Kondwani Kamiyala

Kondwani Kamiyala 26 September 2006 - 09:00:17 The sages who coined the adage that there is unity in diversity must have been thinking of Massa Lemu and Timwa Lipenga. This, you would find true after going through the exhibition the two are running at the Blantyre arts haven, the French Cultural Centre. On the surface, you would think Lemu and Lipenga would have nothing in common because, for one, the former is a visual artist at heart while the latter is a writer in her own right. But going through the exhibition, titled The Scourge is Also a Mask , you would be deemed wrong. The common denominator in their artistic life is to make Malawi a better place to live in, in spite of their different forms of expression. Running from last Friday to next Saturday, the exhibition is a rare journey to the very heart of the HIV and Aids scourge which has struck Malawi and other countries of the world. It is an exposé of Lemu’s trademark abstract paintings, with Lipenga’s lines and verses to help

Kondwani Kamiyala At first glance, the Mulanje Mountain looks like a massive barren rock. You would think there is no life up there. One would seriously believe that life ends with the lush green tea plantations at the foot of the mountain. Coupled with the mythical tales of the ancestral spirits on the mountain, the belief that the mountain is lifeless is deeply rooted in the core of your heart. That is the mystery of Mount Mulanje. My perception of the mountain changed the day I hiked it. We never went as far as Sapitwa, the highest peak which is perched at 3002 metres above sea level. Hiking to Chambe Peak, 2,500 metres above sea level, nonetheless, is an experience on its own. Our hike began with a prayer at Likhubula Forest Office, which is the entry point to this massif. We needed a little prayer to steel our spirits as we embarked on that daring hike to Malawi’s Island in the Sky, as the mountain is known on the tourist’s map. It was around 8 am when the trek began, as the dew