Malawi’s rich culture and traditions can be a source of revenue for the country if well packaged, director of museums and monuments Elizabeth Chindebvu-Gomani said.
Speaking on Friday during the commemoration of the International Museums Day, Chindebvu-Gomani said the world is exploiting culture tourism which Malawi can also exploit.
“We need to embrace culture tourism by bringing out our unique dances, traditions and practices to attract tourists,” she said.
Chindebvu-Gomani said it is for this reason that government, with funding from the Royal Norwegian Embassy, embarked on a proverbs-based arts exhibition project.
“The artworks in form of carvings, paintings and drawings were done by students from selected secondary schools and tertiary institutions with the help of established visual artists,” she said.
Chindebvu-Gomani said artworks depict folktales, proverbs and other oral traditions that delineate Malawi’s culture and way of life.
“The project will help the youth discover their identity while at the same time promote Malawi’s culture tourism,” she said.
The exhibition started on Friday May 18 and will run for six months.
Speaking at the event, Ministry of Civic Education, Culture and Community Development chief director Martin Kadzuwa said it is a great idea to popularise proverbs through artworks.
“The messages embedded in these proverbs will be spread easily through the artworks,” he said.
This year’s International Museums Day was held under theme Hyper Connected Museums, New Approaches and New Publics. n
