But of course, it’s a disappointment because we want the film to be seen exactly by Zimbabweans because it’s their history in the making.Ĭamilla Nielsson When the current president of Zimbabwe came into power, he promised a different regime. We are telling a story about a system that’s not very democratic and not in favor of freedom of speech. What you see in President, actually, shows the condition of democracy in Zimbabwe, which is also reflected in this court case. Signe Byrge Sorensen I don’t think we were surprised given the history with Democrats, which took three years to get un-banned in Zimbabwe. Were you surprised by the ruling that the court in Zimbabwe upheld the ban on President? What do you think is behind this ban? Nielsson and her President producer Signe Byrge Sørensen spoke to The Hollywood Reporter via video chat from Copenhagen on their decision to fight the ban, why freedom of speech is under attack in Zimbabwe, as well as their fears that Mnangagwa’s government, elected with the promise of bringing real democracy to the country, has turned towards brutal authoritarianism. The Mnangagwa government has also come under fire for the ongoing trial of acclaimed Zimbabwean author and activist Tsitsi Dangarembga ( This Mournable Body), who was charged with public incitement to violence, breach of the peace and bigotry in connection with her participation in an anti-government protest in 2020. The court ruled the accreditation was fake, a charge denied by the Times. The ban on President follows the conviction of Zimbabwean journalist Jeffrey Moyo, a freelance correspondent for the New York Times who was given a suspended prison sentence of five years for allegedly breaking immigration laws by helping two international reporters obtain press accreditation needed to enter the country. Its future in Zimbabwe, like that of the country’s democratic movement, remains unclear though. premiere on PBS’ award-winning documentary series POV on Aug. The film contrasts the campaign of 79-year-old Mnangagwa, known by the moniker “the crocodile,” with that of opposition candidate Nelson Chamisa, 44, running on a promise of real political change.īut when the filmmakers submitted President to Zimbabwe’s censorship board, it banned the doc as well, claiming the film has the potential “to incite violence” ahead of Zimbabwe’s presidential elections next year.
President follows that election, documenting the widespread fraud that accompanied it. Only in 2018, following Mugabe’s resignation and the election of former Mugabe supporter Emmerson Mnangagwa as the country’s new president, did the country’s courts lift the ban. The first looks at efforts by the opposition parties allied against long-serving dictator Robert Mugabe to reform the country’s constitution and push Zimbabwe towards democracy.
0 kommentar(er)
