The Shona Gender story communicated through Zimbabwean Star Frequency Modulation (FM) radio programme, Umjolo, the pandemic

Radio programmes are socialisation tools within communities and play a major role in shaping youth by reinforcing community gender ideologies and ethos. Since the programs are ideologically institutionalised structures, they serve to culture ethnic group members into their communities’ ethos. In Zimbabwe, the Star FM radio program ‘Umjolo, the pandemic’ addresses love-related dilemmas and fills an advisory void left by traditional Shona systems. By broadcasting these scenarios, ‘Umjolo, the pandemic’ reinforces dominant gender discourses, sometimes to the detriment of marginalised groups. This paper employs the reconstruction theory to examine the gender-specific messages communicated through ‘Umjolo, the pandemic’ radio programme and investigates whether these messages support or hinder Zimbabwe’s drive towards gender equality by 2030. Using a multi-case study and both content and discourse analysis, the study explores how the programme shapes notions of gendered identity in contemporary Zimbabwe. The application of a grounded theory-based coding system allowed for the merging of salient sub-themes into a cohesive hierarchy of themes and subsequently global themes, and provided a structured analysis of the gender-related narratives broadcast on ‘Umjolo, the pandemic’ radio programme. This attempt is important and timely as Zimbabwe nears its target of reaching gender equality by 2030. The study’s main finding is that while ‘Umjolo, the pandemic’ radio programme is culturally relevant, it often reinforces narratives that dehumanise, dewomanise and exploit women, which may hinder progress towards gender equality. The paper concludes by recommending further research into the broader impact of radio programmes on gender perceptions and equality goals in Zimbabwe.