Stella Maris are French drama champs
They were the hosts and they put up a grand performance against stiff competition from eight other schools and in the end, after a 10-hour battle, Stella Maris Secondary School emerged winners of the 34th national drama in French competition.
The Stella Maris Secondary School hall in Blantyre was rocked in a din of celebration as one of the judges, Prince Chimasula of the French section announced Stella Maris as the overall winner in the contest, where teams competed on a theme on the fight against violence and vandalism in schools.
As Stella Maris won the team trophy and medals, its two actresses also won individual awards for their play, Liassez-moi Quitter (Let me leave). Rachel Nguluwe won best actress in a male role while Hazel Chanika was the best actress.
Stella Maris dislodged last year’s winners Jacaranda School for the Orphans, also located in Blantyre, and in third place was Likuni Boys. Other schools that made it to the finals were Providence Girls, Luwinga, Mzuzu Academy, Zomba Catholic, Marist Brothers and Marymount, not in that order as the final toll just announced the three winners.
Chimasula said the judges, who also included gospel artist Chigo Grace and Solomonic Peacocks director McArthur Matukuta, had a hard time choosing the winners.
“I have been a judge in this contest for several times since 2007, but this contest was tight. We had a hard time,” he said.
That the contest was so close to call is evident in how the individual awards were spread among the winning students. Mzuzu Academy’s Mary Dindi was the best female French speaker, while Luwinga’s William Munthali was the male best French speaker.
Nguluwe, Dindi, Munthali, as well as Jacaranda’s Vincent Steven got the best actor slot and got the ultimate individual prizes of a bicycle and school bags.
Even the guest of honour, writer and lecturer in the French section at the University of Malawi’s Department of Languages Dr Timwa Lipenga agreed the competition was tough, unlike her secondary school days years back.
“We used to watch and participate in these competitions when I was at Our Lady of Wisdom. The competition was not as stiff as what we have witnessed. Even from the theme, you can see that it is relevant to what is happening in our schools today. This is what the French call la littérature engagée, committed literature if you like it in English,” said Lipenga.
But she said it is important that organisers document the plays in an anthology for posterity.
“Let us not lose these treasures. Imagine if we documented these plays in anthologies, we could have 34 by now,” she added.
Luc Deschamps, French honorary consul, whose embassy organises the contest in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Association for the Teaching of French in Malawi, said now that the French are back in Malawi, there will be more benefits for the arts sector.
