So, what exactly is Malawi Day? Malawi Day is an annual event on our academic calendar dedicated to showcasing all things Malawian: from the food, to cultural dances, to clothing, and everything in between. As the world becomes increasingly globalised, cultures with smaller populations are sometimes absorbed by cultures with larger populations. The result is that these cultures of smaller populations essentially become watered-down versions of their original selves, or in worst case scenarios, they disappear entirely along with their traditions.
Malawi Day at MIA is an attempt to keep Malawian cultures alive by giving an opportunity to our students to go out and discover different aspects of Malawian cultures and traditions, something they will rarely do out of their own curiosity. It takes about 2-3 weeks of preparation and research before the students finally take the stage to showcase different dances, foods, traditions and other interesting facts they found along the way.
Malawi Day serves as a reminder of where we come from as a people and celebrates the diverse array of cultures native to our country, and we hope that it plays a part in building the characters of our students—as some of us might have experienced, it is all too easy to be led astray in the vast sea of opinions and advice we call the internet.
