Malawi Washington Association (MWA) hosted its annual Independence Day celebrations in Washington D.C. Events included the annual picnic, dance and panel discussion.
The weekend kicked off with the MWA Family Picnic at Valley Mill Park. This event was well attended by Malawians and friends of Malawi. Guests included the new Malawi Ambassador, H.E. Ambassador Necton Mhura, marking it his inaugural appearance at the Independence Day celebrations which are held annually to commemorate Malawi’s independence from the British in 1964. Representatives from Southern African Community USA (SACU) as well as guests from Botswana, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Uganda and the United States of America also attended in support of the Malawi community.
This year’s picnic included a soccer tournament made up of four teams including Kenya, Malawi, America and a blended group of young Malawians and friends. Mwinji Mtonga also planned activities for children to entertain them. The highlight being the pinata which was decorated in pan African colors which include the colors of the Malawian flag.
The following day started off with a panel discussion held at the Embassy of Malawi which was moderated by Yembeka Kapakasa. Topics of interest to the Malawi community in D.C. and the larger United States were discussed. The most pertinent issue debated over was that of dual citizenship. As an advocate of dual citizenship, MWA has been persistent in its coverage of dual citizenship in its annual panel discussions. Updates about the status of the proposed bill were provided by Ambassador Mhura as well as a general overview on where the Malawi government stands on this issue. He assured the community that the bill will be debated in parliament and that Malawi would be revising its citizenship laws in the near future.
The second major topic that was covered was the response efforts by the Diaspora during times of national emergencies in Malawi. The purpose of this dialogue was to discuss the preparedness of the Diaspora in the Washington D.C. area at times of large scale disasters such as the ones that Malawi witnessed earlier in the year. A task force led by Jeff Thindwa and Peter Kapakasa was formed to further investigate the ways in which the community in D.C. can respond more efficiently during such times.
The panel discussion also provided a platform for the community to hear updates from other area based organizations. Sitinga Kachipande provided updates on behalf of Malawi Washington Association. Patricia Msaka-Kankondo presented updates about the Washington Area Flood Relief Effort (WAMFRE) a campaign in which MWA was a participant. She presented an I-Report video by SAC TV Washington Area Flood Relief Effort (WAMFRE), a campaign in which MWA was a participant.She presented an I-Report video by SAC TV
chronicling the fundraising event held by the campaign. Other speakers included Linda Semu, who made a presentation on behalf of Malawi Washington Foundation, a girl’s education fund which was also a WAMFRE partner. Catherine Chisala spoke remotely on behalf of Aspire to Inspire, a youth job skills organization. Katie Chipungu spoke on behalf of the youth in the community that are interested in making contributions to both MWA and Malawi. The panel also provided an opportunity for one of the Malawian youth entrepreneurs Tawina Zulu, to present and sell products from her line of organic beauty products, Asili by Zulu.
The weekend concluded with a party in Bethesda, Maryland where Malawians met for an informal gathering to dance the sounds of Malawian, afro-beat, American and world music. Board members and DJs, Aubrey Kankondo and Tsalanawo Chawu (aka “DJ Lana”), entertained the crowd until late in to the night.
