The inaugural two-day Cultural and Research Innovation Festival led by Bingu School of Culture and Heritage under Malawi University of Science and Technology (Must) in Thyolo begins today and ends tomorrow.
Bingu School of Culture and Heritage Director Atikonda Mtenje Mkochi said during a press briefing at the university on Wednesday that they were 100 percent prepared for the festival and that people should anticipate enjoyment, learning and engagement.
“We have an array of art forms, drawings, paintings, and performances by artists like Waliko Makhala and Keturah, among others,” she said.
Mtenje Mkochi disclosed that the festival will become an annual event held in September, which is recognised as Tourism Month, with the aim of promoting Malawi as a tourist destination to the world.
She said the festival whose theme is ‘Cultural Heritage for Sustainable Development,’ underscores the university’s endeavour to embrace prospects of looking beyond science and technology by finding human-centered ways of giving the majority of Malawians the opportunity to participate in fulfilling the aim of Malawi’s 2063 vision of becoming an inclusively wealthy and self-reliant nation.
Professor Alfred Maluwa, Must’s Director of Research and Outreach, said the university was designed with the aim of leading in terms of innovations and technologies through research.
“This event is of paramount importance to us because, according to our strategic plan, any inventions and discoveries we make should be communicated to end users,” he said.
Maluwa explained that the university has developed innovations and research products that can enhance efficiency and productivity for Malawians and that these will be showcased during the festival.
“This is highly significant for Malawi. As Must, we also aim to contribute to job creation, especially for the youth. From the products exhibited by the start-ups we have collaborated with, people will recognise the jobs we have created, as the owners have also employed others,” he added.
