Art, culture showcase at Takulandirani Expo

Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Culture has said it will ensure that local arts and culture are well projected during this year’s Takulandirani Malawi International Tourism Expo (MITE).

The three-day event is expected to start today at Bingu International Convention Centre (Bicc) in Lilongwe till Saturday where there will be a public fun day. The event will be held under the theme ‘Showcasing the real African experience’.

Events that are scheduled to take place during the public fun day include traditional dances such as Gulewamkulu, traditional games, pottery skills, paintings, carvings, sculpture, African attire and musical performance from Patience Namadingo.

The ministry’s director of tourism Isaac Katopola, in an interview yesterday, said the Takulandirani Expo will be incomplete if they will not showcase both Malawian fine and performing arts.

He said, to match the theme of the three-day event, Kungoni Arts Centre will be featured on the opening day and on Friday there will be Malawi Night where contemporary artist Faith Mussa will perform.

“The plan is that during the Malawi Night event there should be a bias towards local foods so that visitors can sample and appreciate. Some local designers will also exhibit African threads,” he said.

Katopola further said the ministry is proud that most of the traditional dances to be performed during the Expo are accessible in many resorts frequented by tourists around the country.

“The traditional dances which will be performed are also found at cultural centres like Kungoni Arts Centre which is a popular tourist destination in Malawi and other community tourist centres such as Donija in Salima. However, we still have a long way to go to make these dances more accessible,” said Katopola.

This year’s expo is the third edition and he said a recent survey which the ministry conducted with private sector players who exhibit during the events has shown positive results in terms of creating opportunities for exhibitors. Speaking in a separate interview about his readiness to perform at the event, Namadingo said he is ready, and the event is