Nyasha K on The Verve

By age 26, Nyasha Mutizwa has already made a name for herself in journalism not only in Zimbabwe, but internationally as well. This University of BBP Law School graduate has gained experience working as a producer and a presenter in both radio and television. She has made her mark working at Zimbabwe’s first commercial talk radio station, Capitalk 100.4 FM and now as a TV journalist for Africa News in Congo. Nyasha shares with us her experiences with the different cultures, economic situations and political climates on her journey as a journalist.

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Quick Questions With Nyasha

Did you always know you wanted to work in media?

I studied law in university and I initially wanted to be a lawyer, so although I was always interested in journalism, I never thought I’d end up working in broadcast.  

In Zimbabwe, I produced and presented a magazine show. I focused on travel, music, cuisine, religion and politics. I even talked about love and presented a matchmaking show… I’m not trying that again (she laughs). Working in Congo I now focus mainly on covering business and travel news, as well as doing features on Zimbabwean current affairs.

In terms of the socio – political climate and freedom of speech, what comparisons would you make between the media spaces in Zimbabwe and in Congo?  

There’s definitely much more freedom of speech in Congo and I have more creative license there. I was working in radio at the start of Zimbabwe’s new dispensation and while there was a little bit more freedom at the time than during Robert Mugabe’s era, it was still quite closely monitored. During Zimbabwe’s election campaign period for example, while there was the freedom to allow listeners to critique, something like choosing who to interview was usually controversial due to their political stand.  

As someone who has experienced both countries first hand, what perceptions of African countries do you think have been encouraged by the media?

There is a lot of attention on the negative issues and not enough focus on everything as a whole. Zimbabwe is still a lot more diverse and developed than some other African countries are.  We are not as terrible as the international media portrays and it's the same with Congo there is so much to it that people in other African countries do not know. I aim to speak the truth and talk about the good and the bad, not just to focus on the negative. Media spaces in Africa do not share enough information within the continent. Africans don’t know enough about each other and tend to know more about the West. An example of this is right until his death, many Africans outside of Zimbabwe thought that Robert Mugabe was still ruling the country and if they were aware that he was the former president when he passed away, they did not know who the current president is. Similarly, a lot of people outside Congo don’t know that there are two Congos with two independent political, geographical and legal systems. Many would be able to wax lyrical about Brexit or American politics but struggle to name capital cities within their region in Africa.

I aim to speak the truth and talk about the good and the bad, not just to focus on the negative.

Being based outside of Zimbabwe, do you ever feel pressured into becoming a voice for those at home that might be afraid to express themselves more openly?  

I do sometimes, as I am quite active on social media. Although Congo has more freedom of speech, I do still have to keep my family and loved ones in mind and protect them by watching what I say.

What do you think can be done to bridge the divide in African media spaces?

Not just in media but in all African spaces, I think we need to tell the truth from all angles so that we share our full stories without only painting the negative pictures. We need to pay more attention to focusing on each others’ news and cultures as Africans.

We also need to work on dealing with how the effects of colonisation encourage this divide. We still have strong colonial influences and mindsets that separate us as a continent. African Francophone and Anglophone countries for example can relate to the English and the French cultures more than those of African origin. You’ll find that we defend these cultures so strongly to the extent that it is often easier to settle in another European country than in another African country. As a result, the hardest thing for me to adapt to when I first moved to Congo was the language barriers.  Maybe more African countries could follow the Rwandese way and learn both French and English as official languages.

How do you compare politics within the different African countries? In regards to corruption, would you say most African governments are cut from the same cloth?

There are many similarities African countries share like poverty, corruption and struggling economies, but I would not go on to say they are cut from the same cloth. Rather, I think because Africa is a young continent, we are still developing in stages and what we are going through is part of the process.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?  

I see myself anchoring the news on a top international channel, doing a lot more field reporting on major events and being the go to person for high profile interviews.

Follow Nyasha on:

Instagram: nyashakmutizwa

Twitter: NyashaKMutizwa