Nanzikambe folktales project in final phase

Nanzikambe Arts will this weekend embark on the final phase of its drama shows for the adapted Malawian folktales under a pilot project.

During the final phase, Nanzikambe Arts will be performing every weekend from mid-September to mid-November. The drama shows will be showcased both in commercial venues as well as primary and secondary schools.

Nanzikambe Arts managing director Chris Nditani said they have effected a number of changes in the set-up as they try to reach out to as many people as possible to improve on the numbers they managed previously.

“We faced problems of low patronage mainly in the commercial venues. We have adopted a new approach whereby we will be giving a 10-day notice before shows are staged to allow for enough publicity.

“We will first target the schools where we know that there is a ready audience. The messages that we are carrying in these plays are so rich and meaningful so it is our intention to reach out to as many people as possible and it is our hope that we will achieve that,” he said.

The venues chosen for the drama episodes are Blantyre Cultural Centre (BCC), Mpemba Reformatory Centre, Chrichi Gardens and schools such as Joyce Banda Foundation, Makheta Primary, Namalimwe Primary, Rose Garden Private, Zingwangwa Primary and St. Kizito Primary School.

Nanzikambe Arts’ project officer Thlupego Chisiza said there are five different episodes they have worked on to be showcased.

“The episodes have a strong element of song and dance aiding the storylines,” he said.

“Under the folktales adaptation project, we will perform several plays which will include A Poor Man Marries a Beautiful Woman, The Greedy Chief, The Jealous Brother, A Man and a Hyena and Agonies of Envy.”

The project is being supported by the organisation’s partner from New Zealand, the Rei Foundation Limited and is being implemented with technical assistance from Malawi National Commission for Unesco (MNCU).

The project’s goal is to ensure that Malawi’s rich cultural heritage, as presented by folktales as an arts genre, is preserved by dramatising it for the stage and immortalising the same on high definition videos.