Chanco students renovate Open Theatre

There is an amazing power in young people that could turn around tables and contribute to the development of communities and a country at large.

This was a statement recently made by Chancellor College associate professor Mufunanji Magalasi when he was reacting to the students’ drive towards renovating the college’s Open Theatre, which has been in a dilapidated state for many years.

Chanco’s Open Theatre does not only present an opportunity to the current generation of students, but also a historic value to the institution having been one of the oldest platforms to host theatre greats.

Magalasi said: “If young people, including university students, dedicate themselves to innovation they can make significant contributions and bring about change in our society or colleges. I am saying this in regard to the renovation exercise of Chanco’s Open Theatre by students.”

He described young people as a hub of innovation, possibilities key to unlocking some of Malawi’s opportunities and prosperity.

According to the president of the Students Union of Chancellor College (Succ) Frank Chidampamba, the exercise of renovating the Open Theatre was embraced by Project Rejuvenation.

Chanco Project Rejuvenation is a student-driven initiative aimed at rehabilitating dilapidated college infrastructure. Its current task is to renovate the college’s Open Theatre plus a dressing room, according to its president Paul Ntulumbwa.

“The construction team has finished filling the concrete and terraces, but we are also looking at the possibility of constructing a dressing room.”

Chidampamba hailed the power of students that was translating their inspirations into actions.

He said: “As Succ, we believe that it takes our collective efforts to get things done. As such, we work with organisations on campus registered with Succ with the aim of promoting a sense of responsibility among students as they get trained for the industry out there. Chanco Project Rejuvenation is one such organisation affiliated to the sudents union which that has renovated the Open Theatre.”

He said the Open Theatre has been in bad shape for many years, but it took the determination of Project Rejuvenation to deliver change. n