Censorship Board chairperson, Aeneas Chigwedere has said the board is not a guillotine meant to curtail creative works, but they are open to suggestions on how to carry out their mandate.
BY WINSTONE ANTONIO
Speaking at the board’s meeting with stakeholders in the creative industries yesterday, Chigwedere said there are also considering changing the board’s name and invited creatives to come up with suggestions.
“We know many of these stakeholders think we are there to merely guillotine things, which is far from what we are. That is why we have organised a meeting to bridge the gap with these stakeholders,” he said.
Chigwedere said the name Censorship Board was a “negative” colonial name and they were considering “a positive name that does not frighten people”.
The former Education minister said the new board was prepared to address issues raised by artistes.
This follows concerns from various stakeholders that the gatekeeper was curbing artistes’ freedom of expression provided for in the Constitution.
The recently appointed 11-member board, which includes President Robert Mugabe’s daughter, Bona Mugabe-Chikore, police spokesperson, Charity Charamba, Bulawayo Metropolitan provincial administrator Konzani Ncube, Catholic priest, Fidelis Mukonori and Shingai Rukwata Ndoro, has been mandated to regulate the arts.
