Theatre maestro Du Chisiza Jr will not be forgotten as far as drama is concerned in the country.
It is in this vein that the brains behind Wakhumbata Ensemble Theatre (Wet), who scripted several productions, will be honoured posthumously at the premiere of Mushroom Shades movie in Lilongwe later this month.
United States of America (USA)-based filmmaker Chawezi Chaz Munthali confirmed the development Wednesday.
He wrote on his Facebook page that Du Chisiza Jr will receive a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award at the Mushroom Shade film premiere at Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe on April 25 2026.
“His family including his daughter Doreen Chisiza will accept the award at the ceremony,” Chaz, known for said.
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Chaz said Malawi has not done enough in honouring legends before us just like Du Chisiza Jr.
“Du Chisiza is a greatest of all time; he inspired us to be where we are. He is my biggest inspiration in art, growing up, I used to admire his works and his story needs to be told,” he said.
Chaz went on to say that Du Chisiza Jr has a rich history not only in art but also in politics having been appointed minister at a very young age.
“We need to honour such people. I wish we honoured him while alive, people like Soldier Lucius Banda deserved to be honoured and so, I am very honoured to be part of this,” the maker of Misnomer and Highbrow films, said.
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He said Mushroom Shade film stems from Mushroom Shade drama series and that from its will come two films.
“Same characters, continuation of the same stories but have added new actors, one of them Victor who is one of the top personalities. People have supported us a lot,” Chaz said.
He said people should come and watch the movie premieres powered by FDH at BICC and Apollo in Blantyre in that it will not be available online for some time.
Several people have commended Chaz and team for the move saying it was well deserved although long overdue.
“Kwathu kuno (here in Malawi) it is only politicians whose legacies get preserved. In 1999, I said that it will take over 100 years to have anyone close to his talent. 27 years down the road, there is absolutely none. Well-deserved son of the land,” Chandiwira Chisi said.
Doreen, who has in 2019 held remembrance shows for her father, said yesterday she was honoured to receive the award on behalf of her father and family.
“We would like to thank Chaz and team for taking time to honour our father. We are also looking forward to watch the Mushroom Shade film. We are also thankful to all creatives who work hard in different disciplines to develop the arts, let us continue to keep the arts alive,” she said.
Du died on February 24 1999 and wrote plays such as Papa’s Empire, Phumashakire, De Summer Blow, Sir Daniels, Storm on Litada,Operation Tidy, Kabuha Tragedy, Mitsidi Burning, Black Cross, Black Blawizo and Democracy Boulevard.
