By Kenneth Zindondo and Sam Banda Jnr:
Women in the arts will be engaged in a conversation today at Pearl Convention Centre in Lilongwe in a rare conference running under the theme ‘Celebrating Women who Create, Inspire and Lead’.
To be moderated by Fumukazi Zilanie Gondwe and hosted by Cynthia Zonde Zulu, some of the panelists during the conference include fashion designer Lilly Alfonso, actor and filmmaker Joyce Mhango Chavula, Priscilla Kayira and Qipase Maulidi.
Lead for the project ‘Mainstreaming Women’s Gender Equality in Malawi’s Culture and Creative Sector’, Morton Sibale, from Department of Arts said Monday that the conference is part of a wider initiative being implemented at the ministry to build women’s capacity in arts institutions and promote gender equality.
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He said the project was conceived after observing disparities in the participation of men and women in the sector.
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“Men dominate in the creative industry including music royalties from Cosoma where the top 10 earners are always men, while in films few women take part in lead roles,” Sibale said.
He added that out of 12 associations in the sector, only one is currently led by a woman.
“Apart from the theme, the conference will also look at sub themes such as gender-based violence in the sector,” he said.
Sibale said during engagements, they had situations where some women admitted that men asked them for sexual favours to be given roles.
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“These are some of the issues we want them to discuss,” he said.
Sibale said that globally there has been a shift where arts and the creative sector are increasingly recognised as part of the creative economy rather than just leisure or cultural preservation.
Director of Arts Humphrey Mpondaminga said the conference is part of the project on long gender mainstreaming for the cultural and creative sector.
“It brings together women artists to celebrate their successes as women in the sector, discuss barriers affecting them and recommend what policy changes should be made to increase women participation in the sector,” Mpondaminga said.
Mhango Chavula, creator of an award winning movie Lilongwe, described the conference as crucial for women in the arts.
“This is a good space to share notes, freely talk about our challenges and brainstorm on possible solutions. We need to have more of such engagements. I am excited to be one of the panelists,” Mhango Chavula said.
