1. Background
The Malawi Government launched the National Anti-Corruption strategy (NACS) II in December 2019 following the expiry of the first NACS. The NACS II provides a holistic approach to the fight against corruption through twelve pillars of Malawi society. The twelve pillars are the Executive, Legislature, Judiciary, Local Government, Private sector,
Civil Society, Faith Based Organizations, Women, Media, Youth, Academia, and Traditional leaders. The NACS II has three (3) mutually reinforcing strategic goals namely, improving public service delivery,
strengthening the rule of law, and promoting a culture of integrity. The Strategy is driven by the National Integrity Committee (NIC) which comprises representatives from the twelve pillars.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau, which is the secretariate of NIC, is inviting all interested creative minds and musicians to participate in the Umunthu Anthem composition competition. The Umunthu Anthem aims to call all the citizens of Malawi to be patriotic to the country and in unison advance the fight against corruption in Malawi, leading to improved governance, service delivery and welfare of the citizens. The anthem will also adopt the spirit advanced by the Malawi Vision 2063 (MW2063) especially the call for mindset change.
Objectives
The anthem should seek to achieve the following objectives:
• evoke inner feelings that show hatred towards corrupt tendencies,
• unite Malawians in the fight against corruption and promotion of
integrity,
• promote mindset change among citizens,
• discourage a culture of corruption through bribery, nepotism and
similar vices,
• create responsible citizenship to refuse and report corruption,
• promote patriotism among citizens for a positive national image.
2. Characteristics of the anthem
The anthem should adopt the following characteristics:
• Language: should be composed in English or Chichewa
• Simplicity: should use simple languagewhich should be easy to memorize
• Stanzas: should have a maximum of three stanzas
• Originality and appeal: Should be original, unique, and catchy
Format of compositions
Songs must be composed and presented in any of the following formats:
• Staff notation including lyrics as hard copies
• Tonic solfa including lyrics as hard copies
• Audio recording on CD plus accompanying hard copy of lyrics
Songs may be composed and presented using any of the following styles:
• A four-part harmony (S A T B) with or without instrumental
accompaniment, transcribed by hand or using music composition software
such as Sibelius, MuseScore, Finale, etc.
• A recorded melody, duet, trio, quartet or choir on CD with or without
instrumental accompaniment, plus a hard copy of lyrics.
Rules of the competition
• Composers should be Malawian citizens of 18 years or above.
• All submitted compositions will not be returned to the composers.
• The ACB reserves the right to dispose of all submitted material in any
manner
• The winner of the competition shall automatically forfeit copyright of
their song to the Anti-Corruption Bureau.
• Once submitted, all entries must never be recorded for any other
purpose, performed, played or shared through any means before the
announcement of the winner.
• Any breach to these requirements will lead to automatic
disqualification from the competition.
3. Award Prize
• Best song: K2,000,000.00 (Two
Million Kwacha)
4. Selection Process
• All submissions will be reviewed by
a panel of experts who shall submit
recommendations to the AntiCorruption Bureau and the National
Integrity Committee.
5. Submission
• The entries should be submitted as a CD for audio recordings and/or
hard copies for those transcribed by hand or music software.
• The submissions should include personal details such as name and
contact details including phone numbers of the composer.
• A copy of a personal national Identity Card of the composer or leader
of the group should accompany the submission.
• The deadline for submission is 15th July 2022.
All entries should be submitted in a sealed envelope labeled “Umunthu Anthem” and dropped in a box at either of the following physical addresses:
(a) Anti-Corruption Bureau Reception Mulanje House, City Centre, Lilongwe
(b) Anti-Corruption Bureau Reception, ABLE House, Next to Reserve Bank of
Malawi, Blantyre (c) Anti-Corruption Bureau Reception, MPC
Building, opposite Blood Transfusion Offices, Mzuzu
(d) Anti-Corruption Bureau Reception, A.H. Mahomed Building near Southern
Region Water Board (SRWB), Zomba.
Entries can also be submitted by post to the following postal address:
The Director General
Anti-Corruption Bureau
Mulanje House
P.O. Box 2437
Lilongwe.
All inquiries should be made by email to umunthuanthem@acbmw.org
