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The Midlands Branch of the OSSREA Zimbabwe Chapter Holds a Workshop
The Midlands Branch of the OSSREA Zimbabwe Chapter held a one-day workshop on 20th September 2003 at the Midlands State University, Gweru, Zimbabwe. The theme of the workshop was: Governance and Development in Contemporary Zimbabwe. About 25 participants from the academia, civil society and NGOs attended the workshop.
The workshop started off with the Chairperson, Mr T. Javangwe, expressing profound gratitude to the Midlands Branch of the OSSREA Zimbabwe Chapter for organising the workshop. He went on to acknowledge the presence of Dr D. Chimanikire, University of Zimbabwe, and Dr I. Pikirayi, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Midlands State University. The Chairperson then called upon Mr T.M. Mashingaidze, the Provincial Coordinator for the Midlands Branch of the OSSREA Zimbabwe Chapter, to make his opening remarks.
Mr Mashingaidze began by giving a brief history of the Midlands Branch of the OSSREA Zimbabwe Chapter, which he said was an outcome of OSSREA Zimbabwe Chapter’s decentralisation programme. The Branch was launched in November 2002 at Fairmile Motel in Gweru as one of the first provincial Chapters. He informed the participants that the Midlands Branch had also participated in workshops and research competitions.
Mr Mashingaidze went on to explain that the papers to be presented centred mainly on governance, the current economic situation, and HIV/AIDS. The papers, he said, were more or less a follow-up on issues addressed at the workshop organised by the National OSSREA Zimbabwe Chapter, which was held on 25th July 2003 at Holiday Inn in Harare.
Mr Mashingaidze went on to inform participants that one member of the Midlands Branch of the OSSREA Zimbabwe Chapter, Ms Chipo Hungwe’, was one of the winners of the 2003 OSSREA Gender Research Grant Competition. He expressed his hope that the papers to be presented would stimulate vigorous debate, which would enhance depth and breadth of social science research in Zimbabwe. He ended his address by extending profound gratitude to the National OSSREA Zimbabwe Chapter for the support provided in organising the workshop.
Mr K. Kujinga, the Acting Liaison Officer for OSSREA Zimbabwe Chapter, thanked the Midlands Branch for the invitation. He hailed the workshop as being the first to be held at provincial level and congratulated the Midlands Branch Committee members for successfully organising the workshop and the OSSREA Secretariat for funding it.
Mr Kujinga went on to note that the theme of the workshop was timely since Zimbabwe was currently going through problems of governance and development. He expressed his belief that it was the duty of social scientists to engage in debate and offer policy recommendations on the problems of governance and democracy currently confronting Zimbabwe.
The following five papers were presented at the workshop:
1. ‘Towards Democratised Airwaves: Zimbabwe’s Experience of Broadcasting Policy Reform and Implications for Media Development,’ by Peter Mandava;
2. ‘The Paradox of Zimbabwe’s Press: The Commercial Imperative and the Struggle for Democracy,’ by Cleopas T. Muneri;
3. ‘The Socio-Cultural and Linguistic Imperatives in the Reconstruction and Restructuring of Agrarian Relations in Southern Africa: A Case Study of Zimbabwe Fast Track Land Reform Programme,’ by Finex Ndhlovu;
4. ‘Paradigms of Exclusion: Youth and Governance in Post-Colonial Zimbabwe,’ by Terence M. Mashingaidze; and
5. ‘The Impact of Social and Economic Development on African Culture: The Case of Zimbabwe,’ by Advice Viriri.
The workshop was closed with a vote of thanks by Dr I. Pikirayi, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Midlands State University. Dr Pikirayi noted that the papers presented in the workshop were highly illuminating not just to academics but also to policy-makers and national development planners.