When one is glancing over the local television channels, one cannot fail to miss the effort being invested by local content creators.

Unlike in the past, when the local television channels were laden with content from abroad, nowadays our television stations retain a good amount of local content. One can watch with pride and hold it within them that they are indeed watching a Malawian television channel.

These strides are reflected on the quality of our music videos, general programmes and content such as sitcoms, soap operas, drama programmes and comedy series.

When one takes time to sit down and watch productions such as Mdyangu, one is left with nothing, but a feeling of utter satisfaction of how much work content developers are putting in telling the Malawian stories with all the ingredients required to make it a complete package.

For a very long time content creators wailed about the unavailability of platforms to showcase their content.  Somehow the content owners did not seem to agree on the right deals with the airing platforms. As a result, it was the consumers which were made to suffer. The broadcasters resorted to feeding their viewers with more and more foreign content. It was clear most of the content was acquired cheaply and issues of quality and relevance did not matter.

In the absence of options, a bigger number of Malawians were forced to put up with the same boring content day in, day out. But today, though we cannot say we are perfectly placed, we have all the reasons to smile and applaud the efforts that have been made thus far.

Malawi has stories. Exciting ones that can be shared with the world. Undoubtedly we also have the human resource to knit these narratives into intriguing stories that can take us places and earn us recognition elsewhere.

The number of film productions that have been produced in the last two years are a testimony of how far we have come in that regard. There may be need to tighten up our acting here and there, but at least we now have a base to start from.

Now we have to test ourselves against the best in the region before we can start enjoying some false comfort zone which is not offering real competition and ideals of the game.

It was, therefore, refreshing to hear of the opportunity that has opened up courtesy of the MultiChoice Africa’s OneZed channel. The pay television service providers have invited local content creators to submit concept proposals for their projects for comedy and series to be considered on the channel.

From the explanation of OneZed and Zambezi Magic head Mosibudi Pheena, the process is not a deterrent as local filmmakers have often cited when it comes to getting their content through on the MultiChoice platforms.

Art is a serious trade. It is an industry which requires one to have all the enabling tools and the know-how to navigate the processes which are necessary to lift one to the next level.

The art of creating content does not begin and end when one writes a storyline and puts it together in a motion picture. There are also sophisticated processes that one needs to deal with such as writing proposals that can sway someone to part with their money to fund your concept.

This requires great commitment and it is a point which determines how serious one is with his/her trade. The organisation which one displays at this stage has the potential to open doors which one can reap from for long.

For all the potential we have, it would be unfortunate if no Malawian steps up to take his place on the OneZed platform. We have done it locally, but now it is the time to step up our game and show the region what we can show. Let Malawi’s story be shared with the world.

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