Manganya beaten in Lilongwe
Comedian Michael Usi, popularly known as Manganya, has repordedly been beaten up by an unknown gang as he was delivering his ‘Public Lecture’ in Lilongwe.
The media-seeking actor told Nyasa Times that his attackers came with the intention of disrupting his event and ordered him to stop midway his presentation.
“This was staged,” he claimed.
“ They came to the event prepared to disturb us. They kept making noise from the beginning but I had been ignoring them until they lost patience and came onto the stage where they attacked me,” Usi said.
But he added that he did not sustain any injuries during the fracas.
According to Usi, the gang of about 40, were chanting President Joyce Banda’s People’s Party slogans on their way out after they had accomplished their plan of disturbing the event.
But that claim was not collaborated by eye witnesses.
Usi said he was saved from further harm by the 20 policeman that he has hired for security.
But the comedian claimed his assailants miscued the public lecture.
“The public lecture was meant to review what we have done as a nation since independence. It wasn’t pointing fingers at any politician. So I don’t really know why they targeted me,” he said.
Over the past decade, Manganya has become a leading light in scrutinising politicians.
His use of theatre to point out ills has seen his events become quite popular. He was a staunch critic of the Bingu wa Mutharika regime and has recently been critical of the Joyce Banda presidency.
Last week, his Tikuferanji drama was pulled off air by MBC-TV after the state broadcaster deemed it too critical of the government.
Last year, Usi claimed earmarked as a running mate for leading opposition presidential aspirants.
In 2011, he earned rave reviews for Loto la Farao—a scathing satire on the late president Bingu wa Mutharika’s repressive economic and political leadership.
Despite the apparent political thrust, Usi sanitised the 2011 play as a call on all leaders in families, churches and elected positions never to always take for granted views of the lowly, for the Bible shows Pharaoh entrusted his slave Joseph to interpret his dream of pending drought.
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