Fr Claude Boucher, also known as Achisale, has asked Malawians to promote and preserve their culture if the country is to develop.
The founder of Kungoni Arts Centre, which is under Mua Mission in Dedza, said this on Friday during the official opening of an exhibition themed ‘Malawi At A Crossroads’ at Jacaranda Cultural Centre and Maison de la France in Blantyre.
Achisale, who speaks Chichewa fluently and underwent Chewa initiation having come to Malawi from Canada in 1967, said the country risks losing track because it no longer values its culture.
Last year Kungoni celebrated 40 years of existence and dedicated the day to culture. A play titled Kachilambe was staged as part of the commemoration.
In the play, ills the country is facing were highlighted, the key message being that culture is very important and that it must not be ignored for it determines “who we are.”
And with the exhibition on Friday, which will run until May, the message was the same.
“Malawi is a beautiful country with lots of things but now, through wood carvings or artworks, we want to show that Malawi has changed and is losing track,” Achisale said.
Pointing to one of the works titled ‘The Last Chambo’, Achisale deplored the depletion of natural resources such as Lake Malawi fish.
“Things have changed, the population has grown and natural resources such as trees are being destroyed. This is why we have exhibited ‘The Last Chambo’, in which we are asking the question: Will we have Chambo in the years to come?
“As a country, we need to sit down and think about what we need to do. Through these works, artists have shown that they have a duty to highlight crucial issues and we need to listen,” he said.
Several people attended the opening of the exhibition.
Some of the works on display included ‘The Porcupine’ (nungu) a mask portraying a porcupine, an inoffensive and shy animal protected by quills on the upper side but with very soft meat beneath.
The others are ‘Madyera’, a greedy, relatively modern mask in Gule Wamkulu. It represents corruption.
The piece is portrayed as the knot of a root, suggesting that the roots of traditional Malawian values are getting distorted by insatiable thirst for material wealth.
French Honorary Consul and Jacaranda School for Orphans Executive Director, Luc Deschamps, said they were excited to host the Mua Mission exhibition.
“We believe in culture and through this exhibition we want to expose the beauty of Malawi. The artworks exhibited are addressing a lot of issues and how we can improve the country,” Deschamps said.
He also said the exhibition shows the power of arts and creativity.
“We are happy that our children at Jacaranda were also taught some traditional dances which they performed. If you give the children tools, they can create something and they have also learnt that one can make a living out of arts,” he said.
Jacaranda Cultural Centre and Maison de la France Deputy Director Daisy Belfield said it has been sometime since Kungoni exhibited its works in Blantyre.
Belfield said over 40 carvings and paintings exploring the theme ‘Malawi At A Crossroads’ are on exhibition.
She said this is Kungoni’s first exhibition in Blantyre since 1994.
Leave a Reply