Theatre body president quits

National Theatre Association of Malawi (Ntam) president Manaseh Chisiza has resigned from his post following his relocation to Stuttgart, Germany where he has acquired a three-year resident permit.

The relocation comes a few months after his wedding to German actress and singer Andrea Beyerlein.

In an interview on Wednesday, Chisiza confirmed his resignation which, he said, is awaiting the theatre body’s board’s approval.

“It’s true that I sent a resignation letter to Ntam board chair which was copied to board members. Currently, I am just waiting for a response from the board. The resignation was meant to be with immediate effect, but I am yet to hear from the board,” he said.

Chisiza said the resignation is meant to give others an opportunity to ably run the association as he will be away for at least three years.

“I decided to resign because I will be more here [Germany] than there [Malawi]. I thought that my friends could ably run the association. Clinging to the position would be greed. I will, of course, look for connections and partnerships to develop theatre in Malawi,” he said.

Ntam board chairperson Frank Patani Mwase, however, expressed ignorance of Chisiza’s resignation letter, although some board members confirmed receiving the letter.

“We have not received the resignation letter. In fact, we are hearing it from you. We need to find out if that is true because he [Chisiza] has not been in touch with us,” he said.

Chisiza was elected president in 2014 and his term was meant to expire next February.

Mwase said, if true, the resignation means that Ntam vice president Joyce Mhango Chavula will take over. “But we will have to look into the rules and regulations as to how long the vice president is mandated to reign,” he said. n