Is Malawi art going anywhere?
A common sight at the marketplace: people engulf an artist who craftily reads messages on pieces of coloured paper, which are also painted with flowers of all colours and shapes. The messages range from prayers, affection, daring enemies and so much more. Banja ndi anthu awiri, zikatha umphawi m'bwanga, mfiti idzafanso, the messages go on and on. One by one, the pieces of paper vanish, as buyers pick their choice. These works would find their places inthe livingrooms of homes, in restaurants and grocery shops. The urge by Malawians to acquire works of art, in whatever crude form it may be, goes without saying. It is entincing to have paintings of a village scene, or some wildlife simewhere in the home. Some even tear paintings from calendars to decorate their homes. History notes that some of Malawi's earliest settlers, the Akafula, painted on rocks and some of their paintings can still be seen on some nationally protected rocks. Walk into Malawian homes, you find paintings or