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LAINDON, Essex, October 30, 2001 - Bright Matonga, 33, is in his last few days living in Laindon before he moves to Zimbabwe to set up a new life as Head of Television Services for the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation - the Zimbabwe equivalent of the BBC.

       

Bright moved to Essex in 1994 from Zimbabwe to join the first ever cohort of students studying for the Media Production and Technology degree at South East Essex College. The group still stays in touch with three or four gatherings every year. Since successfully completing the course, Bright has had a career working for the BBC World Service, Spectrum radio, the New Africa Magazine and the Zimbabwe Herald.

   

His new job will mean that he has responsibility for ZBC1 and 2 - the two main TV channels in Zimbabwe. The TV station is being completely relaunched and he will play a major part in making this a success. During the last few years Bright has become very well known in Zimbabwe as he has been writing for some of their national newspapers and magazines while living here.

   

Bright has spent seven years in Essex and during his time here has gained a degree, new career and new family. When he first came here at the age of 27 from Harare in Zimbabwe he was coming from a completely different environment where white and black people were segregated and although he could speak English (it is the official business language in Zimbabwe), Shona was his mother tongue.

   

He said: “It was hard work being a mature student and going back to study in a different culture and country with a different environment. I was the only black student there. There was segregation in Zimbabwe - white and black didn't mix - so I found the whole thing intimidating, as I didn't know how I would be treated here and I had to learn how things were. I didn't trust people at first and I had to speak English every day!”

   

Bright was born in 1967, when he was 10 war started and temporarily halted his education. In 1982, at the age of 16, he went back to school to do grade 6 in a class with 10 year olds. He explained: “Can you imagine being in a class with 10 year olds? It was very embarrassing but I had the opportunity to go back to school and restart so you have to lower yourself to those youngsters and put on the uniform.

   

During his time at the college there was a worrying period when it looked like the Home Office might send him back to Zimbabwe as they had mislaid his passport with his visa application. Local MP, Sir Teddy Taylor, represented him and the college also supported him. Fortunately just before it reached the hearing, the mistake was realised and he was able to stay and complete the degree.

    

Bright completed the degree in 1998 with a 2:2. His father travelled from Zimbabwe to attend the graduation ceremony at the Cliffs Pavilion. Bright said: “It was an experience for him as it was the first time he'd been to England. He'd always wanted to come. It was challenging for him to sit in a graduation hall full of white people and to just mix with white people. I explained to him that it was different here to Zimbabwe and people were just treated like people. Theresa Gorman MP invited us to the Conservative annual dinner. She had also helped me with the visa as she was MP for Billericay and I had moved to that area at that time. She introduced us as visitors from Zimbabwe and for my father that was the highlight of the tour.”

    

In the final year of the degree Bright did work experience at the BBC World Service and trained with them. In 1998 when he was in Zimbabwe he covered the Champion's League Final for the BBC. He also worked at Spectrum Radio (a London-based radio station specialising in programs for ethnic minorities) doing a one-hour programme on Saturdays - an African programme covering news and sport. He then studied writing (something he thought he couldn't do) and wrote for the New African Magazine (like the Times magazine for Africa) based in London. When he enquired about the position at ZBC the company sent someone to England to interview him.

   

Bright said: “When the news came in I was excited as when I went back in 1998 there were things on the TV and radio that I thought were tacky so I thought I would change them if ever I got the opportunity. Now I am wondering where I am going to start.

     

“I will miss England a lot as this country has made me the person I am today and has given me the opportunity to further my studies. It gave me a wife - and through that I have a beautiful son. I learnt a lot in this country. I was exposed to and worked at places like the BBC and Ford, where I had the opportunity to travel. Leaving is emotional and in a way my wife is about to go through what I went through when I first arrived here although it is different as she has me but it is still going to be a big change for her.

   

“I have high hopes for the future. There are many Zimbabweans here in Southend and I hope that they have the same opportunities as me and that the College that looked after me can look after them.”