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MBCtv, Tikuferanji clash

Taxpayer-funded Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) television channel has clashed with producers of popular soap Tikuferanji after the public broadcaster censured an episode of the drama for being “too sensitive for the public”.

However, the director of the programme, Michael Usi, argues that there is nothing wrong with the episode in question.

Usi: I can’t address Kamuzu Banda for he is dead
Usi: I can’t address Kamuzu Banda for he is dead

“The episode is purely advocacy and there is nothing malicious in it. It just talks about a national issue. It actually talks about issues bordering on politics and are mostly deemed sensitive by our colleagues at MBC.

But the issue is about something that the president recently talked about and he was asking people to support it. What we have done is to dramatise it,” said Usi, who is also known as Manganya in comedy circles.

He said he was surprised to find that the episode, which ironically was broadcast on MBC Radio, could not be beamed on television.

So far, he claims there has been no official communication from MBC as to why they opted to repeat an earlier production.

“What I am just hearing from the grapevine is that it was not be broadcast as it was too sensitive. To make matters worse, they [MBC] cheated Malawians by saying they were repeating an earlier episode due to public demand.

“We are just waiting to be approached to discuss whatever was wrong in the episode. But people should believe me, there is nothing offensive at all in that episode.

“We have no issues with anybody or any institution. In the event that MBC has out its foot down, we will show it to the public through other avenues so that people should judge for themselves,” he said.

Efforts to talk to MBC director general Aubrey Sumbuleta proved futile as several attempts to have him respond to a questionnaire he requested for have not been successful.

The first questionnaire was sent to him on November 11 and he acknowledged receipt and promised to respond, but he is yet to respond. n

 

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