By Ndlovu Lerato
The world commemorates International Childrens Day of Broadcasting, (ICDB) brought forward by UNICEF as a way of making broadcasters devote their time to children issues.
In Zimbabwe broadcasters celebrated the day under the theme “Championing childrens rights during the Covid-19 pandemic”.
Over the years the day has inspired the development of quality children programming, regular youth led radio and television shows, per was requested by UNICEF in 2011 when they declared the day a success and handed it to the broadcasters to continue with the initiative.
“With the shift in the media landscape and excellent developments that the ICDB has produced, it makes sense to declare the day a success, if the day has been a success in your country, please continue to celebrate it in a way that makes sense to your situation, choosing a theme that resonates for your community,” said UNICEF.
Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation producer of children’s programming Julius Chirume said to celebrate the day the national broadcaster has dedicated 2 hours for children to learn more on their rights and to express themselves through radio and television.
This year’s ICDB has been celebrated differently due to the pandemic, worldwide a few children managed to flock the broadcasting centers and showcase their talents through the media.
The day has been celebrated for the past 30 years on the first Sunday of March. With the aim to promote broadcasters around the world to pay more attention to children’s programs and airing quality programming, while allowing them to be a part of the programming process, to talk about their hopes and dreams and share information with their peers.
