Creativity and innovation officially converged at MUST in Thyolo from August 17, 2026, with official launch of a flagship five-day Arts Bootcamp.

The event has gathered 35 young participants from across diverse artistic disciplines and is held with support from the Copyright Fund.

The initiative aims to foster an active civic space for community engagement, attract premier creative talent, advance vital cultural research and document Malawi’s rich cultural arts.

The opening ceremony also saw signing of MoUs with two key industry partners: The Story Workshop and Nsima Beats.

MUST Vice Chancellor, Associate Professor Mwapatsa Mipando, who was guest of honour, said the launch uniquely combined two monumental opportunities: establishing a dynamic creative space and finalizing strategic agreements with new partners to drive sustainable future growth.

Dr Mipando reiterated MUST’s commitment to providing an open civic space, saying creativity is central to human identity.

"A university is not defined solely by classrooms and examinations. It is a collaborative environment where people meet, debate, and solve problems collectively for civic engagement on pressing social issues," he said.

"Our ultimate goal is to train professional artists, designers, curators, and cultural entrepreneurs who can compete on a global scale, not just hobbyists."

Tapuwa Bandawe, Managing Director of Nsima Beats, commended MUST for opening its doors to meaningful industry collaboration. 

Bandawe expressed optimism that the partnership will serve as a vital bridge for local creativity through provision of robust platforms, professional mentorship, and direct access to international markets.

The arts bootcamp stands as a premier initiative designed to showcase MUST's growing commitment to development, sustainability and commercialization of creative industries.

As a core feature of this project, participants exhibited different artistic expressions in a gallery, highlighting unique cross-disciplinary works that span traditional herbal medicine, ceramics, paintings, poetry and songs.