Malawi’s poetry sector is facing a major shift as technological changes reshape how artists create, share and earn from their work, with poets being urged to adapt to digital platforms to remain relevant in the changing creative industry.
President of the Poetry Association of Malawi Robert Chiwamba said the move from traditional methods of distributing poetry, such as selling CDs, to online platforms has created both challenges and opportunities for artists.
Chiwamba said while technology has expanded access to audiences through numerous radio stations, television channels and social media platforms, many poets struggle to benefit from the changes because of the costs involved in promoting and distributing their work.
“The advancement of technology has contributed to this. Unlike when we had four radio stations, a single television station and poets would sell CDs of their work, technology has eliminated CDs such that poets hardly have options for selling their work,” he said.
He said poets are now required to invest more resources to promote their work across different platforms, but many fail to recover the costs, forcing some to abandon poetry altogether.
“Poets have to dig deep in their pockets to have their work on all these platforms. In return, what do they get? Nothing. This has made most of them quit,” Chiwamba said.
He said the Poetry Association of Malawi is working to help artists understand the changing creative environment and explore new ways of benefiting from digital opportunities, despite facing financial limitations.
Chiwamba explained that the association mainly relies on membership contributions of K20,000, which he said is insufficient to support its activities throughout the year.
“The Poetry Association itself relies on membership fees. If 100 people have registered, it means K2 million to run the whole association for the entire year. There is only much we can do about it,” he said.
He said the association conducts training programmes aimed at helping poets understand digital transformation, identify income-generating opportunities and connect with platforms where they can showcase their work.
Chiwamba identified technological changes, limited opportunities for monetising creative works, high promotion costs and inadequate performance spaces as some of the major challenges affecting poets in Malawi.
He encouraged artists to take advantage of platforms such as YouTube and Spotify, saying the future of poetry depends on how well creators use available technology and build collaborations.
“My vision is to nurture a new crop of poets that understand the seasons and times and are good at utilising technological advancement to their advantage,” he said.
Chiwamba also encouraged poets to work with musicians and other artists to expand their audiences and create new opportunities.
“The future is for those who will collaborate. I would love poets to collaborate with musicians and each other to tap into each other’s followers. The potential and support is there; we ought to harness it,” he said.
