Zimbabwe’s creative industry is fighting back against content theft, which is costing Africa enormous financial damages. The National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) and MultiChoice Zimbabwe have partnered to host a anti-piracy workshop this month in an effort to solve this problem.
The general manager of MultiChoice Zimbabwe, Siyabulela Jemsana, emphasised that the yearly cost of worldwide content piracy is projected to be US$71 billion. This number keeps rising as customers increasingly turn to stolen content for entertainment and pirates become more skilled in their illicit distribution techniques.
“Millions of jobs in the creative industries throughout the world are at risk due to the illicit sharing and copying of content, including TV series and movies, from torrent sites. The amount of income lost exceeds the GDP of the whole regions,” Jemsana explained.
In addition to having an adverse effect on the film and television industries, piracy also affects software, music, literature, and other creative sectors. This prevents Zimbabwean artists from telling their tales and depresses the national economy.
Guest of honor Mr Nicholas Moyo the permanent secretary of Ministry of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture in his remarks said, “It is essential to spread knowledge about some popular anti-piracy techniques that work well in the digital world. The creative industries, along with other practitioners and stakeholders, must familiarize themselves with anti-piracy measures in an environment that is primarily digital and marked by constant technological advancement. I thus implore participants to look over and investigate the following instances, and in the end, use them to combat the piracy scourge.”
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Acting NACZ Director Barbara Gotore pointed out that piracy is caused by a number of things, including a lack of products, high prices, poverty, difficulties with distribution, and digital technology that make it possible to replicate copyrighted works in large quantities.
Through its TV channels and digital platforms, MultiChoice Zimbabwe has been aggressively combating piracy, educating viewers about this crime and how to prevent becoming a victim of it. The business participates in Partners Against Piracy, a pan-African initiative that supports content-producing sectors while battling piracy.
The anti-piracy training concentrated on intellectual property awareness and piracy prevention in the arts and cultural sector, coinciding with World Intellectual Property Day and cultural Month. It highlights how crucial collaboration between the public and business sectors is to combating piracy and defending copyright.
There were panel discussions which covered topics such as “Illegal sharing is not caring”, “Piracy a reality-Challenges and Opportunities” and “IP safeguarding and Commercialization, with Prudence Katomeni Mbofana, Plot Mhako, Walter Wanyanya and Joe Njangu among the panelists.
In order to effectively combat piracy, Jemsana emphasised the need for collaboration between government agencies, entertainment companies, and specialists in the creative industries. The program, which is sponsored by the Zimbabwe International Film Festival Trust (ZIFFT) and the Zimbabwe Music Rights Association (ZIMURA), aims to improve artist protection and raise public awareness of the significance of piracy.
The heavily subscribed event which took place at Cresta Jameson Hotel in Harare on 7 May 2024 attracted many players from different arts sectors.
