The Malawi National Commission for UNESCO (MNCU) has successfully concluded an outreach tour across 13 districts which involved screening folktales and folksongs videos, that were meticulously documented across Malawi since 2013, as well as a collection of digitised historical footage.
The tour began on October 30, 2023 and was concluded on December 16.
The tour was organised by the MNCU, the National Library Service (NLS), Music Crossroads Malawi and National Records and Archives Services in collaboration with Rei Foundation Limited, with a total of about 5,000 people participating in 13 locations across the country.
It was part of the “Safeguarding Malawian Folktales and Folksongs through Documentation” and “Transmission, Re-Housing and Digitization of 16mm film at the National Records and Archives Services of Malawi” projects.
Folktales and folksongs are an important component of Malawi’s Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). The aim of the tour was to preserve the folksongs and folktales so that they can be passed on to younger generations.
A mobile library van which accompanied the tour, also provided children, who have difficulty accessing books, with an opportunity to experience how a library operates.
Ms. Mary Pearson, who attended the tour in Mchinji, commented: “The folktales are very important now as children do not know the folktales. We were very excited with this screening”.
All the implementing partners involved in the tour also expressed their utmost satisfaction with its outcomes and impact.
Some of the areas toured include Chiwalo Village, T/A Liwonde, Machinga; Mlumbe Village, T/A Mlumbe, Zomba; Mtepa Village, T/A Nazombe, Phalombe; Ntholola Village, T/A Ngolongoliwa, Thyolo; Mphamba Village, Paramount T/A Lungu, Chikwawa; Chabuka Village, T/A Ngabu, Nsanje; Tembwe Village, T/A Mlonyeni, Mchinji; and Nthiko Village, T/A Wimbe, Kasungu.
Others are Dzoole Village, T/A Dzoole, Dowa; Chauma Village, T/A Chauma, Dedza; Mwakaboko Village, T/A Mwakaboko Karonga; Mtungula Village, T/A Mwalweni, Rumphi; and Mkumbira Village, T/A Mkumbira, Nkhata Bay.
The MNCU, in cooperation with the Rei Foundation and all implementing partners, will soon launch a database within the National Library as part of efforts to enhance accessibility to the documented folktales, folksongs and digitized historical footage. This platform will enable the public to easily access a large number of cultural and historical videos.
