Malawi’s veteran writer Aubrey Kalitera dies

By Albert Sharra

No more Aubrey Chitera pic NPL

A sombre mood will today afternoon engulf Blantyre city as scores of people and writers take a last escort of the country’s veteran writer and author Aubrey Kalitera who succumbed to a severe stroke caused  by high blood pressure and diabetes on Monday afternoon.

According to Kalitera’s daughter, Vicky, the deceased will be buried today Wednesday June 11, 2014 at the HHI cemetery in Blantyre after a spiritual mass at his residence in Manyowe Township in Blantyre.

Vicky said Kalitera collapsed at his home around 3pm on Monday and was pronounced dead at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Blantyre. 

“My father has been struggling with diabetes and high blood pressure since 2012. However, on Monday he was fine.His remains are kept at College of Medicine mortuary. The bereaved family and others have been mourning at the deceased’s home in Manyowe Township,” said Vicky, adding that the deceased suffered a similar, but not so severe stroke attack sometime back.

Writer Stanley Onjezani Kenani described Kalitera’s death as a big loss to Malawi. He described him as a writer who had an own character of writing with passion and without boarders.

Kalitera who has authored several books will be missed by the local writer’s fraternity where until his death contributed a lot through mentoring and lecturing budding writers. According to Malawi Writers Union (Mawu) president Sambalikagwa Mvona, Kalitera has been a flag career of Malawi’s writers story  and his fame dates back to the 1970’s when his writing started to compete at all levels. His first book was A Taste of Business published while in his late 20’s. 

 A year later he published A Priosner’s Letter (1979) and other books were Why Father Why and Nchiyani Mwana Wanga (2003) a literature book being used in Malawi Secondary Schools. Kalitera also enjoyed writing short stories and when they were too many, he compiled them into books such as She Died on MY Bed Side and Sweet Mag. In short feature films, Kalitera made a hit with To Ndirande Mountain With Love.

In an interview, Mvona said Kalitera is on the list of writers to be recognised as legendary writers in August this year and said they will dedicate the awards to his life.

“It is sad that he will not be around when we recognise the legendary writers, but his name is on the list and we are saddened that he has passed on just two months away to the awards,” said Mvona.

 Kalitera’s last entry into the writing competition was last year’s Peer Gynt Literary award where despite not winning, his two entries Input Subsidy and Why Poverty was among the 13 finalists out of 55 entries.

Born on February 8, 1948, Kalitera comes from Maselema village in Traditional Authority (T/A) Mlumbe in Zomba. He has left a wife, seven children and two grandchildren.

Sandra kills two birds with a stone at SAFC

By Albert Sharra

Malawi’s only designer who made it to South Africa to participate at the  just ended inaugural Southern Africa  Fashion Conference (SAFC) Fashion

Sandra, her designs impressed organisers in SA

Week, Sandra Nsonga has killed two birds with a stone by being offered two more contracts to perform at the next two fashion festivals by different organisers.

Sandra who runs Splendour designs in Blantyre has been offered a contract to participate at the SA’s best fashion week called Mercedes Benz later in the year and to perform at the second SAFC Fashion Week in October. 

In an interview, both public relations officer and casting manager for SAFC fashion week, Thandikile Khumalo and Paris Makaringe respectively said they are impressed by Sandra’s performance and they have considered her name for the next fashion week.

“We had a successful festival, we invited 20 models and designers and 13 made it. However, none disappointed and we are proud of Sandra and Tumelo of Botswana. We achieved than what we planned because we managed to get to the townships and the youths were amazed to see fashion, which is mostly enjoyed by those in the city in their yard,” said Khumalo.

The fashion week took place at the Devland Ext 27 Park in Devland city, Gueteng. Five models and designers were in action from 8pm to 11 pm each day from April 30 to May 4 in different categories namely Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Snow white and Cruella.

Sandra who also performed at the inaugural Malawi Fashion Week showcased her work in Cinderella category and according to an interview she did with one of the SA’s best private radio station, Metro FM, the young lady inspired participants and organisers of other fashion events. 

“It was a great experience and I am happy that most people were impressed by my work. Organisers of Mercedes Benz fashion week approached me right away and I am swayed and ready to maintain the reputation,” said Sandra in a phone interview on Tuesday.

SAFC Fashion Week was founded to create a platform for upcoming designers and models from without and outside SA to showcase their work, while influencing the youths to desist from immorality. The first event recognised the growing talent in Malawi and invited eight models and designers, but due to lack of funding, only Sandra made it. 

“Being our first event, we could not afford to source enough funding, but we managed to source food from Spar, transport and some money to support the designers’ stay,” said Khumalo, adding that the next will be better and bigger. 

SAFC is one of the most promising fashion weeks in RSA and according to organisers it is aimed at promoting upcoming designers while showing the world what Africa has in fashion.

A snap shot of the Malawi's May 20, 2014 polls and its drama

AU observer mission led by Sam Nujoma (2nd right) visits Chirimba polling centre

Chiwembe polling centre set ablaze by angry voters

By Albert Sharra

Tuesday, May 20 began like any other day, but with all roads busy with people rushing to polling stations to cast their votes before the lines turns long. It was the day everyone had been waiting for.

As early as 4am, most polling stations had long quees. The mood was normal—most offices except for some schools were open—and business was as usual in most parts of the country.

Despite some speculated fears for a possible rigging, voters had confidence in Malawi Electoral

Commission (MEC), which a day before had assured Malawians that the elections would be peaceful and that all ballot papers were safe.

By 7am, most polling centers across Malawi had opened and citizens were casting their votes in a peaceful and free environment.

Ugly scenes erupt

Despite successfully delivering voting materials in time to most polling centres, MEC was caught in logistical problems that failed it to dispatch voting materials at some centres. Fears of effectively delivering the materials started to rock two days before the elections after MEC had

reported that it had insufficient vehicles.

Nonetheless, the nation breathed a sigh of relief after MEC had announced that government had allowed it to use its vehicles. But no communication was made on whether the vehicles will bear the Tripartite Elections (TPE) registration numbers or not.

This bred into chaos in Lilongwe after residents saw a vehicle belonging to Lilongwe City  Council (LCC) carrying election materials a day before elections. The irate people stormed the vehicle at the Civic Centre offices in Lilongwe and harassed MEC and government officials

including Chief Executive Officer for LLC Richard Hara and Lilongwe District Commissioner

Charles Kalemba. The two resigned forthwith as elections coordinators. This signaled that violence was a stone throw away and any mess would propel into violence.

“Logistical problems” as said by MEC, affected the timely delivery of voting materials at some centres especially in Blantyre, Dedza and Lilongwe. This did not amuse some voters who had been on the quees for more than four hours and resorted to violence.

In Blantyre, chaos was reported at Catholic Institute (CI), The Old Blantyre Taxi Office, Nkolokoti, Ndirande, Blantyre Girls and Chirimba in Blantyre. In Ndirande, the irate voters broke into the People’s Supermarket, but were intercepted by police before causing significant damage. They also set ablaze the voting materials and few minutes later, voters at Nkolokoti

primary school centre followed suit.

Business was brought to a halt, shops that were open closed and motorists drove for safety as the irate voters from Ndirande and CI centres closed roads with stones and burnt tires. Ndirande voters marched to the MEC offices and vandalised the commission’s sign posts before being stopped by security guards. Voting at the centres began few hours

later after security officers had calmed the situation.

In Chiwembe Township, Blantyre, voters lost patience after waiting for voting materials until 11am. They also set ablaze Malawi Housing Corporation (MHC) offices which was booked for the exercise.

“I am sorry for this sad turn of events. We had logistic problems and I have learnt that a number of centres have been affected and voting materials have been damaged,” said MEC Chairperson

Justice Mbendera at a briefing which besides the media was attended by international observers

and diplomats, including British High commissioner Michael Nevin and European Union Head of Mission Alexander Baum.

Observers give their reports

Head of the African Union (AU) Elections Observers Mission Samuel Nujoma described the elections as free and fair. In their turn, through a preliminary report, the European Union (EU) said the elections were peaceful that everyone had an opportunity to vote freely. Missing was the

Sadc mission to whom the incumbent president is chairperson until Saturday evening.

“The elections were peaceful, free, transparent and credible,” reads in part the Sadc report.

Voting goes into next day

Delays in dispatching voting materials characterised by wrong materials being delivered to centres, delayed the beginning of voting in some centres. Since most of the voting materials for some centres were burnt, MEC struggled to print new ballot papers from a local printer and this delayed further, the start of voting at the remaining centres the following day and this took the voting to a third day, Thursday. Huge turnouts were recorded at all polling centres and people voted peacefully.

Vote count and MEC tabulation system

MEC planned to use a computerised tabulation of votes from all tally centres, but the system failed. Officers at the centres could not send the results straight to MEC.

“We are having problems with our system and we are going for plan B. The results will be faxed or delivered by hand,” said MEC chairperson Justice Mbendera at a press conference.

While MEC was struggling to get the results, official broadcasters, Zodiak Broadcasting Station (ZBS) and MBC Television were crushing towards the end of the vote count. The media houses had deployed reporters to all tally centres to report on the figures gathered from the tally

centres.

Speaking on his radio, ZBS director Gospel Kazako said their reporters were reporting on figures from MEC officials positioned at tally centres and signed by political party monitors who were at the tally centres.

By Wednesday morning, ZBS had reported that Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was on the lead and was being trailed closely by Malawi Congress Party’s (MCP) presidential candidate Lazarus Chakwera. In its final report, ZBS reported that DDP got

a total of 1 789 364, MCP 1 387 500, PP 1 042 686 and UDF 665 819.

Mesn and MEC supported the figures. After counting 30 percent of the votes, MEC reported that its official preliminary results showed DPP on the lead.

“Based on these reports, Mesn can report with 99  percent confidence that the official turnout rate for the 2014 presidential election will be between 68.7 percent and 72.5 percent.DPP will get 36 percent followed by MCP with 28.4percent, PP will have 20 percent and UDF 13.6,” said

Mesn chairperson Steve Duwa, while reading their final comprehensive report. Suicide and injunctions Thursday began with its drama. Most parliamentarians in the ruling government had fallen in the race and were busy restretegising on their next moves. While others were admitting their loss through the media, former Local Government minister Godfrey Kamanya decided not to, but commit suicide on allegations that he was receiving death threats.

Despite MEC admitting that there were several anomalies in the voting and that they will look into each complaint, president Banda went to the High Court in Blantyre on Thursday to stop MEC from counting and announcing elections results until irregularities are rectified. The court

Rebuffed her.

48 hours later, using her constitutional powers, Banda evoked section 88(2) of the constitution to nullify the elections pending another election to be conducted within 90 days. Speaking live on ZBS, Banda said the decision is to allow Malawians choose leaders of their choice and she reported that she would not contest in the elections.

However, her direction met stiff resistance from MEC and the Malawi Law Society and the High Court granted MEC an injunction stopping the president.

MEC bows down to vote recount

In a twist of events, MEC began to lose its confidence in the credibility on the results from tally centres on Saturday afternoon. It announced during press conference held on Saturday evening that they have observed serious anomalies and are going to recount all votes.

“We are not abandoning our process, but while tabulating what we have, we are going for a vote recount. We have observed serious anomalies. We will recount votes for presidential, parliamentary and local government. We had a meeting with DPP, UDF, PP and MCP and we have agreed to recount the votes, “said Commissioner Emmanuel Chinkwita Phiri.

Court Rules on way forward

MCP, UDF and PP teamed up in support for a recount and only DPP stood by its ground that there will be no recount. However, none of the two camps had the powers on what next apart from the High Court. By Wednesday, May 28, the nation was in dilemma on what next and it all ears were on Blantyre High Court judge Kenyatta Nyirenda.

It took him two days, to give his ruling and in a likely balanced judgment, Kenyatta allowed MEC to do a recount, but on the other hand advised MEC to announce the results within the specified period as outlined in the laws of the country. By then, MEC had only few hours before the expirely of the time.

MEC Proceeds to announce official results

Few hours after the court hearing, MEC through its chairperson Justice Maxwell Mbendera announced the results which favoured the DPP and its president Peter Mutharika. There was jubilation upon the declaration, hidden DPP clothes were fished out of the handbags marking the return of DPP whose 10 year reign was interrupted by the death of its president Bingu Wa Mutharika in 2008. This allowed the then vice president Joyce Banda to take over with her People’s Party.

10 hours later on Saturday, Peter Mutharika was sworn in as President of Malawi by Anastanzia Msosa at the Blantyre High Court and 48 hours later, the president was inaugurated at a special ceremony held at the Kamuzu stadium in Blantyre.

In both speeches, Mutharika called for team work with the 11 losing partries.

Evelyn Pangani-Thinking beyond the horizon with poetry

‘Thinking beyond the horizon’

Poem: Moyo wina

Artsist: Evelyn Pangani

Reviewer: Albert Sharra

From its title, Moyo wina, a poem that also anchors the strength of Evelyn Pangani’s first poetry album called Nyonga za Bongo, rests in-depth thinking and storytelling in a brief and exceptional context.

In Moyo wina, (during the next life), Pangani proves a new dimension in poetry that tasks the brain of the audience to deep thinking and the need to know issues around them.

Centering on the uphill and downhill of a political career and how successful and most feared politicians and presidents in the world have been falling, Pangani thinks beyond the horizon.

She wants to know how politicians are continuing with their political career in the world of the dead and whether malpractices that are registered during elections in this world are also there.

“Moyo uno ukatha, dziko nkufotsera,dothi ku dothi, fumbi ku fumbi-chiyambi cha moyo wina.Winawooo kumakhala zotani?”(When this life comes to an end,deep down the grave,dust to dust-the begining of  the next life.What is there?),goes the first part of the poem.

“… polingalira kuti kumasano kwapita ochuluka andale ankhanza ena okhumbira kulamulira anzawo, enanso osafuna kutula pansi maudindo.Polingalira kuti umenewo ndiwo moyo wotsiriza muchilengedwe, komanso poti limenelo ndi dziko limodzi pakachere pa anthu a mtundu sankha wekha.

“Atsogoleri ena anadziwika ndi nkhanza, ngakhale msukulu ana amawaphunzira ngati mbiri imodzi ya mbiri zosaiwalika, Adolf Hitler, Mobutu Seseseko, Laurent Kabila,Samora Machel ndi ena mtolo. Ngakhale ku Malawi kuno Mkango unalanda ulamuliro kwa Asamunda zikutha bwanji kumeneko?”

This is a puzzling question that broadens the thinking.

The poem suggests that being a new world, it might be possible that the leaders who made a mark in this world are no more living to their mark. They lost their robes of majesty and cannot even win a junior position in the legislation.

“We want to be thinking beyond what we obviously think. The purpose of the poem is to remind people that there is life after death and that what we do today can be part of the game in the next life and so we need to be careful,” says Pangani who is also a journalist working at Joy Radio in Malawi.

The exceptional part with the composition is the sensational part--How it is creating the mood and put one into consideration of how relevance he/she is in today’s community and what about in the next life?

Coherence of facts, use of idioms and rhyming are some of the strongest traits of the poem. Listening or reading Moyo wina one should appreciate the outstanding weaving of the triple.

With that pace on track rallied by many, Malawi’s future in poetry should not be underrated.

Rising Choreos exposes hidden talent in Banda

As Van Vickers features in Well Calculated

By Albert Sharra

Soldier of the poor, son of a poor man are some of the popular nicknames musician Lucius Banda is known for and his frequent contribution to the entertainment industry in the country still earns him new nicknames. But the time is now in for the artist to wear a new nickname with a single word-Multitalented. This was the term almost every patron who patronised the premier of a stage play titled Well Calculated by Rising Choreos which also featured a Nollywood actor Van Vicker at Sunbird Capital hotel Marquee on Sunday could use to describe Banda.

 The musician was one of the few artists who rubbed shoulders with the Ghanaian actor on stage and his performance was beyond everyone’s expectation. Taking a role of a top boss of a company that was also the setting of the play, Banda brilliantly coordinated with Vicker and four other female actors and the main message in the play was just clear to everyone.

For the first time in the history of stage plays in Malawi, the theatre company presented a simple, short and a beautiful play supported by a good and simple stage set up like the one displayed by the Germany’s theatre group called Konstanz which visited the country last year.

Banda played the role of George and Vicker (Bill in the play) was his workmate. They were millionaires and held top positions at the company. They believed that with money and power in their hands they can get any girl. On the other hand, was three beautiful and ambitious girls Lynn, Cathy and Tissa and are on a mission to succeed in life no matter what it takes.

Centralising the play on the behaviours of bosses in companies who abuses their powers to fall in love with female workmates, the play exposes the weakness in men when it is time to please a woman for sex favours. Lynn and Tissa accepted to fall in love George and Bill respectively to get favours at the company, but Tissa had a mission when she finally opened up to George. She had recognised that George was married and was going out with Lynn. She also knew he was his dad and he dumped her deceased mother when she was just six months pregnant.

This drives to the climax and final point of the play where Tissa demands K10m from Vicker to use as compensation to Cathy who Vicker dumped at the begging of the play. She also demanded K17m from George, K10 m was deposited into her account and K7 million into George’s wife account leaving the two men confused-a well calculated plan.

Despite some frustrations at the beginning of the day that saw Vicker arriving at the venue late and the play which was scheduled for 2pm starting after 4pm, everyone was just happy after the play. In a vox pops, the patrons expressed satisfaction and hailed Rising Choreos for the beautiful play and for bringing the handsome actor to the soils of Malawi. They also tipped Banda to try theatre as his second career.

“My last time on stage was 25 years ago that was during my secondary school and i never dreamt of coming back on stage. Joyce Chavula approached me in January and refused several times because i had no confidence in myself, but she came back two weeks ago telling me to take the stuff. I could disappoint her and so i took it, i should not hide it to you, my confidence was building while i was on stage because of the morale from the public,” said Banda after the play while pointing out that he wants to try theatre as a new career.

Director of Rising Choreos Theatre Company Chavula said she was impressed with the coordination Banda and Vicker produced. She also described their performance as superb and a good step in as far as the dream to turn Malawi’s stage plays and movies international is concerned.

In his speech before performing, Vicker announced his passion to work with Malawi Theatre and help few artists from the country to feature in one of his movies.

“I had never met any person from Malawi before and i thank God that today i am here and interacting with hundreds of people. Malawians are lovely and your country is beautiful. There is also future in theatre and i want to pledge here that i will feature three actors from Malawi in my next movie, “said the Ghanaian ace.

To kick start the journey, the actor donated K500 000 to Association of Teaching English in Malawi (Atem).

END.