Nkhonjera on state of Malawi’s theatre

Like I have said previously, the primary objective of this space is to act as a platform to fuel progressive debates and discourse.

Last week, I published an opinion from Onjezani Kenani on his take on the state of theatre in Malawi. Having gone through the entry, renowned theatre practitioner TawongaTadja Nkhonjera of Dikamawoko Arts took time to provide his perspective on the issue.

We hereby reproduce the response with his permission. Verbatim:  

About 14 years ago, I ended my tenure at Nanzikambe Arts as the writer-in-residence, and started an independent theatre ensemble, Dikamawoko Arts. The rationale behind this development was straightforward. 

Nanzikambe Arts was a funded NGO and the majority of the plays produced were determined by the funders, as such, they were mostly European classics for performance. Malawian audiences were feted to adaptations of plays from European playwrights such as William Shakespeare, Henrik Ibsen, Bertolt Brecht and ancient Greeks like Aristophanes. 

I wanted to write plays that told Malawian stories.  Our first production, Malawi Kwacha, reflected that.

Today, in 2023, we are still hearing talk about theatre slowly dying and we constantly read the epitaphs on social media. If this is true, that theatre is dead, then I have been working in a morgue.

Nostalgia dictates that people look at the ‘good old days’ of Du Chisiza Jnr and Wakhumbata Ensemble Theatre (WET). While that is justifiable, by dwelling on days gone, theatre lovers are stuck in the past and have missed the revolution in Malawi.

In the 1990s, WET enjoyed a monopoly on English drama. The conditions to flourish were perfect. It was easy to promote the plays and they attracted large audiences. 

This is not to negate other initiatives that WET had, such as secondary school outreach performances and targeted audience development strategies. I recall I was a card-carrying member of WET.

With the death of Du Chisiza and Kamkwatira, and the advent of multiparty politics, we experienced a boom in all industries of life. The monopoly of WET was broken by the emergence of various theatre groups.

Prior to Nanzikambe, theatre ensembles were private companies that were reliant on ticket sales. Nanzikambe operated on donor aid which funded the elaborate theatre productions, big casts and over-the-top stage works.

The shows attracted large audiences, however, some members had reservations that the theatre was not “Malawian” enough, taking exception to the use of masks in several plays.

When Nanzikambe Arts folded up, murmurs of theatre dying resurfaced. And yet, perhaps, this was the elixir that was needed to breathe new life into theatre. 

Whereas, during WET days, that was the only name in theatre, today on any given weekend, you can watch Young Travellers Theatre, Scar of Life Theatre, Umunthu Theatre, Drama Geeks, Rising Choreos, Solomonic Peacocks, YDC Theatre, Dikamawoko Arts, Chanco Travelling Theatre, Dzuwa Arts, etc.

Today, we have arts festivals dedicated to theatre, such as Easter Theatre Festival, Nasfest, Dzuwa Liwale Festival and the newly inaugurated National Theatre Festival under Ntam.

To bring diversity in theatre, I founded Theatre In Mandala, which I curate alongside young playwright and director, Fumbani Innot Phiri Jnr of YDC Theatre.

Under this initiative, in the very first year, we hosted more than 12 performances as well as a collaboration of six theatre ensembles to produce two plays, with financial support from the French Embassy in South Africa under the auspices of Jacaranda Cultural Centre in Blantyre.

It’s not all rosy. With Nanzikambe going defunct, the French Cultural Centre closing, the Goethe Institute closing, we have a shortage of venues, only Jacaranda Cultural Centre in Blantyre, and Madsoc Theatre and Lilongwe Community Hall being the only reasonably accessible venues for theatre ensembles. 

Being independent theatre companies, we have to contend with high costs of venue charges, publicity and advertising and performance fees for artists.

All in all, theatre remains very much alive. What is dying is the culture of going to watch theatre performances. For the wholesome development of our country, we need to rediscover and nurture it to grow our theatre audiences again.