![Molande: Public lecture on poetry]()
Director of information, Dr. Bright Molande is on Thursday from 4PM scheduled to deliver a “Fundamentals of poetry: the Principle of Association" public lecture on poetry at Chancellor College.
[caption id="attachment_103960" align="alignright" width="600"]
![Molande: Public lecture on poetry]()
Molande: Public lecture on poetry[/caption]
According to Molande, the world celebrated World Poetry Day on 21st March and he thought such a big day set aside by the United Nations could not pass by quietly.
“This is one reason I decided to deliver a lecture on poetry. But also, I have been hugely disappointed by what people call poetry in this country. So, I want to address one of the unresolved questions of "What makes poetry to be poetry". Or, what really is poetic writing or poetic composition?” Molande said in an interview on Monday.
He added, “Literature is not what it used to be in Malawi, not even compared to our pre-colonial times when we thrived in oral literature. It is not what it ought to be in this age either. I think we lost our literary spirit partly because we lost a reading culture. Reading widely is what feeds the spirit of good writing. And then, we have a lot of literary false prophets. Some of the things we call poetry are not poetry.”
On a second note, the Director of Information revealed that he has developed a theory that explains the nature of poetry or poetic composition. The theory is called “The Principle of Association”.
He explained, “I believe all poetic composition and poetic writing converge on the Principle of Association. I hope to change the way we think when creating poetry or in creative writing in general. Possibly, this theory may also inform the way teachers teach poetry.
“Again, those who aspire to learn how to think poetically and write poetry will find this theory very useful. And I am sure this theory will influence our understanding or poetic writing across the world, at least to those who want to listen.”
He further stated that he has tested the theory and now he want to test the theory before a proper academic audience at the University of Malawi.
Molande is a published poet, and a literature teacher. He insists being a scholar, saying that is his profession.
“My background in poetry and creative writing explains why I am interested in poetry. Although I am engaged in the civil service, I am still what I am -- teacher and poet. Perhaps, simply a teacher because poets also teachers of humankind. I therefore keep my feet on my ground,” he articulated.
Before he joined the civil service, he taught a range of courses at the University of Malawi and briefly University of Mzuzu. He taught African Literature (including poetry) courses, Creative Writing, Public Speaking, Public Relations and more philosophical courses like Literary Theory and Critical Theory.
Molande: Public lecture on poetry[/caption]
According to Molande, the world celebrated World Poetry Day on 21st March and he thought such a big day set aside by the United Nations could not pass by quietly.
“This is one reason I decided to deliver a lecture on poetry. But also, I have been hugely disappointed by what people call poetry in this country. So, I want to address one of the unresolved questions of "What makes poetry to be poetry". Or, what really is poetic writing or poetic composition?” Molande said in an interview on Monday.
He added, “Literature is not what it used to be in Malawi, not even compared to our pre-colonial times when we thrived in oral literature. It is not what it ought to be in this age either. I think we lost our literary spirit partly because we lost a reading culture. Reading widely is what feeds the spirit of good writing. And then, we have a lot of literary false prophets. Some of the things we call poetry are not poetry.”
On a second note, the Director of Information revealed that he has developed a theory that explains the nature of poetry or poetic composition. The theory is called “The Principle of Association”.
He explained, “I believe all poetic composition and poetic writing converge on the Principle of Association. I hope to change the way we think when creating poetry or in creative writing in general. Possibly, this theory may also inform the way teachers teach poetry.
“Again, those who aspire to learn how to think poetically and write poetry will find this theory very useful. And I am sure this theory will influence our understanding or poetic writing across the world, at least to those who want to listen.”
He further stated that he has tested the theory and now he want to test the theory before a proper academic audience at the University of Malawi.
Molande is a published poet, and a literature teacher. He insists being a scholar, saying that is his profession.
“My background in poetry and creative writing explains why I am interested in poetry. Although I am engaged in the civil service, I am still what I am -- teacher and poet. Perhaps, simply a teacher because poets also teachers of humankind. I therefore keep my feet on my ground,” he articulated.
Before he joined the civil service, he taught a range of courses at the University of Malawi and briefly University of Mzuzu. He taught African Literature (including poetry) courses, Creative Writing, Public Speaking, Public Relations and more philosophical courses like Literary Theory and Critical Theory.