Kambisa!BeHeard.

Kambisa! the concept.

Kambisa!BeHeard. is an interactive media-movement initiated to make you be heard. It's meant to give you a place to publish your works, your thoughts, your grieves, your laughs and your beliefs - no matter how contradicting they might be. It does not want to promote one specific line of thinking, it wants to present many in order for them to challenge each other.

We are living in a world where a few determine the lives of many. Often these few pretend to do so on behalf of some kind of unclear 'majority' - the people -, though those supposed to be part of that majority don't feel as if they're being represented. Kambisa! ('Speak loud!') wants to give you an opportunity to tell your own story as you like it, without interference of anybody trying to twist your words on their behalf.

interactive media

Kambisa! started off as a magazine in April 2003 and saw its first radio-show in collaboration with UNZA 91.5 FM in May 2004. It's our intention to keep on developping into different types off media, theatre, gossip, arts etc. in order to improve in accessibility and interactivity. One of the means to reach a wider audience, is to include more languages and have different types of shows for different audiences, like children or the elderly. Interactivity should be improved by involving many different people, keep on emphasizing anybody can - and should - participate and offering the help needed to practically garantee so. In addition, competitions, township-introductions, wider distribution etc. should contribute to encourage people to react. Keywords in this interaction should be mutual respect and empowerment, in the sense of making people realize they and their opinions can matter, if only they make them.

freedom & responsibility

In order to maximize your freedom of speech and keep the movement as accessible and independent as possible, Kambisa! doesn't allways stick to the customary journalistic criteria. We'll try to edit your contributions as little as possible, though we can give you some advice on how to make things more attractive if you want.
As for the contents, we will generally publish anything which we feel will not endanger others or yourself too much. If necessary, we can publish your story in combination with one which shines a different light on the same theme. Remember: we do not want to promote one specific line of thinking, we want to present many in order for them to challenge each other. If you're accusing somebody of something, it's important to give him a chance to explain himself. For instance, when publishing the first magazine, we received many articles condemning the American invasion of Iraq, but not one explaining their side of the story. Hence we went to the American embassy and gave them a chance to respond to some of the questions raised.
However, freedom means responsibility; meaning you remain responsible for your contributions - the editors explicitely refuse being accountable for the contents of the contributions in the magazine or the radioshow. Likewise, collaborating directors, musicians, artists etc. remain responsible for their own works. This is why we urge you to think about the potential consequences before revealing your story. Usually, there are quiet simple ways to avoid disclosure from being dangerous to yourself or people involved. Often, you can describe people in a way others won't directly recognise the individuals or change settings without harming the message you are trying to put across. If you need any advise on such matters, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the editors! We'll be glad to help you and will do anything to keep the information you're giving us confidential.

get in touch!

If you have anything you want to ask, say or publish, please get in touch via KambisaBeHeard@hotmail.com, p.o. box 37657 in Lusaka, Zambia or +260 (0) 97 845019.