BY WINSTONE ANTONIO
WOMEN are slowly taking their rightful space in the media and arts sectors but must keep on scaling new heights in the male-dominated sectors, an international organisation has said.
In a recent interview with NewsDay Life & Style to mark the end of the women’s month, commemorated under the theme Women in Leadership: Achieving an equal future in COVID-19 World, Hivos regional office for southern Africa project manager Tambudzai Madzimure said it was now time to recognise females in the arts sector.
Madzimure said women in arts should be empowered as they aspire for leadership positions.
“Inasmuch as the arts and multi-media sectors are still male-dominated, we do have women that are taking their positions within that sector and it is really about then continuously opening the doors of opportunities for them,” she said.
“The challenge is that of society’s perception as there is this tendency of looking down on women in the arts sector, but people are starting to appreciate their abilities, that is the strength of that person given the platform.”
Madzimure said Hivos was involved in several programmes to empower women under its She-Leads project in partnership with the Irish embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, with a recent 13-episode radio drama, Shelea, being one of the many projects.
The drama, written by local scriptwriter-cum-actress Sitshengisiwe Olinda Siziba and produced by Patsimeredu Edutainment Trust, chronicles the story of a young female politician, Shelea, who faces hurdles as she tries to balance being a mother and rising to power while making a difference in her community.
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“In terms of arts and culture and its place in society, it’s a mirror of society as it mirrors what is happening in society.
“The Shelea drama focused on the various reports already published on community experiences with COVID-19, including fears and stigma associated with the same. The drama was also used to educate listeners on key information and services available to them in the fight against gender discrimination,” Madzimure said.
“If we look at the lockdown period, most of us were locked in our houses and we could not go anywhere, so radio became one of the entertainment modes that people had. Therefore, things like radio dramas really became useful because they get people to engage and to talk about some of the challenges and issues they face on a day-to-day basis.”
She said the objective of the drama was to continue the conversation on women in decision-making and leadership positions even during the COVID-19 lockdown periods.
“The drama was launched during the lockdown period, where most people were spending more time at home with little entertainment.
“Centred around women leaders in communities, the storylines of the drama depicted what was happening in our communities and highlighted some topical issues,” she said.
“Through women in the community that are capable of addressing challenges they faced, we were challenging stereotypes that say women can’t do it.
“Keeping to reality on the ground, the drama also addressed the many challenges that women face in their leadership journeys, especially in political leadership in the home and within the communities they are located.”
She said the aim of producing the drama was achieved, adding that the drama’s theme song Shelea was played across different stations in Zimbabwe.
“In terms of reaching audiences and getting the conversation going, the objective was achieved.
“Even in terms of offering the education and entertainment value, I would say this was a success as can be seen by responses during roadshows conducted or audience response to questions raised about the drama,” she said.
“More is needed to continue to challenge some perceptions on gender relations which might have been heightened by the lockdown which found most women at home as they also had to look after children who were not in school.”
“I would, however, point that the ideal position would be for a radio drama such as this to have various funders to support the work and ensure that the drama becomes part of our day-to-day lives for a long period of time,” she said.
“I am thinking of similar productions like Love Life in South Africa which has been credited with successfully impacting behavioural change in some communities because the production became part of sustained education and entertainment in communities.”
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