Gifted Ink Malawi launched to unearth talent among students: Founded at Mlodza secondary school
“Our talent our weapon”, was the slogan thousands of Mlodza secondary school students in Area 23, Lilongwe and other surrounding government and private secondary schools students were shouting.
The students shouted the slogan after the launch of a nongovernmental organization known as ‘Gifted Ink Malawi’ which was founded at Mlodza secondary school aimed to unearth different types of talents including writing, drawing, dancing, music, drama and poetry among the students.
The launch is a great achievement for the organization after it was established in 2014 as a facebook group where the participants were contributing various artworks such as short stories and poems.
Students from various secondary schools that included Mlodza, Chipasula, Chipasula Private, Chifuniro Private, Athens Private, Chiwoko and Biwi secondary schools were the ones who patronized the launch.
The guest speaker was Michael Mperembe who is a Children’s Rights Officer at Human Rights Commission in Lilongwe.
The speaker gave an inspiration talk on some of the human rights and responsibilities which students have to play at school and community in everyday activities, noting that talents go together with human rights and responsibilities and violating the human rights is unlawful.
Apart from the inspirational talk, the launch was spiced up by different activities that included displaying of drawings and paintings, dancing, poems, drama and music performed by upcoming artists, Beuce Afrika, PDZ and Dreamrapper.
The big name in drama ‘Dzuwa Arts Theatre’ directed by Ignatius Kaphinde overwhelmed the patrons with different creative sketches one of which was entitled ‘Sweet and Sour’.
In his remarks Dzuwa Arts Theatre director, Kaphinde said he would help train the members of Gifted Ink Malawi for free.
“Dzuwa Arts Theatre will support training the members of Gifted Ink Malawi who are passionate about acting,” said Kaphinde.
The founder of Gifted Ink Malawi who is also a teacher at Mlodza Secondary School, Irene Lifesa saidn in an interview that, the mission of Gifted Ink Malawi is to provide a platform to the students to expose their different talents particularly writing talent.
“The objectives of Gifted Ink Malawi is to unearth talents among students in various secondary schools in Malawi by drilling them in, drawing, music and poems just to mention a few, but our main focus is to promote writing talent,” said Lifesa.
The founder believes that the talents which the students are equipped with would help them in future observing that not all the students would be employed by organizations and companies hence self employing themselves.
She added that talent is a powerful tool that helps to address different issues which happen in society hence the need to nurture properly.
“Talent is a tool which helps disseminate information concerning issues of HIV and Aids, gender based violence and girl child education in society and if talents are used meaningfully they can be a life changer,” Lifesa explained.
Lifesa is confident that Gifted Ink Malawi will promote artwork and will reach diverse student and she said the organization is currently working with extra secondary schools which include Chipasula secondary school, Tsabango secondary school and Chifuniro private school.
She also said the organization would be conducting workshops and symposiums aimed to equip and expose talents of the students.
However, she bemoaned lack of finances as the key challenge which the organization is currently facing saying they rely on contributions from the pioneers of the organization and student’s contributions which is K300 per term.
She appealed for support from well wishers to assist them saying the organization wishes to reach out to students in universities, colleges and secondary schools across the country.
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