Work as a team, women artists told

By Jimmy Chazama

Deputy Director of Arts responsible for Censorship, Anganile Nthakomwa, has called upon women artists in the country to work as a team and speak with one voice in order to uplift their artistry.

Nthakomwa observed that women artists had the potential to offer more artwork to both local and international markets but that many of them work in isolation.

“There is potential for women artists to excel with their art but we mostly work in isolation and, as such, do not want to support each other. Let us normalise teamwork and spirit and, that way, we will grow together,” she said. She made the remarks during a two-day training session in Lilongwe.

The Department of Arts in the Ministry of Local Government, Unity and Culture—funded by Unesco’s International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD to the tune of $100,000)—organised the event.

Nthakomwa, who is the project leader in the venture, said the project was aimed at identifying issues that hinder women from participating in creative sector activities.

“It is important to facilitate the review of the National Cultural Policy and related guidelines to ensure that gender equality mainstreaming issues in the cultural and creative sector are adequately addressed.

“We must also come up with strategic recommendations to address challenges and gaps across all cultural sectors,” she said.

The workshop, which attracted 55 participants and tackled topics such as Digital Marketing for Artists and Cyber Law Awareness, follows another training that took place in Blantyre recently.

The workshops are also being held following a stakeholders’ orientation meeting for the project on ‘Mainstreaming Gender Equality in Malawi’s Cultural and Creative Sector’.

Visual artist Evelyn Chisambiro, who is the founder of Kaliso Art Gallery, described the workshop as significant for the growth of the creative industry.

“There is that missing link, in terms of marketing our work, and, so, we have been tipped on how we can maximise it and also look at how we can collaborate,” Chisambiro said. The visual artist is among the nine female artists exhibiting works at Kaliso Art Gallery in an exhibition which started on March 8 2025 and ends on March 30 2025.