Chichiri Heritage invited to South Africa
Blantyre-based Chichiri Heritage Entertainment Company which has expanded its base this year having combined several artistic fields including the Chichiri Cultural Troupe has been invited to an arts festival in Cape Town, South Africa.
One of the lead members of the company Peter Masina, who is also a sculptor, said the festival will run from October 24 to November 12.
“As a company we are excited to be invited to this festival where we will represent Malawi but the biggest challenge is that we do not have enough resources,” said Masina.
He said the organisers of the festival will provide accommodation and allowances to them but have asked them to cater for their own transport and other requirements.
“At the moment we need to process passports for 15 members but we also need to look for transport otherwise this is a good platform for us to market our products but also fly the country’s flag,” said Masina.
Masina, who is also President of the Malawi Folkdance and Song Society, a position he has held since 2009, said as a company they have organised an exhibition to take place at the Chichiri Museum in Blantyre.
He said the exhibition will be held from to September 22 to 29 and will run under the theme Perspective of arts and culture at 51 years in Malawi.
“This is a summer open air art exhibition where we will put in place lots of things. We will build summer huts and from this exhibition we want to show that there is talent in Malawi. So this exhibition is part of our fundraising for the South Africa trip,” he said.
He said they decided to form a company putting together several art works including basketry, sculptor, traditional pottery, traditional dances and decorations with the aim of running art as a business.
“At the moment the company is still young, we do not have enough resources and this is why we want support on this trip. Apart from the money we will raise during the exhibition, we are calling for assistance from well wishers to help us either by processing passports for the 15 members or looking at transport,” said Masina.
This will not be the first time for Chichiri Heritage Entertainment Company to participate at a festival as in 2009 with Chichiri Cultural Troupe they performed at the Pan African Cultural Festival in Algeria.
“We will be going to this festival not only to make up numbers but to represent Malawi to our best. We actually have a brand to our name as we received a bronze medal during the Pan African Cultural Festival in Algeria in 2009,” said Masina.
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