THE WRITERS' WORKSHOP AT THE BOOK FAIR

BY
Dave Mankhokwe Namusanya

LIKE a melting pot, all were pooled together, writes Hastings Tadala Tembo in the poem that the Writers’ Workshop composed with students of Police Secondary School the time the two groups met at Police Secondary School. He poetically and briefly reveals how writers congregated that Saturday morning – both young and old writers. He paints a picture not only of the gathering at Mulunguzi Secondary School but also the one at the Polytechnic in the Audio Visual Room.

That was a Saturday; the 31st day of the month of October and the year was 2009. There was a Pamphala series or to make our English teachers happy, it was a Writers’ Workshop. A Writers’ Workshop like the one that frequents Room B at Chancellor College when school is in session. This was during the book fair organized by the Book Publishers Association of Malawi that ran from the 28th day of the month of October to the first day of the month of November.

The Writers’ Workshop had been invited to attend on this Saturday…

IN THE AUDIO VISUAL ROOM
The Workshop was slated for 1000 hours and it was meant to be chaired by Chachacha Munthali and the Writers’ Workshop chair (who happens to be the author of this article). The Workshop crew (and some second year students from Chancellor College doing Media for development) arrived at some minutes after ten and almost filled the room.

Alfred, instead of Chachacha, was the one in front. Later, he announced that Chachacha was on his way coming. ‘He is just finishing up some things,’ he said. And without wasting any time, the session began with a prayer, calling on the supernatural powers that be.

Then after that, it was some few recitals. Hastings Tadala Tembo, Hardson Chamasowa and Alfred Msadala recited a piece each just to set the ball rolling before a debate was proposed. A debate on whether the allegation that writing has died was really true. Various thoughts and various people found themselves being poured in the debate.

Indeed, like a melting pot they really were all pooled together for brainstorming as some argued that it was all a lie, a fable, a myth, a fable to claim that writing is really dead while others propagated that the claim is really true, of course – they went on – but not as it is propagated by some corners. And, somewhere in the meeting Tadala made a claim that made Alfred pluck a title of one of his entries of the Sunday times literary talk column (see the Sunday times of 8 November 2009). He alleged that writing thrives where voices are stifled (during oppression), an example was Pablo Neruda. Yes. Tadala reads Neruda.

At almost exactly twelve, the session was also dissolved with a prayer. Chiku Ndaferankhande, Temwani Mgunda, Constantine Simwaka, Charles Mpaka et al. flooded out of the room having had speculated what really has brought about the death of writing or the claim, whichever thought you possess.

AT THE TRADE FAIR GROUNDS
In the afternoon, which is from two o’clock, the crew was at the trade fair grounds where there was the actual book fair. It was a Malawi PEN afternoon or so, it was warned. The afternoon kicked off with some a recital and a reading before a prize giving ceremony to winners of a Secondary school writing competition that was organized by the Malawi chapter of the international PEN.

A boy from Luchenza Community Day Secondary School emerged the winner with some romantic piece. Strangely, the winners were from the southern region only. As to why that, we were never told. Perhaps Alfred will explain one of these days. And another surprise, there was no any other journalist from the publishing houses or anybody masquerading as them, it just was a gathering of writers, publishers, artists and some Media for Development students from Chancellor College – nothing more, no media probably.

Then, after the awards Mr. Msadala introduced the Writers’ Workshop crew which had come in unannounced before revealing that in that midst was a vernacular poet, Hardson Chamasowa, who was more than prepared to recite a poem, a dirty piece, Msadala called it, for being overused – a poem that has become synonymous with Chamasowa: Zochitika ku Simongoliya.

He started, not like a tremor, and progressed. It did not attract laughters at first but in no time it did what it was essentially meant to do – fascinating people. Small drops of tears could be seen escaping from the arrest of some ladies’ eyes due to laughter (or fascination?). And after that the Malawi PEN afternoon was declared over, books could now be seen and purchased at the fair, publishers could meet writers and etcetera.

Then, somewhere in the group Professor Emeritus Steve Bernard Miles Chimombo was seen. I, later followed by Tadala traversed over to where he was and that…is another episode to be written one of these coming days – not now. The minutes (that were unrecorded) of that meeting have to be digested first before being churned to the public. Currently, they are being digested for the very last time: all the Ndondocha naming, WASI magazine absence and stuff !!!!!