STUDENT ACES FRENCH STORYTELLING COMPETITION

The University of Malawi has yet another reason to celebrate the achievements of its students after one student, Alfred Kamwendo, won the Concours de Contes 2023 (Storytelling Contest) on 11th February, 2023. The competition was organised by Jacaranda Cultural Centre and Maison de la France. This was the 4th edition of the competition, and was framed under the theme Economic Crisis (La Crisé économique).

Kamwendo is a 2nd Year Bachelor of Arts Humanities student. He joined UNIMA with some secondary school fluency in French, but has continued improving his ability to speak, read and write in the language. He came to know of the competition from the UNIMA French Society, which received the information from the Head of French Department, Mr. Boniface Dokotala. In the competition, everyone was supposed to write an original story and translate it into French under the given theme. Three stories were chosen to represent UNIMA at the national finals, which were held at Mzuzu University.

A number of institutions, including Domasi College of Education, Mzuzu University and UNIMA were represented at the function. Each institution had three student candidates. Each of the students had to tell their story in 10 minutes.

The winning story was entitled “Si je l’avais connu” (If I had known). It tells the experience of an individual who experiences a series of misfortunes and financial difficulties. One day, in a fit of anger and frustration, he beats his wife, who dies as a result, leading to the narrator’s incarceration.

For his impressive storytelling skill, Kamwendo was awarded MK100,000. He was also given a gold medal and a trophy.

Although his story emerged as the winning one, Kamwendo acknowledges the help of others in reaching this stage. “The power of teamwork helped me to prepare well for the competition. My friends Godfrey Chipojola and Mercy Chirwa played a huge role since our audition days. The Department was also there for us as lecturers rendered their assistance in terms of correcting our grammar and giving advice on the performance.” His success has strengthened his desire to major in French, and to continue participating local and international in academic and artistic activities using the French language.

Mr. Beaton Galafa, lecturer in the French Department, who accompanied the students to the competition, observed that it was a tight race. “All the performers were generally impressive, but Alfred’s performance wowed the audience the most. That aside, all the three students representing UNIMA were highly praised by the judges for their top-notch grammar and an excellent oral performance.”