Bring on the arts council

So, Dear Diary, January is wasted four days already! What an eventful year this one promises to be with the elections just next year!

The Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) has brought back the ‘Entertainers of the Year’ [EoY] programme, after close to two decades in the doldrums. The comeback has not been without controversies, though.

Some have said the ‘The Entertainer of Entertainers’ Akila, who was also voted as ‘Actor of the Year’ has raised the most controversy. Some feel he is unfit for the title as he is perceived to be a pirate who translates Chinese films which are popular on the streets. But, in his words, Akila says listeners may have voted him on the slot for his role in some four films.

The controversies went as far as some old songs being voted as if they were released in 2023, while others observed that the  ‘Band of the Year’ award went to a band that has no record history.

In spite of its many controversies, the EoY not only rekindled memories of days gone. They showed how far the arts, sports and all forms of entertainment bring us together as a people.

In a way, MBC can do well to engage others on the nominations. Nominations should not be left to the listeners. A team can be put up to come up with, say, 10 nominees in each catgory. Listeners can then vote based on those nominations. This will iron out some of the grey areas.

One of the things one could make out was gospel artist Gloria Manong’a, who, unlike the other winners, went as far as asking for the realisation of an arts council. For so long, the arts in Malawi have remained stagnant with the absence of a council, in spite of calls from artists themselves.

Guest of honour at the event, Local Government Minister Richard Chimwendo Banda hinted to the fact that a Bill on the same will tabled in Parliament this year. We await that with impatient expectation.

While artists in neighbouring countries have councils acting as guardians of creativity and cultural expression, our national cultural policy, which was developed under the Bingu wa Mutharika administration, is gathering dust in somebody’s office.

It may be seen as not so important for some but if we are to grow a vibrant mosaic of our artistic heritage, the arts council should have been established like decades ago.

Such a council would bring together the diverse family of our arts. While we have rights holders associations such as  the Malawi Writers Union, the Visual Arts Association, the Photographers Association of Malawi, the Musicians Union of Malawi and the National Theatre Association of Malawi. The absence of a council has led to all these acting in isolation, not in unison.

Such a council would be beneficial in coming up with authentic awards to deserving artists. Most importantly, it would help in funding the production and consumption as well as developing an authentic art tradition.

Just to show that Malawi has so much talent, producers of ‘School Days’ movie published their film on YouTube. Although the film was released in May last year, it got instant recognition this week as more and more Malawians were able to watch the escapades of Phwedo and his colleagues in teasing Form 1 students. The reactions, Dear Diary, show how much Malawians would want to watch local films.

The many views which the film got on YouTube reminded us how much Malawian artists can reap if such digital spaces were monetised. Which is why Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority director general Daud Suleman said that soon Malawian content creators will be able to get something from platforms sich as YouTube and Facebook. Time when artists would compete on getting more views for nothing should be gone.

Well, if we had a council, and the producers of the film approached it to boost their budget, a lot of things in the movie could have been improved. This is a crucial aspect of an arts council—providing funding for deserving projects.

And, by the way, there is the Blantyre Cultural Centre, which lies in an abandoned state since the French left. This could well be the home of the arts council and house all the rights holder associations. There is space for all forms of art; be it visual art or photography exhibitions, music and drama performances and so much more.

While we are at it, an arts council will also be instrumental in promoting a reading culture in the country as one of its mandates is to ensure the construction of libraries across the country.

While all line ministries have a thing or two to use the arts in disseminating information and preservation of culture, it is a shame that we are still wallowing in the dark, years since Callista Chimombo as minister of tourism, wildlife and culture, signed for the National Cultural Policy.