US embassy cable - 02HARARE215

UNCLAS HARARE 000215 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AF/PD FOR SANDERS, COX, ROBERTSON, DOWLING; IIP/G/AF FOR 
HEAD, MURPHY, PITTS; INFO AF/S FOR KRAFT, SCHLACHTER 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ZI, PREL, PHUM 
SUBJECT: KING COMMEMORATIONS 
 
 
1.   HARARE IS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF 2002 MARTIN LUTHER KING 
    DAY AND BLACK HISTORY MONTH TO SPREAD DR. KING'S MESSAGE OF 
    NON-VIOLENCE.  AN EXAMINATION OF THE PRINCIPLES OF NON- 
    VIOLENCE FROM MANY DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES IS AN ESPECIALLY 
    USEFUL THEME AS ZIMBABWE EDGES TOWARD THE MARCH 9 AND 10 
    PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS.  ON JANUARY 20 AND 21, WE GENERATED 
    PROGRAMMING THAT, THROUGH ZIMBABWE'S PRINT AND ELECTRONIC 
    MEDIA, REACHED AN EXTREMELY BROAD AUDIENCE. 
 
2.   UNDER THE GENERAL RUBRIC OF "THE PRINCIPLES OF NON- 
    VIOLENCE," EMBASSY HARARE BEGAN 6 WEEKS OF MLK/BHM 
    PROGRAMMING ON JANUARY 20 WITH ADVERTISING OF LECTURES, 
    VIDEOS, DISCUSSION AND CULTURAL PROGRAMS WE HAVE PLANNED 
    FOR THE COMING 6 WEEKS.  THE ADVERTISEMENTS RAN IN ALL OF 
    ZIMBABWE'S NATIONAL NEWSPAPERS. 
 
3.   ON JANUARY 21, THE EMBASSY PLACED LARGE "ADVERTORIALS" 
    IN ALL 3 ZIMBABWEAN DAILY NEWSPAPERS ABOUT DR. KING AND HIS 
    COMMITMENT TO NON-VIOLENCE AS THE LASTING MEANS OF BUILDING 
    A JUST SOCIETY.  WE ARE GRATEFUL TO IIP'S DAVID PITTS FOR 
    THE OUTSTANDING WASHINGTON FILE ARTICLE ON MLK THAT FORMED 
    THE BASIS OF OUR "ADVERTORIALS."  THE SAME ARTICLE WILL RUN 
    IN ZIMBABWE'S INFLUENTIAL WEEKLY PAPERS IN THE NEXT 6 DAYS. 
 
4.   ON JANUARY 21, AGAINST ALL ODDS GIVEN THE CONTENTIOUS 
    VIEW THE STATE-OWNED ZIMBABWE BROADCASTING CORPORATION 
    (ZBC) USUALLY OFFERS OF THE UNITED STATES, WE WERE ABLE TO 
    PLACE SPECIAL PROGRAMS TO COMMEMORATE AND CELEBRATE MLK'S 
    LIFE ON BOTH RADIO AND TELEVISION.  ALL PRODUCTIONS 
    HIGHLIGHTED KING'S MESSAGE OF NON-VIOLENCE.  ZBC'S "THIS 
    MORNING" TELEVISION PROGRAM (0600 TO 0800) AIRED A TEN- 
    MINUTE SPECIAL ABOUT KING'S LIFE AND HIS MESSAGE OF PEACE, 
    TOLERANCE AND HOPE.  THE SPECIAL WAS COMPILED BY ZBC FROM 
    MATERIAL PROVIDED BY THE EMBASSY'S PUBLIC AFFAIRS SECTION. 
    AFTER THE SPECIAL, ANCHOR SUPA MANDIWANZIRA CALLED ON 
    ZIMBABWEANS "TO HEED DR. KING'S LEGACY OF NONVIOLENT 
    CHANGE, ESPECIALLY NOW WHEN ZIMBABWEANS PREPARE TO GO TO 
    THE POLLS TO ELECT A NEW PRESIDENT."  ACCORDING TO THE 
    PRODUCER OF "THIS MORNING," CHRISTINA TARUVINGA, THE 
    PROGRAM WAS WELL RECEIVED BY THE VIEWERS, MANY OF WHOM 
    CALLED THE STATION TO COMMENT ON THE "WONDERFUL AND VERY 
    INFORMATIVE" PRODUCTION.  DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND FROM 
    VIEWERS, TARUVINGA SAID SHE WOULD RUN THE PROGRAM AGAIN 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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    DURING THE BLACK HISTORY MONTH. 
 
5.   ZBC'S NATIONAL RADIO ALSO BROADCAST EXCERPTS FROM 
    MLK'S "I HAVE A DREAM" SPEECH ON JANUARY 21 DURING PROGRAMS 
    BROADCAST IN 14 NATIONAL LANGUAGES INCLUDING ENGLISH, SHONA 
    AND NDEBELE.  PROGRAM PRESENTERS ALSO READ EXCERPTS FROM 
    PAS-PROVIDED BACKGROUND MATERIAL ABOUT DR. KING.  THE HEAD 
    OF NATIONAL RADIO, PATU MANALA, HAS REQUESTED MORE PROGRAMS 
    AND INFORMATION REGARDING PROMINENT AFRICAN-AMERICANS FOR 
    BROADCAST DURING THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY. 
 
6.   ZBC IS THE ONLY ELECTRONIC MEDIA OPERATING IN 
    ZIMBABWE.  ACCORDING TO THE ZBC TV'S MARKETING DIVISION, 
    NEARLY A MILLION VIEWERS WATCHED "THIS MORNING" PROGRAM, 
    WHILE OVER ONE AND HALF MILLION ARE ESTIMATED TO HAVE 
    LISTENED TO AT LEAST ONE OF THE MARTIN LUTHER KING SLOTS 
    DURING THE JANUARY 21 PROGRAMMING. 
 
SULLIVAN 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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