By Sam Banda Jnr and Jimmy Chazama:
Celebrated poet Q Malewezi gets set to take the microphone to guard and champion African voices at Afrotellers 2026 Conference in Mombasa, Kenya.
Under the theme ‘Narrative Sovereignty in the Age of AI and Shifting Global Power’, the conference runs from October 27 to October 31 2026.
The conference to bring together leading African voices in poetry, theatre and storytelling asks a question of who gets to tell Africa’s stories when the systems that carries them are increasingly owned by others.
The organisers in a letter have hailed Q for agreeing to join the conference saying his work on the creative economy and Kweza Afrika’s practice, speak directly to this question.
The Lilongwe-based poet is set to perform, be a panelist and showcase FiSi.
Q said yesterday that his participation at the conference is all about bringing the Malawian voice into a wider African conversation while sharing his work and listening to others.
“My work is rooted in Malawi, but the questions I explore around identity, belonging and our shared humanity go beyond borders,” the ‘People’ maker said.
He added: “I am coming to share my story, but also to listen, connect and discover what we can build together as Africans”.
Q revealed that he will share his ‘An African From Malawi’, verse that presents Africa as one interconnected body beyond inherited boundaries.
On the immersive audio experience of FiSi, Q said this is a dance theatre production that draws on the hyena figure in Malawian culture to question tradition and identity.
In Malawian folklore, the hyena is often perceived as a charlatan and a symbol of secrecy, and Q said the production uses this imagery to spark dialogue.
“I want people to feel immersed in the story, to experience its tensions and silences, and to leave with questions worth thinking about,” he said.
Q also plans to release his new work titled Only Maps Have Borders in March next year.