Creative industry players have expressed their concern on the grants awarded to three Copyright Society of Malawi (Cosoma) board members in the recent disbursement of the Copyright Fund grants.
Last week, the Copyright Fund disbursed K189 million to artists and artistic bodies and beneficiaries included serving Cosoma board chairperson Bishop Chimwemwe Mhango, members Debbie Ntupa and Wendy Harawa.
However, several artists have not hidden their displeasure and they have since drafted a petition seeking signatures from the industry to compel the three recipients to return the money.
In a Facebook post, musician Faith Mussa wrote: “A government fund was created to help struggling artists grow their art. The people entrusted to protect it have instead prioritised themselves. This is not supporting creatives; this is self-enrichment,”
He said while the committee claims they sought legal opinion the legal loopholes can not be used as an excuse.
“You cannot be a referee and player or a treasurer and beneficiary. That is Conflict of Interest, an unforgivable breach of public trust and corporate governance,” reads the post.
The Desperate hit maker has since initiated a petition, calling on other creatives to add their signatures and demand that the board members return the funds.
In a separate interview, renowned filmmaker Charles Shemu Joyah said that while in their capacity as artists the members deserve the grants, the committee should have considered the issue of conflict of interest.
“They are not being penalised, they agreed to serve creatives in this way and there are some privileges that they cannot enjoy because of the position they hold as the law outlines. The fund will lose credibility if such decisions continue to be made at that level. Creatives will start to lose interest,” he said.
Joyah stressed that Cosoma should seriously look into the law and fix things in regard to issues of conflict of interest in line with the fund and governance in general.
He said while they claim to work independently, the reports still go to the board who can not fault them even if they were misusing the funds.
On Friday, the Copyright Fund Committee held a press briefing in Lilongwe where chairperson Robert Kapyepye said Cosoma board has no authority over the processes carried out by the fund.
“The fund operates independently and board members do not interfere in its affairs. The board has no power or decision-making role in any of the fund’s processes. While both the board and the fund fall under the same framework, the board is responsible for handling royalties, whereas the fund manages grants for creative projects,” he said.
