are not looking at sports that have been already created, we want our own narratives.” Mhlanga said they were focusing on content production and building. “Production of the channel’s first season will start on June 1 and by August 31 all the content will be in the library, then we can decide on the dates to air the programmes. Subsequently, a programme guide would be released in September.
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