Staff Profile

Qualifications:

• Master of Sciences Media and Society Studies
• Bachelor of Sciences Media and Society Studies Honours
• Post Graduate Diploma in Tertiary Education

Research interests:

• Screen media studies
• Political economy of the media
• Social media

Articles published in refereed journals

• Ureke, O. (2019), ‘Locating Sembène’s mégotage in Zimbabwe’s kiya kiya video-film production’, in Journal of African Cultural Studies. DOI: 10.1080/13696815.2019.1599829
• Mhiripiri, N.A and Ureke, O. (2019), ‘Theoretical paradoxes of representation and the problems of media representations of Zimbabwe in crisis’, in Critical Arts, 32(5-6), p87-103. DOI: 10.1080/02560046.2018.1548026
• Ureke, O. (2019), ‘Zimbabwean indigenization and the shadow economy of cinematic production, in Communicatio, 44(4), p32-47. DOI: 10.1080/02500167.2018.1534872
• Ureke, O. (2018), ‘Introducing the ‘drasofi’: A genre of convenience and in Zimbabwean film production, in Journal of African Cinemas, 10(1+2), pp147-164. DOI 10.1386/jac.10.1-2.147_1 
• Ureke, O and Tomaselli, K.G. (2017), “From ‘African cinema’ to film services industries: A cinematic fact” in Journal of African Cinemas, Vol. 9(1), p75-92.
• Ureke, O. (2016) ‘State interference, para-politics and editorial control: The Political Economy of ‘Mirrorgate’ in Zimbabwe’, Journal of African Media Studies 8(1), pp17-34.
• Chibuwe, A & Ureke, O. (2016) ‘”Political gladiators” on Facebook in Zimbabwe: A discursive analysis of intra-Zimbabwe African National Union PF cyber wars; Baba Jukwa vs Amai Jukwa,’ Media Culture & Society, 38(8), pp1247-1260. DOI: 10.1177/0163443716671492
• Ureke, O and Washaya, Y. (2016), ‘Social commentary, subaltern voices and the alternative medium of Zimdancehall music. Unpacking the music of Winky D and Sniper Storm,’ in Muziki: Journal of Music Research in Africa, 13(1), pp68-88. DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/18125980.2016.1182383

Published Books and book chapters

• Mhiripiri, N.A and Ureke, O. (2016), ‘Mobile Journalism, Cellphilms, and the use of the Storymaker multimedia softaware at a Zimbabwean media training university’ in L. Briz-Ponce, J.A. Juanes-Mendez and F.J. Garcia-Penalvo. (Eds), Handbook of Research on Mobile Devices and Applications in Higher Education Settings, pp318-343. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-0256-2.ch014

Book Reviews

• Ureke, O. (2016), ‘Book Review: Katrina Daly Thompson (2013) Zimbabwe’s Cinematic Arts: Language, Power, Identity’ Journal of African Cinemas in Journal of African Cinemas, Vol.8(2), pp222-225.

CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS ATTENDED

• Participated in Meaning Making Research Initiatives Publication and Dissemination workshop (30 November – 1 December 2019) in Kigali Rwanda. Presented paper titled ‘An aesthetic of Innocence. Zimbabwe’s San Filming Themselves’
• Participated in South African Humanities Deans Association Conference (2-4 September 2019), Time, Thought and Materiality: Africa and the Fourth Industrial Revolution at University of Johannesburg, South Africa. Presented a paper titled: South of South: Audio-visual technology and the San of Zimbabwe,
• Participated in the African Film Fellowship single-camera documentary production course, 2018 at University of Cape Town, South Africa
• Participated in the ASAUK Conference at Birmingham University, UK, 11-13 September 2018. Presented paper titled ‘Zimbabwe: Cinema viewership in a shadow economy’
• Participated in the CODESRIA Methodology and Scholarly Writing workshop (19-14 February 2018), in Harare, Zimbabwe
• Participated in the Media Cities: Mapping Urban Geography and Audio-visual Configurations conference at University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa (2016) presented paper titled: Introducing the drasofi: A genre of convenience and context in Zimbabwean film production
• School of Applied Human sciences conference, UKZN, Durban (November 2014), presented paper titled: Filmic Fact, Cinematic Fact: What is African Cinema?
• Participated in the Mobile Community Zimbabwe mobile media production workshop in the use of the Storymaker multimedia production software (May 2015) and Viva Video (May 2016)
• Participated in the Zimbabwe national broadcasting content strategy workshop (2015) in Harare, Zimbabwe

Creative output

• Sound recordist and offline editor in Africa Breaks the Ice, a University of Cape Town African Filmmaking Fellowship/Stepping Stone (UCT TV) production, 2018: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkDOFG_ALOg
• Camera operator, editor and Voice over Artist in EXTRA Goat Farming video 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGijJ8qfYBc
• Executive Producer in student-produced video films and documentaries, one of the documentaries on the construction of the Tokwe-Mukosi Dam won Best Documentary Award at the Chinhoyi Film Festival (Chinhoyi University of Technology (2015).
• Current freelance scriptwriter for Video Promotions, with major output in corporate documentaries
• Voice over artist for MSU video productions
• Producer/Scriptwriter – Shakespeare Lives in Gweru (a 2016 straight to DVD documentary for British Council in commemoration of 400 years since William Shakespeare’s death).
• Resident mentor at Mobile Community Zimbabwe with direct influence on creation of mobile phone media production by students since 2015.
• Filming and editing of JKA karate videos for dissemination via YouTube
• Camera operator/scriptwriter/editor – African Secrets TV series, including: 
• Totems https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tM3yLyIXyn4
• The Nyau: Ritual Dancers of Africa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4k9h_YCMPY
• The Zambezi Crocodile https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ8P5JJFTcM
• Arts and craft in Zimbabwe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awiOO2e31GY
• Secrets of the Wilderness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uC9stENNgZ4
• Behind the Bones https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_q0L0LzbF

Review and Evaluation Work

• Journal of African Cinemas
• Critical Arts
• African Journalism Studies
• Communication
• African Identities
• African Journal of Communication
• Qualifications and Programmes assessor/reviewer for Zimbabwe Council of Higher Education (ZIMCHE) since 2015
• Durban International Film Festival 2014 media reviews coordinator