Maxwell Sibanda is an arts journalist and a member of the executive committee of Freemuse.
In this interview he speaks about music censorship in Zimbabwe – and about how the government has promoted itself through music while excluding musical voices of the opposition, and about the impact of radio blacklisting.
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Maxwell Sibanda took part in the session 'Africa wants to be free' at the 3rd Freemuse World Conference in Istanbul, Turkey, in November 2006.
Born in Zimbabwe in 1968, Maxwell Sibanda has worked as media manager at Roof Top Promotions, arts & entertainment editor at Daily News and as marketing officer at Gramma Records. He has been a guest writer for Pen Germany (2006), Internationales Haus der Zuflucht der Autoren Graz, Austria (2005), and Hamburger Stiftung, Hamburg (2004-05). Has published three books and since 2000 done research on music and politics in Zimbabwe.
The video interview was recorded by Mik Aidt assisted by Gaëlle Gauthier-Brown on 27 November 2006.
Signature music: Jason Carter recorded live at the conference.
Job of a secret police officer in Zimbabwe now hangs in balance. His offence: he was linked to music that is deemed to be ‘sensitive’ by president Robert Mugabe’s regime
Two musicians who are facing charges of singing songs that are ‘sensitive’ failed to appear in court, and now a magistrate court has issued a warrant of arrest for them
Voto Radio Station invites all protest singers whose work is banned in Zimbabwe to use it as a platform where they can musically voice their concerns without fear of repression
Five days in prison and a possible sentence of up to two years imprisonment has not deterred two protest Zimbabwean singers from continuing to sell their new album
Raymond Majongwe could not find anyone who would print or publish his music within the country. He had to resort to foreign lands for recording his new album
While the radio keeps rotating songs that praise the current regime, opposition and dissenting voices are silenced, and things fall apart, writes Maxwell Sibanda from Harare
Exiled Zimbabwean singer Viomak released her third protest music album, 'Happy 84th birthday President R.G Matibili (Great Son of Malawi)' on 21 February 2008
'Rock de Vote' concert in Norton was delayed by more than four hours after the council chairman who is a known Zanu PF had called it off the last minute
Maskiri, a rapper with an explicit and cutting tongue, has been forced to change the title of his upcoming album in order for him to get airplay from the state broadcaster
Police had given permission to a group of musicians to make a 'voter education concert' on 12 December 2007, but the Central Intelligence Organisation blocked the event
A 'travelling concert' event gives stage to Zimbabwean artists who have suffered censorship of some of their work on state-controlled radio and television.
In Zimbabwe, musicians manage to evade censorship by creating songs with double-meaning. And sometimes they get away with it, reports Freemuse's correspondent
Video interview with Chiwoniso Maraire together with Chirikure Chirikure and Paul Brickhill about their personal experiences with music censorship in Zimbabwe
Radio programme about music censorship in Zimbabwe - with radio manager K. Nyoni, lawyer K. Phulu, poet A. Nyathi, and radio presenters R. Moyo and S. Mkhithika
