It's worth noting that this year's World Press Freedom Day coincides with the 20th anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration on Promoting Independent and Pluralistic Media.

Take a moment in your day to check out the document.

At a first read though, you could not be blamed for thinking that much of what was noted in point 6 of the declaration could apply in many African countries in 2011.

"In Africa today, despite the positive developments in some countries, in many countries journalists, editors and publishers are victims of repression – they are murdered, arrested, detained and censored, and are restricted by economic and political pressures such as restrictions on newsprint, licensing systems which restrict the opportunity to publish, visa restrictions which prevent the free movement of journalists, restrictions on the exchange of news and information, and limitations on the circulation of newspapers within countries and across national borders. In some countries, one ­party States control the totality of information."

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Hopes for greater press freedom in Zimbabwe grew when a power-sharing government was formed following the elections in 2008. The new government has however not lived up to the expectations of many people in the media industry. The DW-AKADEMIE will host a conference on Media Training and Capacity Building Needs in Harare on February 25.

To gain an insight into the current press situation we spoke to the Zimbabwean media expert, Luckson Chipare, who coordinates the DW-AKADEMIE media development project in Zimbabwe.

L. Chipare with  DW-AKADEMIE's P. Leusch Bonn

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