Celebrated poet Q Malewezi hits the international stage once again next month as he is among mentors for the Afrikan Stories for Social Change Programme to be held in Accra, Ghana.
The third African Social Movements, running under the theme ‘Power of Movements’, will be held from April 14 to 16 2025.
Q, who is also President Lazarus Chakwera’s special adviser on creative industries, wrote on his Facebook page that he was excited to join the Afrikan Stories for Social Change Programme as creative mentor.
“Storytelling is a powerful tool for shaping narratives, preserving culture and driving change. Through poetry, spoken-word and written, I have shared Afrikan stories on global stages and worked to build creative spaces through Kweza Arts,” he said.
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The founder of Kweza Arts in Lilongwe said he was looking forward to mentoring young multimedia storytellers in reclaiming and amplifying African narratives.
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Q will be mentoring the team alongside award-winning South African photographer Andrew Tshabangu.
Meanwhile, 20 storytellers—who include the country’s poet Dark Shadow, real name Christian Kamwendo—have been selected for Afrikan Stories for Social Change Programme at the African Social Movements Baraza from across the continent.
The 20 selected participants–photographers, filmmakers, writers, poets and multimedia storytellers–are deeply engaged with social movements and working on compelling projects celebrating activism, ethical inquiry and social impact.
Dark Shadow, who is a poet, writer and spoken-word artist, has used the stage to share powerful stories that explore themes of love, loss, justice and human rights.
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Beyond her art, the artist, who has released three-studio recorded playlists and a full poetry album, is an advocate for youths and women’s empowerment, championing education, art and well-being as forces for change.
“It is amazing to be part of sharing African stories using art and poetry in my case. I am glad to get to represent Malawi,” she said.
