Yeah, five new cinemas but it's not necessarily as exciting as it may sound!
The large majority of the Harare population lives a considerable distance
away from the city centre (where these new cinemas have been opened up) and
public transport is expensive and inadequate. Very few people own cars. And
what will they show? Bad prints of the usual pulp western movies that seem
to
have been shown everywhere else in Africa -- in the world!-- before being
dumped on our door, whose appalling sound quality is often
drowned out by a chattering, giggling, munching audience?
There are another six small cinemas being planned for a couple of years
time.
But two movie houses in the suburbs (the current "natural" home of
middle-class movie-goers) have just closed down. And none of these new
cinemas is being set up in Chitungwiza, the dormitory town 20km from Harare
where most of Harare's workers live, and whose total population is over
500,000 and probably closer to 1 million! What about Kuwadzana,
Mufakose, Tafara, Highfields, Mbare? This is where the people live.
What's going on?
Carole Pearce
The Zimbabwean Review
(Internet address: zimreview@mango.zw)
In-Reply-To: 199610031423.KAA06562@dag.XC.Org