Youth and Society (YAS) on Sunday courted poets in Mzuzu to uplift the voice against corruption on an afternoon of performances dubbed ‘Speaking Truth to Power: Anti-Corruption Poetry Showcase’.
The initiative was part of a two-year anti-corruption project which, according to YAS head of programmes Mwandida Theu, has produced impressive results.
She said the performances from about 60 poets were being recorded and will be distributed to the public through various platforms, including social media, apart from sharing the content with their partners.
Theu said the fight against corruption is not exclusive to the civil society, but should also involve youthful stakeholders in the creative industry.
She said: “One of the projects activities was to gather the poets and listen what they want to tell us on anti-corruption efforts in Malawi.
“This is the reason we partnered Mzuzu-based poets to give them a platform on what they think about the fight against corruption. With the milestones gained, we are looking forward to securing more funding since the project ends this month.”
One of the poets, Francis Kamlomo, who also represents Umunthu Lead organisation, described poetry as a powerful tool for activism that can be used to change systems and mindsets.
He said: “If the youth and artists do not take part in voicing out against corruption then we have no future. We should use poetry to challenge this vice which has destroyed our society.
“We are packaging the messages broadly. We advised the poets to tackle corruption issues ranging from accountability, integrity and human rights.”
YAS is running the project with support from the National Endowment for Democracy.
