Theatre to the rescue of cyclone survivors
Two weeks ago, a group of actors came together to stage a performance and raise funds for the construction of houses for Tropical Cyclone Freddy survivors. The group held its first performance in Lilongwe at Bingu International Convention Centre. Since their first performance there have been growing calls for the group to stage their play to other cities. Our Staff Reporter BRIAN ITAI caught up with lead organiser of the initiative actor Michael Usi to shed light on the future of the initiative. Excerpts:
Q
: You recently championed a fundraising theatre performance, what compelled you to lead this initiative?
A
: Theatre, as an industry, depends on the goodwill of the people. If people do not give you support, your creativity is profitless. You cannot gain anything from it. Creativity is about communication. Theatre is about interacting with people. It is about telling stories. So, you need people to listen to your story. You need people to support you and patronise your shows. That is what moved us because the people that support us are affected. And before being called actors or artists, we are human beings just like any other person. Out of humanity and the love we felt for our fellow Malawians. That is what made us use our gifts to raise money so that we can help the survivors of the Tropical Cyclone Freddy.
Q
: Are you satisfied with the response that you got?
A
: We were satisfied. We are very grateful and we thank God for the people that came for the show.
Q
: Can you tell me how much money you raised from the show?
A
: What we raised on the actual day was K5.6 million. But because of the pledges that were made during the show, the amount eventually hit K7 million. Like I indicated before, we had to pay for the logistical and administrative arrangements. Now, that required us to dip in the same K7 million purse. We started talking to other stakeholders on how we could proceed. Luckily, some partners came forward and paid for those bills which were at K3 million. If we add all that, the amount is coming to K10.3 million.
Q
: Does that include all the pledges that were made by the people, including members of Parliament during the show?
A
: Not all of them have actually fulfilled their pledges yet. I am not saying they will not. But as of now, there is still a significant number that have not yet honoured their pledges. My hope and prayer is that the figure is going to rise when they bring the money.
Q
: Have you put in place mechanisms to follow on these pledges?
A
: Honourable Richard Chimwendo Banda was instrumental in following up those who had pledged. By the time Parliament rose, we had collected some. But it is not something we can be pushing. The pledges were made willingly. So, if they will honour their pledges, we will be grateful. If they are challenged by other circumstances that they are not able to do so, we wish them all the best. But otherwise, we are grateful to everybody who supported the cause.
Q
: After your performance in Lilongwe, there were growing calls for you to stage the play in other cities as well. What is the way forward on this?
A
: Yes! This Sunday we will perform in Blantyre at Robin’s Park. We will stage the same play with one exception. We have tweaked it here and there and we have included Charles Mphoka on the cast.
Q
: What should theatre lovers from Blantyre expect from this performance?
A
: No less than what we did in Lilongwe. If anything, we will improve on what we did in Lilongwe. That was the first performance and, as actors, there are areas we know we could have done better. We have done a review and the coming in of Mphoka will spice up things further. People should expect to see something that will excite them.
Q
. Have you already identified the beneficiaries of this initiative?
A
: Well, we are working as a team. We know the Department of Disaster Management Affairs is already on the ground as well as other private entities. We know we can always link with them for guidance. We already have other stakeholders who are involved in constructing houses for the survivors. It will be easy for us to channel our assistance through the same people because they have already shown that they can do it. All we are ensuring is transparency and accountability. After the houses have been built, they will be handed over to the beneficiaries publicly. We have all documentation of everything that we have raised so far and no penny has been used. This is a noble cause. It will be evil if anybody tries to play clever with the resources we have raised.
