The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has called on drama artists and road show groups in the country to be nonpartisan and abide by electoral code of conduct as they take election messages to the people.
The commission has engaged the services of musicians, dramatists and road show groups to help it carry electoral messages as the country is sailing through to the 2019 tripartite elections.
Speaking during the opening of a two day workshop which started on Saturday and ended Sunday for artists drawn from nine districts in the Central and Northern Region held in Mponela Dowa, Commissioner Dr. Moffat Mastern Banda said the training workshop was important because the artists were equipped with better skills on electoral processes.
Commissioner Banda said artists play an important role in sensitising the rural masses because they can creatively communicate the message through drama, songs and road shows to people in languages they are able to understand.
Speaking earlier, MEC Chief Elections Officer, Sammy Alufandika, asked the dramatists to take the responsibilities of educating people on issues of MEC registration exercise despite them not being employees of the commission.
Alufandika also asked the dramatists to take the electoral messages to the rural masses saying most of the people do not tune in to radios hence this is where the messages are needed most.
On his part, Chairman of the National Theatre Association of Malawi Southern Region Chapter, Louis Thembachako, said dramatists are unique because they engage the people and can go even to hard to reach areas to deliver electoral messages creatively.
He assured the commission that drama artists are ready to do their job and abide by the electoral code of conduct given to them by MEC.
The Malawi Electoral Commission will on 26th June, this year, start registering people for the oncoming tripartite elections which will take place on 21st May,2019, according to the electoral calendar.
