Global Changemakers

Find out what Munyah tells you about his CAP, Change in Focus!

Change In Focus

Change In Focus is a Human Rights project being conducted in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Bulawayo is Zimbabwe’s second largest city and home of the minority Ndebele Tribe. The city has witnessed a lot of Human Rights Violations, varying from physical abuse of women to academic abuse whereby education is becoming a privilege for the elite few, despite the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that clearly declares primary education as a universal right. My CAP is compiling an audio report on Human Rights in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe with a special bias on young people. It wants to inform and educate the young person in Bulawayo about his/her Human Rights in order to ensure that we create a generation of knowledgeable young people…………………..

Welcome to My World

Human Rights, way to go! This was because of the many Human Rights violations I came across every now and then. Since I am someone who works for a community radio station I am always in contact with the common man and hear their trials and joys. Human rights have always been of great significance in the community but freedom of speech as a right has always been outstanding. The reason why I stress the right for freedom of speech is mainly because my job involves engaging people in discussions. However, this is very difficult in my community. The community has viewed freedom of speech as a non-existent right and so they fear to even discuss their rights. This has lead to them not knowing what their rights are and what they are not. Because of a lack of knowledge they never realize when their rights are being violated. This has been an ongoing process and the violators have embraced the loophole and have continued to violate. 

 The facilitator of the Change In Focus CAP.

Overall Aim of CAP

The aim of the CAP is to educate people about their Human Rights, the survey reached out to 250 plus young people and got them talking about the issue. The CAP also reads out the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, so as to inform the young people about universal rights.

Robson Murambiwa completing the survey form of Change In Focus

Challenges

The major challenges I came across were the exact challenges I face day in, day out in my line of work: the challenge of people being very willing to talk, but the minute they know you want to record them, they no longer want to talk. Human Rights is a very sensitive issue because it liberates the mind and the violators never want to see the victims of human rights violations being freed from this state of mind. That is exactly what makes it sensitive, when you talk of human rights, you are immediately labelled as one who sympathies’ with the imperialists, and so the community stays away.

Artists

Working on an audio report was certainly not possible to produce without music. So the project contracted three Zimbabwean artists to come up with songs for the project. The artists were very energetic and came up with all the songs required of them on time. I worked with one established artist and two minor artists.

 Artist Emmanuel Nkomo working on one of the tracks used on the Audio Report

Cover  Design
The CAP ensured that the Cover Design is an abstract picture because it does not and will not take a position.

Yet to be confirmed: Change In Focus Cover Design

Munyah