Manganya’s nomination excites theatre industry
National Theatre Association of Malawi (Ntam) has expressed happiness over Michael Usi’s nomination as running mate to UTM Party presidential candidate Saulos Chilima in the May 21 Tripartite Elections.
Reacting to the news, Ntam president Eric Mabedi said Usi’s appointment is good news to the theatre industry which he said has capable people who can go for political offices.
“First of all, it is good that artists are given political roles such as that of running mate.Our happiness is profound.
“In Liberia, George Weah, a footballer, was elected president. So, there is nothing wrong in choosing a running mate from the theatre industry,” he said.
Mabedi touted Usi, popularly called Manganya in theatre circles, as an actor of excellence who changed people’s lives through acting.
Margaret Chikwembeya, an actress who stars as Azakhali in Tikuferanji, a soap opera which Usi directs, is equally happy for Manganya, saying his goal has been to help people and this is what made him join politics.
“Here is a man who used comedy to remind people about development issues in their society. As an actor, he was not only entertaining Malawians but also taught them to be good and patriotic citizens,” she said.
Writing on his Face book page, renowned Malawian writer Stanley Onjezani Kenani observed that people were pocking fun at Chilima’s choice for Manganya because he is a comedian saying comedy was just Usi’s choice of entertaining Malawians.
“A comedian is a Malawian who just happens to have chosen comedy as a way of entertaining people, the way a musician chooses music, or a poet chooses poetry,” he wrote.
Kenani also observed that, elsewhere in the world, there have been times when people in the entertainment industry have been elected presidents, citing Guatemala’s Jimmy Morales and United States of America’s Ronald Reagan.
This is not the first time for a Malawian to switch from the theatre industry to politics as in 1993, former president Hastings Kamuzu Banda appointed Dunduzu Chisiza Junior, a playwright, director and actor, as minister of Sports, Youth and Culture.
More recently, in 2014, Bon Kalindo, known as Winiko on the theatre scenes, became member of Parliment for Mulanje South Constituency. He is currently UTM Party youth director. n
