How singing, posting on Facebook or publishing an article can get you arrested in southern Africa.
This statement was originally published on misa.org on 12 May 2016.
Freedom of expression is one of the cornerstones of all democratic systems. Without it ideas about how to protect the common good in our societies would be impoverished. A marketplace of ideas is essential for democracy to thrive. It is for this reason that the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) attaches such importance to political discourse as well as to speech and other forms of expression that may shock and offend.
In this 21-minute documentary titled “The Daily Threat”, MISA uses case studies from Zambia and Zimbabwe to tell the struggle for freedom of expression in southern Africa. We share present-day stories of persons arrested for commenting on Facebook, for singing a song or for publishing an article.
This documentary was developed with the generous assistance of DW Akademie.