Music Crossroads Malawi has been selected as one of the six archive institutions to participate in the Futures_Past Programme.
From September to December 2026, audiences across South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi will encounter a series of groundbreaking immersive exhibitions, transforming archival collections into living and interactive experiences.
Running under the banner ‘Futures_Past: Amplifying Memory with Immersive Technologies’, this is a collaborative initiative organised by the French Institute of South Africa (Ifas) in partnership with Electric South and local cultural institutions, archives and international collaborators.
Supported by the Embassy of France in South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi—and funded by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs—the project runs from July 2025 to March 2027.
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Following an open call, the project brings together artists’ teams based in the countries of six selected archives.
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Over the next eight months, these teams will work closely with archives to co-create immersive digital works that explore and illuminate the stories contained within historical collections using virtual and augmented reality, spatial audio and interactive installations.
The resulting experiences would be presented at exhibitions across South Africa, Lesotho, and Malawi from September to December 2026.
“Across Southern Africa, archives hold collections of profound historical and cultural value, yet many struggle to reach new audiences,” Director of Ifas, Jean Spiri, said.
He said Futures_ Past creates space for collaboration between custodians of memory and immersive artists, allowing these collections to be approached with care, technical skill and contemporary relevance.
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Music Crossroads is running the project
‘Listening to endangered songs and oral traditions’, and, through it, The Music Crossroads Malawi Folksong Archive documents
217 traditional songs covering initiation, agriculture, spirituality, storytelling and social life.
Zomba Arts Platform, led by Laura Schuerwegen as producer, has been selected as Malawi’s implementing partner for the programme and is expected to work with Music Crossroads Malawi Folksong Archive.
“We are excited to fly Malawi’s flag in this project as well as other partners we will work with,” Music Crossroads Malawi Director Mathews Mfune said Wednesday.
Other artists who are part of the project included Kas Mdoka and Christopher Ngalu.
Each selected archive offers a window into stories of resilience, identity and cultural memory, which the artists bring to life through immersive and participatory experiences.
