Zambia: Netizen Launches Vlog Ahead of Elections · Global Voices
Gershom Ndhlovu

A Zambian political activist has come up with an innovative idea to publish across his political and social-economic messages through videos, or vlog as it is commonly known, ahead the country's September 20 elections. He shares his videos on YouTube.
Gongs Jhala, Zambian video blogger. Photo source: Gongs Jhala Facebook page.
Gongs Jhala, posting under the name TheGongster, writes of his innovation:
I've come up with a novel idea to share my views on political and social-economic hot topics in the run up to the Zambian elections on 20 September 2011. Please leave me your suggestions in the comment section below or on Zambian Peoples Pact  on Facebook.
In the very first video, ‘Intro To Gongs Political Vlog’, he urges people to judge his effort and tell him whether it is a good idea or just a waste of time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W44Kmku20YQ&feature=player_embedded
Jhala, based in the United Kingdom, is also an active contributor to Zambia People’s Pact, a Facebook-based political group where political ideas are exchanged among various political parties taking part in the forthcoming tripartite elections that will cover presidential, parliamentary and local government elections.
The first vlog received the following reaction:
I think﻿ its a great idea but we people in diaspora might have vested interest in mother zambia but we have no means of voting from this end. So these people (i.e. zed polititians) would have to put some kind off act for us zambians in diaspora to vote as well during general elections .
Jhala’s second video, ‘Zambian's Living In The Diaspora Told To Shut Up‘,  is based on the reaction someone from Zambia People's Pact gave when he, Jhala, sought the opinion of other netizens about his vlog.
The video received positive feedback from a contributor who appears to have lived in Zambia’s neighbouring Botswana as well as the UK.
This is good. You sound well fired up. Thanks for your effort on this issue of discriminating against Zambians in diaspora. I saw it in Zambia, witnessed﻿ it in Botswana and now UK. Only God knows why we do such things.
Another contributor hailed Jhala’s effort.
Well said Gongs. No need for Zambians to talk down at other Zambians. Differences of opinion should﻿ be respected regardless of political, religious or lingual orientation and affiliation. We all want the best for mother Zambia, ad-hominen attacks on each other will only sway us from the core issues that we should be focusing on . A better Zambia for every ZambianConsidering that it is not easy even for established politicians, especially those in the opposition to make it on state-owned Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation TV which has national reach, vlogs may be the way to go in the future. Two other privately owned TV stations have limited reach.
As ThandiEdumund noted, vlogs may be the way to go in the future.