By Tererai Karimakwenda
04 November 2005

A radio documentary about the plight of Zimbabwean women, written and produced by our own Violet Gonda, won an award as the best in the radio category at an international conference in America. The International Association of Women in Radio and Television chose her piece, which is a compilation of interviews with women who were victimised by the Mugabe regime over the last 4 years, from a selection of 17 others relating the experiences of women in different countries. The jury felt the programme has international appeal and should be heard by the United Nations.

The organisation has members from at least 55 countries worldwide, and Violet said she never thought she could win. She simply wanted the voices of these brave women to be heard and for the world to know what is happening to them. Violet said she is thrilled to be learning about other conflict areas and has realised women are being victimised in many other places around the world.

Entitled “Arise: Women of Zimbabwe speak out”, Violet’s documentary combined interviews with music in a very innovative way that exposed the suffering endured by women under ZANU-PF. From the brave Margaret Kulinji whose family was victimised and her mother sexually assaulted with a rifle by soldiers, to the lawyer Gugulethu Moyo who was attacked at a police station, and the brave Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) who have been arrested on several occasions and keep coming back to the streets, the piece tells their stories. Violet stressed that these women are the true winners of this award because without them, the story could not have been told.

The top television award went to a compelling documentary dealing with immigration, music, and the life of a Kurdish woman in Sweden who uses her music to preserve the native culture. Numerous programmes covered the issue of immigration.