Blantyre-based Stella Maris Girls Secondary School on Sunday emerged winners of this year’s Association for the Teaching of English in Malawi (Atem) national drama competition after an outstanding performance at Bingu International Convention Centre in Lilongwe.
The school walked away with K2.5 million after beating 11 other secondary schools from across the country’s six education divisions the two-day competition sponsored by Standard Bank plc through its Joy of the Arts initiative.
Blantyre Baptist Academy, ironically located about two kilometres from Stella Maris, finished second and received K1.5 million while Our Lady of Namulenga Secondary School of Mulanje came third and got K1.2 million.
In fourth position, Kamuzu Barracks Secondary School received K700 000 while fifth-placed St Maria Goretti Secondary School of Lilongwe got K500 000.
Stella Maris impressed judges with its play titled Tales in Hot Tide, which tackled issues of abuse of power, exploitation and women leadership.
The storyline was about a young woman who inherited her late father’s estate and transformed the lives of workers through fair treatment and good leadership.
However, the situation changed after an uncle forcefully took over the estate claiming that his late brother had left behind an unpaid loan.
Workers at the estate later faced exploitation and abuse under the uncle’s leadership before a young girl who had witnessed everything returned. She completed her studies and reclaimed the estate and exposed the uncle’s wrongdoing, leading to his arrest.
The play further stood out for its creative presentation as actors dressed in work suits and acted out harvesting scenes, giving the performance a realistic feel.
One of the students from the winning school, Anastazia Jaha-Ligomeka, described the victory as a reward for the hard work the team invested in the competition.
“It is an honour. It is not just about finishing top but it means a lot to us because we put in a lot of effort and the late-night rehearsals were worth it,” she said.
Jaha-Ligomeka added that the competition and its theme about empowering women had inspired learners to believe that women can become strong leaders despite challenges.
The competition also recognised individual talents where Briana Banda of Loyola Jesuit Secondary School of Kasungu won the Best English Speaking Learner award, Jeromy Mwantisi of Our Lady of Namulenga Secondary School was named Best Actor while Victory Mbewe of Blantyre Baptist Academy scooped the Best Actress award.
In a separate interview, Mwantisi said the recognition has boosted his confidence to pursue acting professionally.
“I want to pursue acting. I have been practicing but I always thought it was just child’s play but this shows that acting is important and one can build a career from it,” he said. Adding that he hopes his school will perform better in the competition next time.
Atem president Davie Mpaso said the competition has grown following sponsorship support from Standard Bank after years of struggling due to lack of funding.
“For some years we struggled because we did not have sponsorship, but Standard Bank came in and revived the competition. Schools are now getting better prizes and the competition has grown,” he said.
He said that Atem is already preparing for next year’s edition and hopes more schools will participate, especially at division level.
Standard Bank Malawi head of compliance Chikondi Kapyeye said the bank remains committed to supporting Malawi’s creative industry through the Joy of the Arts initiative.
This year’s competition run under the theme Women at the driving wheel: driving towards 2063 inclusive growth.
