KING COMMEMORATIONS

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 PAGE 03 HARARE 00215 240542Z 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 >