Michael Usi

Last updated

Michael Usi
Dr Michael Usi in office as minister of tourism.jpg
Vice-President of Malawi
Assumed office
20 June 2024
SpouseElla Usi
Children2
AwardsOutstanding Service to youth ministries using theatre – 2008 West Central Africa Division, Nigeria

Michael Bizwick Usi (born 16 December 1968) is a Malawian politician. He is the current vice-President of Malawi following the death of Saulos Chilima, [1] after having served as the Minister of Tourism, Culture & Wildlife until January 30th, 2023; [2] [3] and as the Minister of Natural Resources and Climate Change [4] . Michael Usi is also a movie actor, playwright, and musician. [5] As an actor, he is most famously known for his role as "Dr. Manga" in the film Dr. Manga . He is also the director of the MBC TV series Tikuferanji (Why Are We Dying). [6]

Contents

Personal life

Born in December 16 1968. He attended Mulanje Secondary School. He once worked for Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA).

Marriage life

He is married to Ella, a now retired nurse who, before retiring was working at Blantyre Adventist Hospital. [7]

Career

In the absence of national TV in Malawi, he gained his popularity by acting on radio plays on MBC Radio 1 in Malawi. [5] He then began making feature films. His works comment on topical issues in Malawi and reflect the social and political realities of Malawian life.

Usi is involved in trying to build the film industry in Malawi and constantly advocates for the growth of the industry in Malawi. In 2010 he made an appearance at the MWA (Malawi Washington Association) Extravaganza 2010 Panel discussion hosted by the MWA at the Malawian Embassy in Washington DC where he discussed the history of the Malawian Film industry and his ideas on its expansion.

The focus of his PhD, which he gained from the University of Bedfordshire in about 2015, is on youth engagement in developing their country. His research involved review of youth engagement strategies in many countries.

On 6 February 2019, United Transformation Movement (UTM) leader Saulos Klaus Chilima unveiled Michael Usi as his running mate for May 21 tripartite elections.

On 8 July 2020, Michael Usi was appointed Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Culture of the Republic of Malawi in the cabinet of President Lazarus Chakwera.

On 31 January 2023, he was appointed Minister of Natural Resources and Climate Change. [8]

On 20 June 2024, Usi was appointed as vice president of Malawi following the death of his predecessor Saulos Chilima in a plane crash. [9]

Works

Films

TV series

Awards

Work History Timeline

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Mutharika</span> President of Malawi from 2014 to 2020

Arthur Peter Mutharika is a Malawian politician and lawyer who was President of Malawi from May 2014 to June 2020. Mutharika has worked in the field of international justice, specialising in international economic law, international law and comparative constitutional law. He informally served as an adviser to his older brother, President Bingu wa Mutharika, on issues of foreign and domestic policy from the onset of his election campaign until the President's death on 5 April 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabinet of Malawi</span> Executive branch of the government

The Cabinet of Malawi is the executive branch of the government, made up of the President, Vice President, Ministers and Deputy Ministers responsible for the different departments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malawi Washington Association</span>

Malawi Washington Association (MWA) was established in 1994 and is the first association in the United States that was organized to promote and retain Malawi and Malawian culture amongst Malawi's diaspora in the United States and Canada. It was founded by Peter Kapakasa, Stafford Chipungu, Jonathan Kamkwalala, and the late Henri Nsanjama. It is a non-political, non-ethnic organization that works to build community amongst the growing number of Malawians in the diaspora. It also works as a social support system to Malawians in the diaspora in order to instill and promote the Malawian values of umunthu. It supports Malawians in the diaspora in various ways whom are living in the United States, including Malawian-Americans and Malawian citizens living in the U.S. It serves to create Malawian identity amongst Malawian-Americans and Malawians in the DC area. This includes hosting social events for a number of Malawians in the diaspora. It works with a number of organization in the DC area and abroad in order to promote Malawian culture and Malawian values and to act as a resource of information on Malawi. As the first organization for Malawians living in the diaspora in the United States, and one of the first organizations for the Malawian diaspora in the world, it has served as a blueprint for other Malawian organizations in the Malawian diaspora to organize in Indiana, Texas, New England and in England.It has also consulted with other Malawian organizations in starting up in the Malawian Diaspora.

Vitus-Gregory Gondwe is a Malawian journalist, editor and media consultant. He also runs his own social, music and business analysis blog. He is known for his investigative stories. He also writes on business news. He has been a contributor to several newspapers in Malawi, and has worked for the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation as correspondent. He is a Malawi correspondent for the Associated Press, as well as a regular correspondent for BizCommunity and BiztechAfrica. He has contributed to a number of news sources worldwide since 1993. He also regularly writes about freedom of press and the media industry.

Mass media in Malawi consist of several different types of communications media: television, radio, cinema, newspapers, magazines and Internet-based Web sites. Malawi also has a growing music industry. Media is either privately owned or government owned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lazarus Chakwera</span> President of Malawi since 2020

Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera is a Malawian politician and theologian who has served as President of Malawi since June 2020. He has served as the leader of the Malawi Congress Party since 2013. He was President of the Malawi Assemblies of God from 1989 to 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saulos Chilima</span> Malawian economist and politician (1973–2024)

Saulos Klaus Chilima was a Malawian economist and politician who served as Vice President of Malawi from 2014 to 2019 and again from 2020 until his death in 2024. Chilima assumed office on 28 June 2020, winning the majority alongside presidential candidate Lazarus Chakwera. Chilima also served as the Minister of Economic Planning and Development, as well as Head of Public Sector Reforms, a position he also previously held under the administration of former president Peter Mutharika. Before joining politics, Chilima held key leadership positions in various multi-national companies including Unilever, Coca-Cola, and Airtel Malawi, where he rose to become Chief Executive Officer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Malawian general election</span>

General elections were held in Malawi on 21 May 2019 to elect the President, National Assembly and local government councillors. Incumbent President Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party was re-elected, with his party remaining the largest in the National Assembly. However, on 3 February 2020, the Constitutional Court annulled the presidential election results due to evidence of irregularities, and ordered fresh elections be held. They were widely dubbed the "Tipp-Ex elections" after a brand of correction fluid which opponents claimed had been used to tamper with votes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eisenhower Nduwa Mkaka</span> Malawian politician (born 1973)

Eisenhower Nduwa Mkaka of Lilongwe is a Malawian politician who is a Member of Parliament for Lilongwe Mpenu Constituency and former Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. In January 2022, Mkaka was appointed Minister of Natural resources after a cabinet reshuffle. Mkaka also holds the position of Secretary General for the ruling Malawi Congress Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Malawian presidential election</span>

Presidential elections were held in Malawi on 23 June 2020, having originally been scheduled for 19 May and later 2 July. They followed the annulment of the results of the 2019 presidential elections, in which Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party had received the most votes.

Brighton Vitta Malasa is a Malawian who was Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Upper Shire, one of the four Malawian Anglican dioceses within the Church of the Province of Central Africa. He was Bishop of Upper Shire from 2008 until 2022 when he was excommunicated from the Church by Archbishop Albert Chama of the Church of the Province of Central Africa.

This article lists events from the year 2021 in Malawi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Transformation Movement</span> Political party in Malawi

The United Transformation Movement (UTM) is a political party in Malawi founded by Saulos Chilima.

Timothy Mtambo of Chitipa is a Malawian politician and serves as Minister of Civic Education and National Unity in Malawi government since 2020. Prior to active politics, Mtambo was a human rights activist. He is mostly known for the role he played by leading demonstrations against the regime of President Peter Mutharika, accusing the regime of nepotism and corruption. Mtambo also holds the position of Commander in Chief of Citizen for Transformation Movement (CFT).

This article lists events from the year 2023 in Malawi.

John Nyanga was a Malawian comedian and actor better known by his stage name as Izeki. He rose to fame after associating with Kwathu Drama Group in which he was in the part of the duo ‘Izeki ndi Jacobo’. He was also a pastor at Synagogue of Hope Church in Blantyre. He died in 2016 on Sunday at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) in Blantyre after a long illness. He partnered with Eric Mabedi in Izeki ndi Jakobo plays.

This article lists events from the year 2024 in Malawi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zikomo Presidential Awards</span> Annual music industry award ceremony

Zikomo Presidential Awards are Malawian awards established in 2021 by the president of Malawi, Lazarus Chakwera, to celebrate organisations, individuals and entertainers and other minorities in music, film, philanthropy and fashion. The 2023 awards ceremony took place in Lilongwe at Kamuzu Palace. During the ceremony, the president said that the awards were appropriate to honor some of the country's outstanding social enterprises as well as social entrepreneurs that provide solutions to some of the challenges the country faces.

Chikangawa is a residential and industrial town located in the Mzimba District of Malawi, in the Northern Region. The town has a rich history dating back to the pre-colonial era, when it was a small village inhabited by the Tumbuka people. Chitumbuka is the predominant language spoken in the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Chikangawa Dornier 228 crash</span> 2024 aviation accident in Malawi

On 10 June 2024, a Malawian Defence Force Dornier 228 carrying Vice-President of Malawi Saulos Chilima, former First Lady Patricia Shanil Muluzi, and seven other occupants, crashed in Chikangawa Forest Reserve in Nkhata Bay District; all on board died.

References

  1. "Cabinet". www.malawi.gov.mw. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  2. "Malawi Government Carbinet". December 2022.{{cite web}}: Check |archive-url= value (help)
  3. "Chakwera drops Tonse secretary generals Mkaka, Kaliati in Cabinet - Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi". www.nyasatimes.com. 1 February 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  4. "Cabinet". www.malawi.gov.mw. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  5. 1 2 Times, Nyasa. (13 July 2009) 'Manganya' releases new film: Living on Perfume, Malawi news. Nyasatimes.com. Retrieved on 2010-11-13.
  6. Manganya hires professional actors in ‘Watch Out’. Mwnation.com (17 September 2010). Retrieved on 2010-11-13.
  7. "Manganya and wife survive electrocution". afriem.org. 22 December 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  8. Chiwayula, McDonald (1 February 2023). "CHAKWERA HIRES NEW CABINET". Malawi Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  9. Aes, Sage. "Michael Usi Biography". Aesplora. Sage. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  10. 1 2 Keteta, Madalitso. (7 August 2009) Jamati Online | 'Living on Perfume' Comes Up Smelling Roses. Jamati.com. Retrieved on 2010-11-13.
  11. "Manganya shoots new film in US". Nationmw.net (9 July 2010). Retrieved on 2010-11-13.
  12. "Malawi’s new film Living On Perfume opens in two weeks" Archived 13 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine . Arts Review (17 July 2009). Retrieved on 2010-11-13.