WHY THE ART INDUSTRY MIGHT NOT GROW IN MALAWI

It will take a very long time for the arts industry to grow in Malawi. There are several reasons why the growth of the arts sector continues to be held back. Although many artists complain that the industry is not developing, the first people who should be questioned are the artists themselves.

Many artists are driven by jealousy. They do not want to see their fellow artists grow or excel in their craft. This is why they resort to spreading lies about one another. When something bad happens to a fellow artist, they are often the first to publicise it, so that the other person is shamed while they themselves gain attention and grow their fun base. The misfortunes of fellow artists become fuel: material for another podcast, another song, another poem, platforms to glorify themselves. In this way, artists themselves end up dragging the industry backwards.

When artists refuse to collaborate, undermine one another, and actively celebrate the failure of their peers, the ecosystem collapses. What remains are individuals competing for survival rather than a sector capable of growth.

Sometimes, the so-called best photographer, best storyteller, or best actor wants to remain the best forever. If you create something without involving them or without recognising them, they belittle your work.

Have you seen their photographs? They should have told us.

Have you read their writing? They should have involved us.

Artists fail to understand that the industry is wide enough to accommodate many talented people, many “bests” without them destroying one another.

Another major problem is a fundamental misunderstanding of what an arts industry actually is. An industry is not a single individual. An industry is like a body of water; it is like a lake that draws from many rivers and, together, becomes Lake Malawi. If artists create only for themselves, refuse to work together, belittle one another, mock one another, and deliberately pull each other down, the industry cannot grow.

Another painful reality is that many spaces and institutions that are meant to support artists are controlled by middlemen, deal brokers who have no love for art in their hearts, but only an interest in money. Ironically, many of the people who speak loudly about art are not artists themselves, yet they understand the arts industry better than the artists do. These people become gatekeepers.

They are well-travelled, well spoken, donor-facing, and institutionally trusted. As a result, they shape decisions on funding priorities, programme design, and cultural policy. Yet many lack lived artistic practice or genuine commitment to creative growth. Art, for them, is a means to an end.

You will find that wherever there is an arts-support organisation, they are present, because they understand the industry better than most artists. They speak the language of donors, ambassadors, and organisations. Because of their sophistication, they are trusted. As a result, they end up making key decisions about art in Malawi.

An arts industry cannot flourish when its future is controlled by people who do not carry art in their hearts.

At times, such people also possess the power to suppress, block, and deliberately discredit artists.

I know my thoughts may appear scattered. I am simply trying to organise these ideas into a broader framework. Art in Malawi is held back by jealousy, ignorance, and gatekeeping, and all of these are deeply rooted in poverty.

Art should eventually bring income to the artist, yes. But before money comes, art must first be a source of joy to the person creating it.

Another major issue is fear. Again, closely linked to poverty. Fear that someone else will surpass us. Fear that another artist will earn more money. Fear that someone will become the darling of donors because their work is excellent.

I have spent my entire life in this industry, and I have learned enough to speak on this matter with authority. Without passion, you cannot survive in the Malawian arts sector. When I launched the first, and still the only, arts radio station in Malawi, I knew all these challenges existed. But what drives many artists like us is the belief that one day, things will change.

Even in writing, an author in Malawi cannot achieve recognised impact unless they are first validated from outside the country. Try a simple Google or AI search: famous authors in Malawi, most important Malawian fiction storytellers and why they matter, most underrated Malawian storytellers etc. You can apply the same test to other art forms. You will quickly see that our country is still far from understanding and developing its own artists. It is only when the outside world validates us that we begin to respect our own artists.

I am also aware that there are individuals and institutions that fail to develop artists or arts institutions because they fear that another person’s excellence might expose their own inadequacies.

We do not celebrate art. We do not uplift one another. Instead, we rush to criticise, to wish one another ill, and to glorify ourselves. Under such conditions, how can an industry grow?

There is no shared voice, no unity, no common vision, no mutual understanding, and no collective recognition of what art truly is.

Written by

Shadreck Chikoti

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