Contractor promises to meet deadline at Blantyre Cultural Centre
Opco Limited, a company awarded a contract to rehabilitate the amphitheatre at the once mighty entertainment mecca– Blantyre Cultural Centre, formerly French Cultural Centre, has assured of meeting the deadline despite delays in starting the work. We will try as much as possible to do quality work as well as meet the deadline,” Opco Managing Director Akhtar…
Opco Limited, a company awarded a contract to rehabilitate the amphitheatre at the once mighty entertainment mecca – Blantyre Cultural Centre (BCC), formerly French Cultural Centre, has assured of meeting the deadline despite delays in starting the work.
The company was expected to start the rehabilitation of the amphitheatre in July but it failed due to technical challenges that were there between them and the Ministry of Tourism.
“Everything has now been sorted out and we have started the work. We will try as much as possible to do quality work as well as meet the deadline,” Opco Managing Director Akhtar Qureshi said Monday.
Minister of Tourism, Culture and Wildlife Michael Usi said they were happy that finally rehabilitation had started.
“I have been pushing this because it pains me as an artist to see this once mighty entertainment centre in such a pathetic state. Now that the contractor is on the ground, it is time for action. Artists have waited for it long enough, it has been dead for a long time,” Usi said.
Recently organisers of Blantyre Arts Festival (Baf) said because of the delay in rehabilitating the place, they had been forced to hold this year’s free-of-charge festival scheduled for October 8 to 9 at Njamba Freedom Park, a few kilometres from BCC.
There has been an outcry from the public on the state of the amphitheatre’s roof and recently artists Erik Paliani and TJ Bless called upon the government to refurbish BCC as it was historical.
BCC was bought by the government from the French in 2011 at K300 million before it was ransacked by thieves.