BEIJING – Zimbabwe’s information minister has led a large media delegation to China in a move that elevates bilateral media cooperation from working-level exchange to strategic priority.
“The trip was formed by our relationship that we have with the People's Republic of China, which dates back to so many decades ago,” Minister Soda Zhemu said in an interview with CGTN China Africa Talk.
Minister Zhemu, whose portfolio includes information and media, is heading a group of Zimbabwean journalism professionals on a visit that has included briefings on Chinese history, poverty alleviation and development planning.
While journalist exchange programmes between the two countries have taken place for years, this marks the first time a sitting minister has joined the delegation.
“From the ministry that deals with information and media, it's quite a large group that is traveling with me here to China,” he added. “The purpose being to deepen our relationship, our collaboration that we have always had.”
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Minister Zhemu argued that too much global reporting about both Africa and China relies on “secondary information” – often filtered through Western outlets. The remedy, he said, is direct, first-hand exposure through sustained media exchanges.
“Many times, narratives are created when you don't know, or probably you are depending on secondary information that you would have obtained,” Minister Zhemu said. “This exchange has given us the opportunity to have first-hand information.”
He said when his team returns home, “obviously, that is going to influence the quality of narratives that they will be sharing with the people back home. There can be a shift from what we used to be focusing on that probably it's been Western inclined.”
The visit, hosted by China's Ministry of Commerce and administered by the Academy for International Business Officials (AIBO), coincides with the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges. Soda’s presence signals Harare’s intent to move beyond Western-dominated global media narratives and build a direct storytelling channel between Zimbabwe and China.
“We must continue, because it brings about better understanding of one another, even as we collaborate in various sectors – including to ensure that as brothers and sisters, we are developing together,” Minister Zhemu said.
“The narrative can always change,” he added. “Let’s continue with these exchanges.”
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