As the MultiChoice and Zambia TV censorship scandal continues, the Talk with Kwangu producer Tarryn Lee Crossman confirms that the Zambian government interfered with DStv Zambia and M-Net in Zambia and ordered the show off the air, as she opened up about "scary reality about censorship on the continent".
MultiChoice and M-Net, Africa's largest TV platform, has a growing free speech and censorship problem as more and more African nations and authorities that doesn't support democracy and free speech are ordering content off the air.
The latest shocking MultiChoice Africa censorship debacle revolves around the show Talk with Kwangu that has seen its content forced off the air on M-Net's Zambezi Magic channel on DStv, a channel available in Zambia and some other Southern African nations outside of South Africa.
Zambia's information minister Kampamba Mulenga initially claimed no Zambian government interference, but she blatantly lied. Now she claims blissful ignorance of not really knowing what's going on.
Talk with Kwangu producer Tarryn Lee Crossman is however speaking out about what really happened while Kampamba Mulenga now says her people were "misinformed" on the issue.
In a facebook posting Tarryn Lee Crossman says Talk with Kwangu that had UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema’s wife, Mutinta, among others on the show, did indeed upset the Zambian government.
The show was therefore ordered off DStv Zambia's Zambezi Magic channel.
"We produced a talk show for Zambezi Magic, Talk with Kwangu Wa Liwewe. It was a current affairs show that highlighted where Zambia is 53 years after independence," says Tarryn Lee Crossman.
"Two of the 9 shows were slightly controversial, looking at issues of press freedom and police brutality."
"In one show we featured Hakainde Hichilema's wife, speaking about his arrest. This has made the Zambian government very upset and the show has subsequently been pulled by DStv."
"I am sure this was a very hard decision for them to make, but it is also a scary reality about censorship on the continent," says Tarryn Lee Crossman.
Ngoza Kasunga Matakala, MultiChoice Zambia managing director, says "M-Net commissions a variety of producers across Africa to produce programming for its entertainment channels, however, not all of the programming goes on air."
"With regard to the Zambezi Magic schedules, at no stage has there been any engagement with government regarding content on Zambezi Magic," says Ngoza Kasunga Matakala.
