Letters

If you don't have time to listen to the whole episode yet, we've prepared a snippet for you. Listen to Senior Chief Kachindamoto's letter to chiefs here, in English.

If you don't have time to listen to the whole episode yet, we've prepared a snippet for you. Listen to Senior Chief Theresa Kachindamoto's letter to chiefs here, in Chichewa.

This special episode of Letters, hosted by Gloria Dzanjalimodzi and Uchizi Manda, honours the life and legacy of Senior Chief Theresa Kachindamoto, a visionary leader who fought tirelessly to end child marriage in Malawi. Known for her courage and relentless spirit, she freed thousands of girls from harmful practices, challenged cultural norms, and always put the wellbeing of children first. In th...

If you don't have time to listen to the whole episode yet, we've prepared a snippet for you. Listen to Tabitha's letter to football here.

This season begins with a heartfelt letter to football from Malawi's pride and glory: Tabitha Chawinga. In this episode, Tabitha relays what it was like growing up as a girl in Rumphi who had a dream to play football. With commentary from Lerato Honde and our guest hosts, Tadala Chalamanda and Zwere Malunga, we discuss what it means to be a woman in a male dominated sport.

We are back with season 2 of Letters with a whole new batch of impactful stories of Malawian women. Watch this space and get ready!

Mary Waya is a Malawian netball legend, she played in Malawi's National team, the Queens, for over 25 years and is currently the Director of Netball at the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Mary started playing international-level netball at age 14, and played in more than 200 representative matches for Malawi. She competed in two World Netball Championships, three Commonwealth Games and two World Net...

Chimwemwe is a partially deaf Malawian woman and the current miss deaf Africa for 2019/2020. She is also an advocacy member for the Malawi National Association of the Deaf (MANAD). For the last episode of the "Letters to my Body" sub-series, we have a letter from Chimwemwe Kamkwamba, she speaks about her experiences as a partially deaf woman in Malawi. This episode also features a commentary by Al...

Stella Nkhonya Chisangwala was diagnosed with polio at the age of 7, she has physical disabilities and walks with crutches and calipers. She is also the founder and National Coordinator of a Disability Rights Organisation called WAG-Disability Rights. Patricia Moya is a 26 year old woman with a certificate in Rural and Community Development. Patricia also has physical disabilities and walks with c...

Chikondi Kanjadza is 24 years old and the current Ms. Albinism Malawi. This episode features her letter to her body as well as conversations with other women with albinism: Tumeliwa Mphepo, Emmie Chiumia and Pamela Juma. The women speak about their experiences as women with albinism in Malawi and their relationships with their bodies. This episode also contains a dialogue between Lerato Honde and...

Professor Address Malata is the Vice Chancellor of Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST), the first woman to hold a position of Vice Chancellor at a Public University in Malawi and the first to hold this position for the nursing/midwifery professions in Africa. She was the Vice President of the International Confederation of Midwives, becoming the first Midwife in Africa to hold this...

Eva Chikabadwa is a malawian artist, sculptor and ceramist. She is also an arts lecturer at the Malawian University of Science and Technology. Her art reflects Malawian culture and current affairs. This episode is the last installment of the Letters from Creatives sub-series and features Eva's Letter to the Girl Holding the Paintbrush. This episode includes a conversation between Lerato Honde and...

Ekari Mbvundula is a seasoned writer of over 15 short stories, which have been published both online and in print. She is known for heading the Story Ink Africa Storytelling Sessions, where up and coming writers from around Malawi read their stories to a live audience. Ekari has won numerous awards and was recently nominated for the 2020 Nommo Awards for African Speculative Fiction in the Short Fi...

Lily Banda is a dancer, musician and actor. She has released several studio projects including Black Kiss and African Winter. Lily has acted in productions such as 'The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind' and in the second season of 'Deep State' on Fox TV. Lily is a 2 time Afrima Award Nominee. In her letter she writes an affirmation to a girl living behind the facade of all her accolades. This is Lily's...

Maria Thundu is one of Malawi's most sought after photographers. Maria captures the energy of the moment and the essence of the subject at hand. Her letter is an affirmation to the woman behind the camera, the woman who doesn't always want to be the centre of attention. This is Maria's letter to the girl behind the camera. The episode includes a dialogue between Lerato Honde and Alinafe Malonje wh...

Hazel Mak is an award winning recording artist, based in Malawi and the UK. She is known for her sensual vocals, catchy Afro house and RnB songs that represent the modern empowered African woman. Hazel has represented Malawi on a number of international platforms, being the first Malawian to win the All Africa Music Awards (the Afrima) in 2018.  This episode features a letter from Hazel Mak to her...

Justice Anastasia Msosa started her career in 1975 as a State Advocate, then moved on to work as a Legal Aid Advocate for 13 years. She was appointed Judge of the High Court in 1992, making her the first female judge in Malawi. In 1997, she was appointed a Supreme Court Judge and became Chief Justice in 2013. She also served as Chairperson of the Malawi Electoral Commission for the first ever Parl...

Rose Chibambo was the founder of the Women's League, a wing of the Nyasaland African Congress which fought against British Colonial Rule and opposed the creation of the Central African Federation. Rose was Malawi's first female Cabinet Minister after Malawi's independence. This episode of Letters includes a letter from Lomuthi Mgomezulu, Rose Chibambo's grand niece and a conversation between Alina...

Rose Chibambo was the founder of the Women's League, a wing of the Nyasaland African Congress which fought against British Colonial Rule and opposed the creation of the Central African Federation. Rose was Malawi's first female Cabinet Minister after Malawi's independence.  The pilot episode of Letters includes a letter from Timwa Lipenga, the author of Rose Chibambo's biography and a conversation...

Letters is a podcast that aims to tell the stories of African women. Each episode shares a different open letter written by a different woman. Season 1 will feature women who have each had an impact on Malawi in their own way, these include Justice Anastasia Msosa, Maria Thundu, Timwa Lipenga, and more. The podcast is produced by Wona Collective, based in Lilongwe, Malawi. Season 1 of Letters prem...