National Schools Youth Arts Festival (Nasfest) set to feature local and international acts will be held on February 2 to February 4 2024 at Crossroads Hotel in Lilongwe.
Led by Light of Youth Creative Organisation (Lyco), the festival that has been running since 2017 has created an international platform where countries like Zambia and Zimbabwe share the stage with schools and youth in Malawi.
Lyco Executive Director James Kitchen said Thursday that art lovers should brace for a feast of activities featuring music, drama, visual art exhibition and poetry.
“This year we have so much on the platform. We have actually included Youth Theatre Festival category and we will have a performance from Zanase Theatre Club from Zambia, who will present their play titled Chandigwera,” Kitchen said.
Ahead of the festival, Lyco held schools regional contests before selecting finalists for the national event last year.
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The schools that will participate at the festival are Moyale Barracks, Karonga Girls, Kamuzu Barracks, Likuni Boys, International Christian Academy, Zomba Catholic, Drapper CDSS, St John’s Girls, Jacaranda School for Orphans, Our Lady of Wisdom Girls and Henry Henderson School of Excellence.
In the Youth Theatre category, the participants are New Beginning, Friends of Benefits, View Arts, Destination Talents, Hephzibah, Cruise Arts Movement, Mthuzi Arts, Better Generations and Kaphiri Youth.
“This is a huge platform where we give a chance to young people to showcase their talents. We also have schools from Zambia participating and they include Arakan Boys Secondary School, Arakan Girls Secondary School and Smiling Kids Zambia,” Kitchen said.
He said since they started the event, they have managed to reach out to 90 schools in the country as well as trained close to 2,000 young people.
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“Many young people have established theatre groups because of Nasfest. We are the pioneers of the Young Achievers and Noble awards recognised by the government through the Department of Arts in the Ministry of Local Government, Unity and Culture,” Kitchen said.
Lyco last year also participated at a festival in Zambia where it staged a play as well as presented some of the country’s traditional dances.
