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Recognise arty achievers

Malawi Writers Union (Mawu) president Mike Sambalikagwa Mvona was the guest speaker when Jacaranda Cultural Centre mounted an exhibition in honour of writer and historian D.D Phiri in Blantyre on Saturday. In this interview with our reporter HOWARD MLOZI, he zeroes in on challenges that stifle the country’s creative sector.

Mvona: Good work deserves appreciation

Q

: Jacaranda and Anglia Book Bookstore have honoured DD Phiri, 86, as an eminent author, historian, playwright and economist. What do you make of this?

A

: To begin with, as a country we need to cultivate and embrace a culture of patriotism by appreciating and jealously safeguarding what we have, including our achievements, cultural heritage and legends. We have accomplished writers, politicians, musicians and soldiers, who have made significant contributions to our country by dedicating their lives, works and talents for the betterment of our nation. We need to honour them. We should not honour or praise them when they die. Therefore, the recognition of writer DD Phiri’s achievements is overwhelming, incredible and heart-warming.

 

Q

:    Why it is important to honour creative minds?

A

: Good work deserves appreciation. D.D Phiri’s writings have contributed to the development of the country by enlightening and shaping the thinking of society towards a diversity of issues: the economy, culture and politics. Readers have applied his thinking and contributions to their daily scenarios. This has helped them become better people, good thinkers, good managers, even good critics who argue from an informed point of view. Besides, as a nation, we have to be proud of our culture and history. The achievements we attain today are part of our history. We need to safeguard them for future reference. We need to appreciate and document our achievements. This is the only way we can inspire the generations to do more for our country.

 

Q

:    Is the country doing enough to honour deserving achievers?

A

: I cannot say we are there 100 percent. There are issues that leave a lot to be desired. For example, we have a tendency of honouring people when they die. We seem to be driven by some “die first and you will be honoured’ mentality. This is not good. People feel valued and encouraged when they are celebrated while alive. In the country, artists suffer the most because people do not appreciate art, yet arts are part of our daily life. For example, music and reading play a significant role in people’s lives. But it takes a struggle to honour musicians and writers.

 

Q

You keep asking government to name some streets after legendary artists. Why?

A

: This is Malawi. We want to value and see the immense contributions of our own heroes. There is nothing more uplifting than seeing our streets or structures being decorated with such names as D.D Phiri, John Gwengwe, Allan Namoko, Wyndham Chechamba, Michael Sauka or Steve Chimombo. What more having a Bernard Kwilimbe Cultural Centre? Malawi has several streets and structures that can be named after our own heroes. It does not reflect well to have a whole city with streets bearing names of foreigners. Visitors tend to wonder whether this is Malawi or some European country. n

 

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