Minister of Local Government, Unity and Culture, Richard Chimwendo Banda says unity, social cohesion and harmony are the pillars of economic progress that could help the country to scale new heights of socioeconomic transformation.
The workaholic Chimwendo Banda was speaking today on Saturday at Civo Stadium in Lilongwe during the Chewa Heritage Foundation (CHEFO) fundraising function for the construction of the heritage complex.
In speech, the Minister who was the Guest of Honour at the function and represented President Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, said every Malawian must ignore overzealous people who want to use culture or tradition as tool to discriminate, oppress or victimize others on any other basis, including gender, religion, sexuality among others.
“In their divine wisdom, our forebears attached great power to culture as a critical vehicle of promoting unity, inclusion, social cohesion, religious tolerance among others.
“Our heritage could be harnessed as a vehicle to inculcate a positive attitude, instill spirit of hardworking as well as a driver of job creation for the youth and women and recognizing the great role women are contributing to the development of the country” said Chimwendo Banda who is also leader of government business in Parliament.
He also urged politicians to stop usurping cultural groups as tool and battleground for electioneering because that has potential of sowing seeds of polarization and disunity in our treasured cultures.
Chimwendo further appealed to traditional leaders to rally behind government’s programmes that will help to spur economic growth such as education and ending child marriages, respect for women and the elderly.
In his remarks, chairperson for the group, Stanley Khayila has urged the faith community to live in harmony with various cultural heritages including the CHEFO as culture promotes basic understanding of love and coexistence as enshrined in the Holy Books.
CHEFO was established by His Majesty Karonga Gawa Undi to unite the Chewa people in Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique. Various cabinet ministers, political leaders and business gurus attended the fundraising function.
