By Henry Chulu & Sam Banda Jnr:
The Copyright Fund Committee has breathed life into creatives, distributing K114, 292,800.00 to 20 beneficiaries in the third call for applications.
The fund is spearheaded by Copyright Society of Malawi (Cosoma).
The 20 beneficiaries include Mzimba Heritage Association, which has received K5 million; Ulunji Arts Theatre (K5,835,000); Book Publishers Association of Malawi (K7 million); Lush Africa, which spearheads Miss Culture Malawi, (K6.5million); University of Malawi Department of Literary Studies (K7,609,000); Zomba Arts Platform (K5 million); Princess Chitsulo (K6,080,000); Kungoni Centre of Culture and Arts ( K4 million); Khuza Rampi (K7,826,800); Favoured Martha (K6,344,000); and Joyce Mhango Chavula, who has received K7 million.
The announcement was made in Lilongwe during a press conference.
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Copyright Fund Committee Chairperson Christopher Magomelo said they have made strides in promoting the arts industry since they started working in 2022.
He said, this far, they have disbursed over K270 million to 44 creatives, including recipients of the third call.
“The projects for the third call represent the best of the proposals that came before the committee and they reflect the diversity of creativity, talents and perspectives of Malawian artists and heritage practitioners,” Magomelo said.
He said among the winning projects are initiatives that will nurture creativity and culture, promote tourism through festivals and live performances and sensitise people to the importance of adhering to copyright laws.
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“Let me single out some projects which will take artists from Malawi to music festivals in neighbouring countries.
“These festivals will not only showcase Malawian talents but also inspire the artists, who will participate in them and explore alternative streams of generating income from outside Malawi, which will obviously support government’s efforts to generate more foreign currency for the country,” Magomelo said.
He then congratulated recipients of the third call and dared them to execute their projects to the best of their ability and bring about change to the cultural sector.
University of Malawi Department of Literary Studies has since hailed Cosoma for granting them funds for their project titled ‘Malawi Writing Better’.
The university wrote on its social media page that the project, which will be led by Associate Professor Asante Lucy Mtenje, will enable them to train writers and editors in creative writing and editing in a series of workshops.
“Writers of all genres and editors; be on the lookout for the call for applications for this exciting opportunity. Together, we can build a vibrant literary industry in Malawi,” the university said.
Other beneficiaries of the fund include Story Club FM, Music Crossroads Malawi, Tumbuka Heritage Association, Karonga Debate Club, Luckier Chikopa,
The Copyright Fund was established by the government to provide financial support to creative arts and heritage projects.
Meanwhile, the Copyright Fund committee has made a fourth call for proposals and the deadline is June 13 2024.
Fund Manager Blessings Botha has since called upon creatives across the country in all the disciplines to send their proposals and benefit from the fund.
