BY PRESTIGE MUNTANGA THE Zimbabwean Music Rights Association (Zimura) has embarked on a workshop blitz across the country’s provinces to educate people on copyrights.
Zimura executive director Chimhini Ncube told NewsDay Life & Style that the workshops will be held monthly until year end.
“We have lined up several activities throughout the year to celebrate our 40 years having been established in 1982. Copyright awareness workshops are the major highlights of the activities,” she said.
“We were in Bulawayo (on Wednesday this week) running an awareness workshop on copyright. The event was attended by artists, law enforcement agents, public prosecutors, the national council and the city of Bulawayo.”
She added: “This is the third workshop after the two we had in Masvingo and Gweru. We are going to have another workshop in Harare on April 26 as we celebrate World international Property Day.”
Noting that Zimura has not been spared from a myriad of challenges due to economic meltdown Ncude said: “The journey has been up and down, sometimes it is smooth or very difficult. This is mainly due to the economic hardship that we have in the country, the change of currency that we use, and the devaluation of the local currency.
“Between 2007 and 2008 we had to close the office briefly because we could not continue licensing. Our licences last for 12 months by then there was a time when our dollar was being evaluated almost every minute and it would not make sense for us to give someone a licence that would last for 12 months.”
She added: “We were served by the fact that we owned the building that we operate from in Bulawayo. When we started using the multi-currency in 2009, that is when we were able to continue.
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Zimura relies on licensing organisations that use music in their business operations.
“If we were to close, we would be the last organisation to close after all broadcasters, hotels and night clubs have closed because all those are our clients. The complaints about realities will always be there as long as our economy is not stable because yes, we licence and distribute realities, but the issue is about the value of the reality. We operate in the local currency and we know what happens to the currency,” she further noted.
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