‘Lost Voices’ exhibition marks 2009 Press Freedom Day
Harare: April 27th 2009: The U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Section and the Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe (MMPZ) will host an exhibition, “Lost Voices,” beginning Monday, May 4 to celebrate World Press Freedom Day.
U.S. Ambassador James McGee and Deputy Minister of Media, Information and Publicity Jameson Timba will officiate at a reception to launch the exhibition in Harare.
The exhibition will feature reproductions from various publications printed since Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980 but no longer publishing. Prominent among the “lost voices” is The Daily News, which was first launched on March 31, 1999. It was controversially banned in 2003 for allegedly operating without a license after it lost a Supreme Court challenge to the requirement that it register with a government media regulatory agency.
Zimbabwe’s press freedom record has come under severe local and international scrutiny following the forced closure of several media outlets. Other publications have succumbed to economic pressures.
“All the ‘lost voices’ contributed to the much needed diversity of thought and opinion in Zimbabwe, and had they continued to exist, Zimbabweans would be more informed and better equipped to meet the many challenges confronting them today,” says Andy Moyse, veteran journalist and coordinator of MMPZ.
Moyse edited ‘lost voices’ Horizon and Parade magazines.
World Press Freedom Day is celebrated on May 3 to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press and remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression enshrined under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
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Issued jointly by the U.S. Embassy and MMPZ. Queries should be directed to Tim Gerhardson, Public Affairs Officer, the U.S. Embassy, Harare, Tel. +263 4 758800- 1, Fax: +263 4 758802, E-mail: hararepas@state.gov