Mainstream English Language Press Journalists’ Perceptions Towards the Indigenous-Language Press in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Indigenous-language media in Zimbabwe and Africa have not elicited as much academic scrutiny as the English-language media. However, there is an emerging scholarship that focuses on indigenous-language media in Zimbabwe. This scholarship focuses more on audiences and texts. This paper takes a different dimension by interrogating the perceptions of English-language newspaper journalists towards indigenous language newspapers, indigenous language newspaper journalists and journalism. The paper, grounded in decoloniality, seeks to demonstrate that coloniality is a key determinant of the poor performance of indigenous-language newspapers in Zimbabwe. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews with selected mainstream English-language newspaper journalists. The findings demonstrate that the journalists view a career in indigenous-language media as not being lucrative, less respectable, and leading nowhere; and view the indigenous-language newspapers journalists as “rejects”. The content of the indigenous-language newspapers is generally viewed as trivial and therefore inconsequential, while indigenous languages are viewed as difficult. The paper concludes that these views are reflective of the pervasive nature of coloniality and western modernity’s “othering” of non-western realities and knowledge.

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