Zim Now hosts Chinese Academics

Patience Muchemwa

Senior Reporter

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ZimNow this past week hosted a delegation of Chinese-African researchers led by Professor An Nzng.

The group of academics were in Zimbabwe as part of their African tour.

The group engaged in discussions about Zim Now and the general media landscape in Zimbabwe.

In the two years since etsablishment, Zim Now, has managed to hit several milestones including audiences in all countries across the globe.

“Our strategy has been not to see competition but partners. This has allowed us to grow fast by leveraging on existing platforms while identifying unexplored niches,” Zim Now's Managing Partner, Monica Cheru, said.

Zim Now has content sharing partnerships with media organisations in other countries and recently hosted representatives of China’s biggest publication, People’s Daily.

She told the Chinese academics that a deliberate recruitment of young people has ensured that the platform caters to the biggest demographic segment in the country.

The Chinese academics said they had gained much insight on how the media operates in Zimbabwe and news coverage now makes sense to them.

They also particularly wanted to understand the origins of the phrase Zhing Zhong and it full meaning within the Zimbabwean context.

Ms Cheru explained that that it came from what the Shona ear picked of the Chinese language when the Chinese retailers first came into the country some years back. Cheap goods of low quality and poor durability and designer fakes earned the name Zhing Zhong. Some people then applied the term to people of Chinese origin.