Kungoni Centre of Culture and Art at Mua in Dedza has lamented lack of sponsorship as it celebrated its 50th anniversary on Saturday.
Father Brendan Oshea better known as Angozo, who now leads the centre, said despite managing to successfully hold the celebration alongside the Open Day, they got no support from the corporate world.
“It is becoming more difficult to organise such events and so, we need support for it is no longer viable to hold it on our own,” Oshea, who took over the mantle from Father Claude Boucher popularly known as Achisale, said.
He said the event’s overall theme was about celebration and perseverance, titled ‘Kanthu Ndi Khama’ (Perseverance is Key to Success) celebrating 50 years of Kungoni’s incredible work.
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“As Kungoni, we commit and try to work together and this is the message going to the country that we can do great things in Malawi if we can unite and work together,” Oshea said.
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He hailed the community for beautifying the event with different traditional dances including Gule Wamkulu.
“The people in the community are the ones that have built Kungoni to be where it is today;
Malawians need to see the beauty of their culture. We had liturgy of the mass, poetry, traditional and then the finale of Gule Wamkulu,” Oshea said.
He went on to say that it was good to see the elderly blending with young people to perform together different traditional dances.
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“We should be proud of our culture and thus should pass it to our children, we should not be embarrassed with it and feel as if it is backward,” Oshea said.
The celebration also rekindled memories of Boucher, the founder of the centre in 1976.
Ahead of the celebration, Kungoni also held the installation of Boucher’s statue at the Chamare Museum.
Jacaranda Foundation Executive Director Luc Deschamps, who is also French Honorary Consul to Malawi, said the event was colourful and that it celebrated the works of Boucher.
“There was a strong community feel with so many traditional dances. It was beautiful legacy for Father Boucher. He is missed and many references to him in the plays and songs,” Deschamps said.
