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Professor Jonathan Moyo

Harare Bureau
Film is an effective tool that can be used to communicate ideas and resolve conflicts between nations, Media, Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo has said.He said this while officiating at the premiere of a film Paddington, the first of its kind in Africa, that was hosted by the British Embassy at Ster Kinekor Theatre in Borrowdale, Harare.

The film is an adaptation of a classic children’s book that chronicles the life of a bear, Paddington, who struggles to find a new home in London after his got destroyed in an earthquake in Peru.

“It’s an interesting story line for humanity and how to deal with differences in an engaging manner,” said Prof Moyo.

“It reminds us that the best stories are not packaged through news but film. We’ve the British ambassador to thank (for Zimbabwe hosting the African premiere), notwithstanding what we’ve been doing or saying to each other over the last 15 years.”

Prof Moyo said in spite of the differences between Zimbabwe and Britain, there were deep-seated cultural ties, language being one of them.

“There’re many other aspects of our everyday life that bring us together,” he said. “If we’d paid attention to some of those things maybe some of the misunderstanding we’ve had recently could’ve been dealt with differently.”

He said while there were unpleasant memories in history between Harare and London, there were also positive ones that bind the two peoples, especially from a cultural perspective.

With reference to the film, Prof Moyo said its concept about how London was for everyone applied also to Zimbabwe.

“If you really believe that a place is for everyone when there’re moments of misunderstanding, disagreements you can search deep and find points of resolution,” he said.

British ambassador Catriona Laing said her country had a shared history with Zimbabwe.

“I’m delighted to host the African Premiere of the film Paddington in Harare this festive season,” she said. “Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom have a long shared history, with strong ties, characterised by a common language and culture that includes adored childhood characters like Paddington bear.”

The movie première was also attended by children from different children’s homes in Harare.