Malawi myths told through arts

Genre : Event evaluations
Principal country concerned : Column : Arts and crafts
Release/publication date : 2015
Published on : 21/04/2015
Source : http://timesmediamw.com/malawi-myths-told-through-arts/ 21 April 2015


Malawi needs to document its folkloric stories as a way of preserving the country's culture, a Chancellor College Fine Arts lecturer, Eva Chikabadwa, says.



Chikabadwa said this at La Caverna in Blantyre on Friday during a Malawi- Germany Art Symposium and exhibition.



Chikabadwa said the symposium, running under the theme Myths of Malawi helped artists to learn from each other.



"From the theme Myths of Malawi, we need to document our stories which are important as part of preserving our culture," said Chikabadwa, who exhibited one of her works telling the popular folktale of Kamudothi.



Ellis Singano, one of the co-curators of the symposium, said it was high time artists in the country worked together in different projects as well as learning to share ideas.



"As artists we can only raise our bar when we work together and share ideas. Our fellow German artists have shown us that they work together and share ideas whenever they want to come up with a project. It is a different story here where artists work in isolation and do not share ideas," said Singano.



German artist Kris Heide said she was satisfied with the symposium saying artists worked hard to come up with the best artworks.



"This is fantastic and all artists have put in great effort. This is related to the oral story telling tradition of Malawi as there is an immanent connection between the two art languages of free storytelling, interpretation, embellishment and the fine arts," Heide said.



She observed that the tradition of storytelling in Malawi is only little recorded.



The works exhbited captured a range of Malawi's folkloric tales, myths and the country's riches of nature and human behaviuor.



Apart from Singano and Chikabadwa, some of the local artists who exhibited their works include Gilbert Mpakule, Peter Paul Ndyani, Kenneth Namalomba, Theophany Nammero, George Mkumbula and David Mzengo .



The German artists who starred during the exhibition are Heide, Mark Krause, who worked with Agorosso during a live painting and music performance at Mibawa Cafe on April 12, Karl Dautermann and Michael Plaetschke.



The exhibition goes to La Galleria in Lilongwe in June before going to Germany next year.



Malawi needs to document its folkloric stories as a way of preserving the country's culture, a Chancellor College Fine Arts lecturer, Eva Chikabadwa, says.



Chikabadwa said this at La Caverna in Blantyre on Friday during a Malawi- Germany Art Symposium and exhibition.



Chikabadwa said the symposium, running under the theme Myths of Malawi helped artists to learn from each other.



"From the theme Myths of Malawi, we need to document our stories which are important as part of preserving our culture," said Chikabadwa, who exhibited one of her works telling the popular folktale of Kamudothi.



Ellis Singano, one of the co-curators of the symposium, said it was high time artists in the country worked together in different projects as well as learning to share ideas.



"As artists we can only raise our bar when we work together and share ideas. Our fellow German artists have shown us that they work together and share ideas whenever they want to come up with a project. It is a different story here where artists work in isolation and do not share ideas," said Singano.



German artist Kris Heide said she was satisfied with the symposium saying artists worked hard to come up with the best artworks.



"This is fantastic and all artists have put in great effort. This is related to the oral story telling tradition of Malawi as there is an immanent connection between the two art languages of free storytelling, interpretation, embellishment and the fine arts," Heide said.



She observed that the tradition of storytelling in Malawi is only little recorded.



The works exhbited captured a range of Malawi's folkloric tales, myths and the country's riches of nature and human behaviuor.



Apart from Singano and Chikabadwa, some of the local artists who exhibited their works include Gilbert Mpakule, Peter Paul Ndyani, Kenneth Namalomba, Theophany Nammero, George Mkumbula and David Mzengo .



The German artists who starred during the exhibition are Heide, Mark Krause, who worked with Agorosso during a live painting and music performance at Mibawa Cafe on April 12, Karl Dautermann and Michael Plaetschke.



The exhibition goes to La Galleria in Lilongwe in June before going to Germany next year.

Partners

  • Arterial network
  • Media, Sports and Entertainment Group (MSE)
  • Gens de la Caraïbe
  • Groupe 30 Afrique
  • Alliance Française VANUATU
  • PACIFIC ARTS ALLIANCE
  • FURTHER ARTS
  • Zimbabwe : Culture Fund Of Zimbabwe Trust
  • RDC : Groupe TACCEMS
  • Rwanda : Positive Production
  • Togo : Kadam Kadam
  • Niger : ONG Culture Art Humanité
  • Collectif 2004 Images
  • Africultures Burkina-Faso
  • Bénincultures / Editions Plurielles
  • Africiné
  • Afrilivres

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