Thursday, October 11, 2007

The Police Commissioner,
Z.R.P.
General Headquaters
P.Bag CY 34
Causeway
Harare.

RE: Arrest of Actors by the Police.

Dear Sir,

It came as a shock to us and the whole acting industry that our colleagues actors Silvanos Mudzvova and Antony Tongani of Harare were last week arrested and detained for performing a political play the Final Push and even made to perform to the police for free with ought any payment by the police audience. Worse still because the charge was that they were trying to initiate public violence with their play.

We both know, you and I that the Zimbabwean public is not a foolish, dump, violence loving public that can be incited through a play, any play for that matter, to engage in public violence. Political theater and general plays are not a new thing to our communities and they know very well the difference between a speaker delivering a speech addressing a political gathering and an actor delivering script lines in front of an audience. Our Acting fathers and heroes such as Safirio Madzikatire did a good job in introducing the meaning of acting arts to the generality of our public.

It is only some of our politicians that cannot tell the difference. How ever of late it looks like your police force too has joined the band wagon of these politicians and think that plays are for public incitement. I have never come across a situation where an audience came out of a play and went violent. It happens in music concerts but only if the fans would have felt cheated of their money’s worth. Never in theater. So why the panic and the excitement from the police about plays unless Commissioner you and your force are confirming that Zimbabwe is now a dictator state with a horrible government that does not approve of free political debate and dialogue amongst its citizens. As artists we don’t believe that Zimbabwe is such a state, but we do believe that Zimbabwe is full of incompetent and corrupt politicians and hence why we feel that political theater is necessary and should not be interfered with by any one including your police force.

Please refrain your police force from these overzealous actions that assume and send an impression that political themes and politics as a subject is banned for public discussions in Zimbabwe.

It is such police actions that send negative publicity for Zimbabwe internationally as the international media unlike our local government media will not turn a blind eye to such unnecessary police action. Zimbabwe can never prosper in isolation.

The Censorship Board has a way in which it operates and it is not for our artists to tell them how to operate. All our artists can do is send scripts to them and inform them where the plays will be running if they need to know. Their job is to censor and not to license. If they feel there is sections of the work that they want removed they communicate that in writing and if necessary ban the work. Only then does it become illegal for our artists to perform the play and I am sure it is still them who should come to the police force to press charges if our artists went ahead and performed a play they have banned. They have never said that any political themes are now banned and until they say so artists will continue to produce such works.

Please we need your force to protect us and the public and not to harass us and stand on our way and block us when we go about doing our professional work as artists.

Cont Mhlanga
Amakhosi Cultural Center
Voices For Change Program