Government defends MSCE requirement for dancers

The advertisement for a traditional dancer that the Department of Arts in the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Wildlife floated has sparked a multi-dimensional debate.

Among others, the advert stipulates a qualification of Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) for the job classified as a grade M in the civil service structural setup and a strong interest and dedication to learn traditional dances and languages.

But the academic requirement has stirred a debate with some quarters saying it is restrictive as it will prevent real traditional dancers from applying for the job.

Arts enthusiast Charles Simango shared in a long post through his Facebook page on the demerits of applying an academic qualification as part of the requirements for a job which is mainly skill and passion driven.

“Whatever the case may be, the fact is you can always tell a naturally gifted dancer from a trained one. The former is nimble and graceful while the latter is mechanical. That is what we are seeing with a lot of dance troupes in Malawi,” he wrote.

Simango also faulted the mode in which the advertisement was broadcast, saying it defies logic to have an advert for a dancer’s job written in English and posted in the mainstream and social media.

He suggested that the best way was for the ministry to involve cultural officers in the districts to engage in a head-hunt for such talent as was the case previously. Simango said the system that has been devised will only give room for nepotism.

Last week, Solomonic Peacock Theatre director McArthur Matukuta also questioned the tendency of attaching academic qualifications to a discipline concerning creativity.

“Creativity is inborn and it is a talent given by God himself. So you cannot limit God given talent with intellectual benchmarks. This is the main challenge that we are facing in Malawi. If we can change our system in higher education we are going to develop theatre in Malawi,” he said.

But director of arts Humphrey Mpondaminga said the MSCE qualification is deliberate because of the platforms that the dancers usually perform and the interactions they are exposed to in the line of their work.

He said: “Grade M is a clerical officer position. We want people who can handle their devices on their own such as Visa processing. Their work involves travelling outside the country and that means increased interaction with foreigners.” Mpondaminga also said when they come across hugely talented dancers, a waiver is always applied since it is about balancing the act between the two extremes. The department is searching for dancers to beef up the Malawi Dancing Troupe.