Creatives welcome new Unima arts degrees

Creatives in Malawi have welcomed the move by the University of Malawi (Unima) to introduce six arts degree courses tailor-made for the needs of the local industry.

In random interviews, artists said the industry will grow and earn more respect.

Poet Q Malewezi said the new six degree courses will grow the industry and make its professionals approach the sector with new zeal.

He said: “We have seen how the tourism and hospitality industry has grown since diploma and degree courses were introduced. We now have people with PhDs and earning high positions while growing the industry here. The same will surely happen for the arts industry soon with this development.”

Malewezi said as an artist who has also gone through formal training, he thinks this is a move in the right direction.

“It indicates that the creative industry is being taken seriously in academia,” he said.

Commenting on the development, art enthusiast and podcast host Dennis Imaan said the move will revive the arts sector by professionalising players.

“When one goes through formal academic training, they are credible and know how to handle themselves. In the end, their output is better,” he said.

Imaan said his Kuwala Creatives tries to create a platform for arts players to rebrand and be taken as professionals.

“We want professionals to run their art as a business. But since most of these people do not have any formal training, they are unable to handle their business as professionals. Now that is where training comes in,” he said.

Imaan observed that almost all events are held with the help of artists such as decorators, dramatists, musicians and dancers, but no proper procurement processes are followed when hiring them.

“Hopefully, the formal training will bring sanity to the industry. When they have degrees and are aware of their worth, they will demand what they deserve,” he said.

On her part, fashion designer Lily Alfonso said the development is long overdue.

“We need educated fashion designers in Malawi. One area in our Lily Alfonso 100-year plan was to inspire fashion education after we realised that Malawi has no formal fashion design school. This development will give many creatives an opportunity to study and understand that fashion designing is a career,” she said.

Alfonso said she is hoping the syllabus is in tandem with the needs of the fashion industry.

“Fashion designing is broader and there are so many courses that people can take for them to be complete professionals,” she said.

On his part, filmmaker Charles Shemu Joyah praised the specialisation of the courses.

“This means people will be coming out of university horned with skills that are necessary,” he said.

Unima, through its School of Arts, communication and design announced this week the introduction of six new Bachelor of Arts degrees.

According to the school’s executive dean Mufunanji Magalasi, the development will change the arts landscape in Malawi.

“This development will change the arts industry. These are specialised programmes,” he said.

The courses include drama, film production, fine arts, music, fashion design and creative arts. The first cohort will be admitted in September this year.