Exploring "Teaching Power": A film about radical democracy in Malawi

Event Date: March 23rd, 2023

See the stirring story of a highly successful democratic innovation in Malawi; meet Edwin, lead organizer, and Patrick, the film-maker.

About This Event

Our featured guests for this month's Real World Co-Intelligence community learning call are Edwin Msewa, lead organizer, and Patrick Chalmers, documentary filmmaker .

Edwin Msewa is a Social Accountability Manager at LGAP Project in Malawi. He was an initiator and catalyst for this Citizens' Assembly process based on a Citizens' Jury model, and has written a case study about it.

Patrick Chalmers is a journalist and film maker who is focused on making political structures truly democratic. After working at Reuters for 11 years, his disillusionment with the news agency led him to walk away and write Fraudcast News (2012). He now directs All Hands On, a documentary film company focused on ordinary people doing radical democracy.

If you'd like, you are welcome to preview the 21-minute film Teaching Power before attending the call.

During the call, we will be watching the film together, reflecting on its impact, and hearing Edwin and Patrick's stories about organizing and filming this extraordinary process.

Each month, in addition to our guest presenters, we also hear from Tom Atlee, who offers some commentary on the various Wise Democracy patterns that are embodied in the project we are showcasing.

More About The Film:

In this film, shot in Malawi, you could say that Africa is showing us the way. We see once more how citizens’ assemblies can address tricky political issues that appear to be beyond the capabilities of elected representatives. For all the exotic charm of this southern African country, and Malawians’ alluring friendliness and heartfelt welcome, the challenges of politics as usual are wearily familiar.

And yet this is a very hopeful film... Read more here.

Update about the current extreme weather crisis in Malawi:

Dozens of Malawians have died in recent days during the second visit by record-breaking Tropical Cyclone Freddy, whose winds and rain triggered flooding and mudslides in the south of the country. Reuters news agency's reporting relied on video footage and still photos shot by Teaching Power's lead camera operator and local producer Eldson Chagara.

Freddy has been one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the southern hemisphere and could be the longest-lasting tropical cyclone, according to the World Meteorological Organization. After pummelling central Mozambique, causing widespread flooding and ripping off roofs, it moved inland towards Malawi where its torrential rains triggered deadly landslides.

While it is too early to say what impact the climate crisis has had on Cyclone Freddy, scientists have said climate heating is making tropical storms more intense and powerful.

Additional Resources for this Event:

All Hands On Website

Case study of democratic innovation in Malawi

Wise Democracy Pattern Language

We’ll be referring to different patterns from the Wise Democracy Pattern Language website during the call. Here's a slide-show of the deck if you'd like to browse through the cards.