Zimpapers Knowledge Centre Twitter account is as awesome as it gets

A few days ago we came across a Twitter account called Zimpapers Knowledge Centre.

In its bio, it reads, “Newspaper archive/Information resource centre. Content from 1891- present. Photographs and categorised newspaper articles.”

These are articles from the Rhodesian Herald and its successors, the Herald as we know it. Of course add associated titles such as The Chronicle, Sunday Mail, Sunday News, H-Metro and other titles as well as iterations.

And the well of knowledge that we have come across since we started following it is pretty awesome. It has images of when the late Queen Elizabeth II visited Great Zimbabwe in 1991, to late nationalist and then editor-in-chief of the African Newspapers appearing in court 1962 for not revealing sources. He would win the case.

It has revolutionary and nationalist Chief Rekayi Tangwena arriving at the Salisbury Central Police Station to answer a warrant of arrest in 1972.

Then here is the picture King Lobengula’s daughter Sigxobozelo Khumalo with her two grandchildren, published on 24 April 1968.

One that caught our interest a lot, being in he media is a notice in 1932 of a wireless test for radio. The notice is from 11 May which said there would be a test on 21 May.

An earlier test had been done but the 21st would see the first time a broadcast would be heard in ‘the Colony’. The earlier had ‘gramophone music’ and some people felt the ‘announcer had speaking too loud and quickly’.

Some things never change.

Radio would finally arrive in 1933 (based in Belvedere, Salisbury – now Harare) for guidance and weather reports. It was in 1941 that a professional radio service was established. Two were established, the  Southern Rhodesia Broadcasting Service (SRBS) for the white population and the Central African Broadcasting Station (CABS) for Africans in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) and Nyasaland (now Malawi) as well as Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).

We are really excited about this because it gives a sense of a people with a history. And for those with a sense of history, a whole knew world is available at the Zimpapers Centre. It means a lot which is a lot.

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