Blantyre Arts festival takes shape

What started as a forum for interaction among local artists seems to have gained mirage and now Blantyre Arts Festival (BAF) has hinged itself among other international arts festivals the country has annually.

BAF, currently in its third year, has extensively extended its boarders and advanced its core business of creating an annual forum for interaction among artists and is now seen as one of the country’s platforms for artists to expose their talents.

For the past two years, BAF has grown and incorporate different arts fields which include visual arts, cinematography and traditional dances among others. This has seen BAF being extended from its usual music, poetry and theatre performances.

“After the first BAF in 2009, we realized that this kind of festival could transform the country’s arts platform and decided to be holding it every year as one way of allowing people appreciate different fields of art skills Malawi boosts of," Thomas Chibambo BAF president said to Nyasa Times.

Kwathu drama group in action

"And have even started including foreign artists on the menu of performers just to give BAF an international face and make it competitive and compatible with what our friends are doing in other countries."

According to Chibambo BAF has moved from the traditional set-up of holding arts performances only to the forum through which artists interact and share ideas on how they can advance their talents.

“We want it to be something that is worth participating. Apart from performances, artists will be having opportunity to interact and learn from each other. That is why we include several international artists so that our own artists could learn one or two things from them as well,” Chibambo says.

This year, BAF will be held from October 6th to 9th in three venues Warehouse, College of Medicine Sports Complex and Comesa Hall in Blantyre. Among international artists slated to perform are Mbira king Oliver Mtukudzi of Zimbabwe and DJ Awadi, a Senegalese hip-hop artists.

Local artists headlining the festival include Maskal, Tigris, Ben Mankhamba, Kwathu Drama Group and Solomonic Peacocks.

Last Year, BAF brought into the country for the first time, Jamaican reggae-dub icon Mutabaruka who mesmerized the locals with his poetic story telling. Apart from BAF, the country is set to witness two other international arts festivals-Lake of Stars starting this month end and Sand Music Festival slated for mothers day next month at Livingstonia Beach.

Nyasa Times 29 Sep, 2011

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Source: http://www.nyasatimes.com/malawi/2011/09/29/blantyre-arts-festival-takes-shape/
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