Moto (magazine)

Moto was founded in 1959 in Zimbabwe's Midlands town of Gweru as a weekly community newspaper by the Catholic Church. From these modest beginnings, Moto Fast became one of the most outspoken voices in the liberation war, providing scathing criticism of the colonial government and support for African nationalist parties. Banned by the Smith regime in 1974, it re-emerged in 1980, first as a newspaper and then as one of the first magazines to provide content in ChiShona, SiNdebele and English.

Moto

Editor	Paul Chidyausiku
Categories	Political Magazine
Frequency	Infrequently
Founded	1980
Company	Private
Country	Zimbabwe
Language	English, Shona

Moto faced additional obstacles in the post-liberation period. First, it needed to shift from its campaigning attitude during Zimbabwe's Unilateral Declaration of Independence to a critical, independent voice in the age of majority government. With a purpose to be "the voice of the voiceless and the defender of the oppressed," it shifted its focus to subjects often ignored by the state-controlled press, publishing socioeconomic and human-interest stories set in rural regions. The magazine also had to negotiate the sometimes awkward relationship between its church base and its outspoken political stance. In this regard it regularly ran features on the formation of the African clergy, paying particular attention to the elevation of Africans to the hierarchy and the ranks of the canonized. Despite ongoing economic difficulties and opposition from the Mugabe government, which made several attempts to shut down the publication, Moto's readership continues to grow, amongst intellectuals, professionals, and students, as well as rural readers.