Musicians Union of Malawi (Mum) President Reverend Chimwemwe Mhango has said they will be embarking on a lot of programmes this year among them building up skills for upcoming musicians.
The Mum executive has come under fire from some quarters for failing to come up with proper programmes but also coming up with ideas but failing to implement them.
Mhango admitted that as an executive they have come up with brilliant ideas and plans but implementation has been slow attributing it to cooperation, support and commitment.
“There must be truth in what some people have said but implementation of the ideas is dependent on cooperation, support and commitment among musicians and other stakeholders as well as the government,” Mhango said.
He indicated that support by the government and the corporate world is very minimal.
“We will try as much as possible to implement most of our programmes before we leave office next year. I can disclose that we have two big projects this year, one is aiming at developing our management skills and office development and another one aimed at building up skills for upcoming artists,” the Mum boss said.
Mhango also revealed that the music body which has in the past years relied heavily on the Cultural Support Scheme supported by the Royal Norwegian Embassy will next month sign a new contract with Swedish Music Fund (SMF).
“SMF has supported us in so many projects including building the Women’s Desk. We are on the right track in terms of operations and this is why we are signing a new contract,” he said.
Mum has also failed to move forward with its studios which it established in Blantyre.
Mhango said they have not made progress on the studio project which he indicated has been stopped for now.
“The Mum studio has been stopped for now but we are looking for an operational place. It appears Blantyre has so many studios and others did not even know that Mum has a studio. We will surely be revamping its operations after the national executive committee meeting mid next month,” he said.
Mhango also said that with the Cultural Support Scheme phasing out in December, they were looking for more means and ways of sustaining their vision.
Mum has also failed its quest to woo more artists to be part of the music body with others indicating there was nothing beneficial.
“We are trying hard to convince artists both young and old to be part of the music body so as to speak with one voice. We need not work in isolation and we need not form parallel structures. We are trying also to reach out to some of the big name artists and we are drawing a blue print which will encourage artists to understand our aims and objectives,” he said.
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