Mangochi District Council senior welfare assistant Samuel Chitseko has underscored the importance of artists in public awareness.
He said this in the district on Friday during a training National Iniative for Civic Education (Nice) Trust and the council organised for gospel and secular artists and producers from the district.
”Artists have the power to educate the public on their rights and reponsibilities. This training will help them understand the boundaries of their creative expressions while respecting the rights of others,” said Chitseko.
Chitseko also said the training will help the artists understand their roles in society, promoting peace and encouraging responsible messaging in their music.
One of the workshop organisers Asante Emment, also known as Santy Achakongwe, said many artists focus on love songs instead of educative or human rights messages.
She, however, said that with the training, artists will revisit their themes and focus on songs that can help the communities.
Afro/RnB artistLil Kellz, real name Kelvin Valera saidthe training was an eyeopener and will make him more coscious about his lyrics and people to feature in his videos.
”This knowledge will help me ensure that my content respects the rights of others, particularly children. It will prevent me from violating any laws,” he said.
The workshop covered a number of topics, including human rights in arts, sexual and reproductive health rights and sexual gender-based violence. Musicians Association of Malawi was also represented at the training.
Campaign for Feman Education and Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace also supported the training.
