Poets in the country join the rest of the world to celebrate World Poetry Day Saturday.
Poetry Association of Malawi (Pam) President Robert Chiwamba said Thursday that the day means a lot to them in that it is a time when they take stock of the strides made and think of solutions to the challenges the art is facing.
Unlike the previous commemorations where Pam has not held activities, this time around the commemorations will be held at Blantyre Secondary School.
“Among others, we will have recitals and career talk and so, we are looking forward to a great outing,” Chiwamba said.
He said on the day, they will also issue a public notice on the status of poetry in the country.
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“We are asking all poets to record a one minute poem on their mobile phones on the theme ‘What Poetry Means to Me’ and post it on social media platforms with the hashtag#WPD2026,” the award winning poet said.
Apart from Chiwamba, some of the poems set to perform at the celebration include Beatrix Ligomeka, Jane Senenje, Isaac Kadankowa, Gift Chilambe, Mlakatuli Wachibwibwi and Blessed Rodi.
“We will also have recitals from students and we are also happy that we will have the board chairperson Deus Sandram during the celebration,” Chiwamba said.
Meanwhile, veteran poet Benedicto Wokomaatani Malunga famed for poems such as ‘Siananso Awa’ and ‘Ndizakutengera Kunyanja Ligineti’, Friday called upon the country to take a reflective moment to remember how poets have contributed significantly to the ushering in of multiparty democracy.
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“Poets determinedly and patriotically, lampooned the autocratic single party system with vitriol that opened the eyes of Malawian citizens under the spell of political indoctrination implemented by the one party system,” he said.
Wokomaatani Malunga also said the country should honour poets who used the power of words to unravel the dangers of HIV/Aids when it hit the country hard in the 1980s and 1990s.
“We should also commend wordsmiths for sensitizing us on how the Corona virus could be avoided and for assuring us that the battle against it would be won,” he said.
The legendary poet said going forward, poets should strive for originality in their works and write against whatever evil is bothering the society and highlight all the good things that make us unique and proud of who we are.
“May collaborations between and among poets capable of producing music gems like ‘Nthawi’ and ‘Mawu Angawa’, be pursued in earnest by poets to create a vibrant creative industry,” Wokomaatani said.
He also said poets should use local languages in the production of sublime poetry to reveal the richness of our languages and the culture it carries which merits preservation,” he said.
Wokomaatani challenged fellow poets to have the desire to attain quality in poetic products to drive them as they write for listeners and readers to take them seriously.
“Radio and TV presenters can also help in the development of poetry by rigorously sifting what to air on radio and television and what to leave out that is not good. Poetry of a high caliber when aired inspires would be poets greatly,” the poet said.
Wokomaatani also said that publishers should take special interest in publishing works with themes that make sense in as far as education and entertainment are concerned.
“This will promote a robust reading culture leading to the creation of informed citizens on a wide array of issues of human interest. To me this would be the best way to celebrate World Poetry Day,” he said.
World Poetry Day is celebrated on March 21 and was declared by Unesco in 1999 with an aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard.
The purpose of the World Poetry Day is to promote the reading, writing, publishing and teaching of poetry throughout the world.
