Africa-Press – Lesotho. In October of 2011, I travelled from Harare to Blantyre to participate in the Blantyre Arts Festival. I met many exciting Malawian artists. Over the years I have watched closely the development of one particular Malawian artist, Tawonga Taddja Nkhonjera.
Born in 1983, Tawonga is a professional artist, working as an author, a screenwriter and director, a playwright and theatre director, an ethnomusicologist and traditional storyteller.
Today, I talk to him about Dikamawoko Arts where he is the founding Director. We talk about his film and book of folktales and about the arts sector in Malawi.
Chirere: Tawonga Taddja Nkhonjera, what is the general state of the arts in the Malawi of today? Tawonga: The arts sector in Malawi has lept forward in a short period.
There are now more films being produced; more theatre ensembles than ever before, staging different plays in venues across the country on a weekly basis.
There are now more musicians than before. . . Chirere: Are there many like yourself who are full time in the arts? Tawonga: There is Peter Mazunda, a close friend and successful videographer.
He worked for MBC TV (then known as Television Malawi – TVM), after which he started successful media companies like Kings Multimedia and Xtra Solutions.
There is the jazz maestro, Erik Paliani, hip-hop artist Third Eye, Namadingo, Wendy Harawa, Lucius Banda and others. We have theatre gurus like McArthur Matukuta, the director of Solomonic Peacocks and founder of the Easter Theatre Festival.
We have actors like Thoko Kapiri, Misheck Mzumara, Joyce Chavula Mhango and Flora Suya. There is an influx of film and photo studios in Malawi, music and audio studios, and many other avenues.
Chirere: You are founder and Director of the Blantyre based Dikamawoko Arts. What is the meaning of Dikamawoko? Tawonga: Dikamawoko comes from the Tumbuka wisdom that even when you have no protection against the cold, as long as you have your hands, you cannot be destitute.
Chirere: What do you do at Dikamawoko? Tawonga: Dikamawoko Arts stresses on self-employment, social entrepreneurship and laying less emphasis on waiting for employment.
We work with young, talented Malawians who have chosen to pursue careers in the arts. We nurture their respective talents and sharpen their skills through mentorships, workshops, residencies, scholarships, internships, training programmes and education.
We support artists with hands-on experience in the production of different works of art in Music, Theatre, Film and Television, Dance, Poetry, Creative Writing and Storytelling.
The idea of forming Dikamawoko came about in 2006. I had been working with Kwithu Community Based Organisation in Luwinga, Mzuzu, directing children’s programmes. Chirere: You seem to do well working with young people Tawonga: I love working with young people.
There are not many institutions in Malawi providing space and programmes designed for the development and nurturing of artists towards professional careers in art.
Chirere: Any key achievements from Dikamawoko? Tawonga: Dikamawoko boasts of the first Malawian female filmmaker to be selected for the Multichoice Talent Factory in Zambia, Chimwemwe Mkwezalamba.
We have the award-winning recording artist and musician, Muhanya, who is currently studying music in Germany. There is the filmmaker, editor and graphic designer, Ernest Chikuni, who won Second Prize in the Young African Filmmaker Award at the Afrika Filmfestival in Leuven, Belgium.
We boast of actress Vinjeru Kamanga, who was nominated for the Best Young Actor award at the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA). We currently have a crop of young artists pursuing alternative arts such as Contortionism, Silk Dance, Ventriloquism and Magic.
Chirere: You published a book of folktales called He Helide, the book of Malawian folk stories. Tawonga: HE HELIDE is a collection of 10 stories that are part of the folklore of Malawi.
I believe that folktales are more essential for the world today, than they have ever been before. Chirere: What is the place of folk tales in the modern world?
Tawonga: The world has become more digital. Technology is the order of the day. This is exactly why folktales are important, and their significance and effects need to be reestablished.
You can tell a folktale through traditional storytelling, or you can dynamically produce an animated video of the same; it can be adapted into a short film, a play or a song.
I’d love to start seeing folktales on TikTok. Ever since I was a young boy, I have always been intrigued by folktales, and particularly fables. I was absolutely impressed by how Aesop could lucidly tell a story, in such a short span, and still deliver a very telling moral at the end of it.
That is one of the reasons I have been attracted to the folktale. Chirere: In your folk tale “Chilema”, a crippled musician wins the battle on behalf of his people through song? Did this story come from your childhood? And what is the lesson behind this tale?
Tawonga: “Chilema” is the only original story in the book. All the other nine stories are those I heard from childhood, adapted for consumption in today’s homogenous world.
I mean, I have read other stories of hunchbacks before; like ‘Igor’, ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ and others. But “Chilema” is an original folktale that I wrote. The rest are adapted.
I wanted to tell a story about social inclusion; a story that destroyed all preconceived notions, stigma and discrimination of people with disability, people with special needs.
In Malawi, our culture and traditional beliefs have led to people with physical disabilities or special needs to be misunderstood, misconstrued and misrepresented.
I wanted to show someone who was capable, despite the limitations people placed upon him due to his physical deformities. Chirere: The title He Helide is even more intriguing, dwelling on the spoilt but narrow minded daughter of a mighty King.
What is the lesson behind this tale? Tawonga: He Helide was first told to me by my grandmother. This story is based on my great great grandfather Kamphungu who, in his tenure as Chikulamayembe, put up a decree that anyone caught breaking a particular law would be burned in their hut.
He suffered his own decreed fate. I wanted to show, through He Helide, how absolute power corrupts absolutely. Abuse of power has karma to reckon with.
Chirere: Can you say something about Tumbuka childhood? Who are the Tumbuka and where are they found in Malawi? Tawonga: The repetitive nature of the song He Helide makes it easy to learn and sing along.
I recorded the song with Dikamawoko band leader, Muhanya, in Tumbuka. Despite the story being told in English in the book, I maintained the song in Tumbuka, the language in which my grandmother originally told me the story in.
All of us grandchildren would sit by the fireplace waiting for grandmother to regale us with stories. My grandfather was the quintessential Tumbuka patriarch.
With my grandmother, they had four sons and three daughters, and all of us grandchildren ate at my grandmother’s ‘chitembe’ – eating hut, from communal dishes.
We grew up with all Tumbuka values – respect for those older than you. Everything was communal, from work to recreation. When my grandmother was not able to tell us stories, my father’s younger brother, Kataghala, would tell us stories.
I grew to love his storytelling because his emphasis was on the antics and pranks of Kalulu, the songs and especially the dance. He would teach us different choreographies, each one sillier than the last, and much more fun.
Tumbukas are a group of people that came to Malawi from Luba in DRC in the 13th Century. Tumbukas settled in the Nkhamanga kingdom, what is known today as Rumphi district.
Today, Tumbukas have integrated with other peoples like Ngondes, Tongas, Ngonis and Chewas, but Tumbuka remains the language predominantly spoken in the northern region of Malawi.
Chirere: What plans do you have in getting this book beyond Malawi? Tawonga: We are going to have the book on Amazon. I already have a couple of books in Kindle version so we are looking to build on the catalogue.
After the book is available to online readers, we are planning a book tour in the SADC region where we will apply to children’s book festivals and fairs.
We are also booked for a Book Reading tour in Germany, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. Beyond that, we have planned to produce Audio books and animation films from the stories.
Chirere: What is the state of the book industry in Malawi and which Malawian writers are doing what you are doing with the folk tale? Tawonga: More and more writers are emerging today.
There are more books being published. Local publishing companies are also sprouting out. He Helide, for example, is under Zikani Publishers. Malawian writers are breaking international boundaries.
We have writers like Shadreck Chikoti making a name for himself with his novel, AZOTUS. Stanley Onjezani Kenani has twice been nominated for the Caine Prize. We have a growing number of female writers.
Recently, the Malawi Writers Union (MAWU) has embarked on project to promote young, budding writers of Malawi by publishing the book, MANDEBVU AND OTHER STORIES, a collection of short stories from young, up and coming writers.
There are many people working in folklore in Malawi. The stalwart has been Dyson Gonthi who has been telling stories since I was a toddler. Several writers over the years, like Steve Chimombo, James Ng’ombe and Nancy Phiri have contributed to the preservation of folklore in book form.
Contemporarily, writers like Matilda Phiri, Shadreck Chikoti, Ekari Mbvundula and others have taken to storytelling through folklore. There is also a handbook for Storytelling in Malawi which was written by Ndongolera Mwangupili under UNESCO, an observation and interviews of storytellers at the National Library headquarters in Lilongwe.
Chirere: You have made a movie called “B’ella” which was even screened at the Luxor African Film Festival (LAFF) in Egypt “B’ella”. What is the story about and what inspired it?
Tawonga: “B’ella” is a film that explores teen life in Malawi, against the backdrop of poverty and other social challenges. The film follows the life of “B’ella”, a 17 year old girl, and her relationships at school, at home and with friends.
The inspiration for the film was the desire to speak about stories that girls go through during the transition when they are coming of age. The film was made involving local youths from the location, Chazunda.
Chirere: “B’ella” is partly about child headed families. How prevalent are child headed families in Malawi? Tawonga: The phenomenon of child-headed families is emblematic of the degradation of the social fabric we call extended family in Malawi.
In Tumbuka, we say ‘Pakaya palije uranda’ meaning that one cannot be an orphan in a village. While this was true back then when the family structures were firmer, today we have to reckon with the rise in child-headed families in Malawi.
I read some statistics somewhere that cited that 19% of households in Malawi are child-headed; and that 16.7% of children under 18 years in Malawi are orphans.
Chirere: As an African film maker, what crucial things did you learn through working on this particular film? Tawonga: What stands out the most is that we need strong stories.
We are in some sort of catch-22 situation where we need to produce quality films to attract producers with big money; but we need big budgets to produce quality films.
Technically, we are not equipped to compete with our counterparts in other continents, but coming from a storytelling background, I believe that even with a DSLR you can make a much better film than someone with a 4K camera, if you tell a good story in the right manner.
Chirere: How much of your upbringing prepared you for a life in the arts and how do you relate with your family as an artist? Tawonga: My upbringing played a huge part in my life as an artist today.
My parents stocked the best books in the house. In school, I was encouraged to join both the science club and the drama club. When he died, my grandfather left me two things of value: an ivory bracelet that is a family heirloom and a tattered book of folklore published in Tumbuka.
Chirere: You are often described as a poet, stage director, ethnomusicologist and screenwriter. Where do you think you are most proficient and why? Tawonga: I am truly blessed to be fluent with multiple talents.
While I have established myself as a playwright and theatre director, a screenwriter and film director, a poet, a musicologist, and a folklorist, it is truly as a short story writer that I derive the most pleasure in writing. Chirere: What do you find most fulfilling and most challenging about the life of an artist?
Tawonga: The most fulfilling thing about the life of an artist is the completion of a project, be it the final cut of a film, a mastered recording of a song, a satisfactory dress rehearsal of a stage play, seeing one’s book in print for the first time.
The challenge is to turn your art into a sustainable income generating professional career. Chirere: So, currently what is cooking? Tawonga: I performed at a couple of poetry festivals this year, and secured a recording deal for a collection of poetry pieces.
I will start recording in December. At the month end of November, I will publish my second book of Malawian folktales under the title ‘CHUCHU’. My target is to publish ten books of folktales, each one with ten stories. At the end of the project, I will have collected and preserved one hundred Malawian folktales. Thank you.
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