"We Are the Dream Diggers:" Poetry Becomes a Lifeline in Malawi’s Dzaleka Refugee Camp

When he was 14, he arrived at Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi, carrying the weight of trauma and loss. In a place marked by limited opportunity, he turned to poetry as a lifeline.

"I let my heart mourn just like my pen bleeds on scratches of papers and collected them to form a poem," he tells OkayAfrica of his first poem, At the Age of Nine. "I have written so many poems that not only help me heal, but also serve as therapy for others."

Now, six years later, Lipanda is the founder and president of African Youth Artistic Poetry (AYAP), a collective within the camp that offers writing workshops, performances, and mentorship for children and teens. Through AYAP, poetry has become a tool for self-expression and healing.

Espoir Kahitani is one of them. At 19, he is one of the most recognized performers in the camp. His spoken word poems are known for their intensity and emotional truth.

"Poetry entered my life like a breath when I was suffocating," he tells OkayAfrica. "It came during moments when I had no words left to speak but too many feelings inside. Living in Dzaleka, I watched my family suffer and saw friends leave while we stayed. I needed somewhere to release it all."

The eldest of six siblings, Kahitani was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has lived in Dzaleka since 2014. He speaks poetically, even in casual conversation. Though respected for his craft, he admits to feeling trapped. "This place is too small for me. I need space to grow. But there is nowhere to go."

Also, the frustration of waiting for resettlement weighs heavily on him as he has watched friends come and go. "You see new arrivals coming, and they get resettled abroad," he says. "They leave us, 'the long-stayers' in the camp, and it's creating trauma. It says that we've been forgotten or left behind."

In response, he and other young poets have created their own spaces to be seen. Talent shows, poetry battles, and open mics offer moments of release. The annual Tumaini Festival, dubbed the only arts festival in a refugee camp, transforms the camp into a creative hub. With more than 50,000 attendees, it is one of the few chances for young refugees to perform for a bigger audience.

"[Tumaini] means hope," Lipanda says. "The festival not only brings us hope but also offers more opportunities to meet with the right people …It is where our poets go and showcase their abilities in the spoken word industry."

One of those opportunities includesWe Name Ourselves, an upcoming documentary that features both Lipanda and Kahitani. The film follows a group of teenage poets from Dzaleka as they prepare for the Tumaini Festival. Filmed last October, the project explores how art can offer hope, resilience, and a sense of identity for young refugees facing systemic barriers.

The film, produced by Home Storytellers, challenges negative perceptions of refugees by highlighting their creativity, humanity, and untapped potential. Both Lipanda and Kahitani embody this message.

Kahitani dreams of performing internationally and sees the United States as a place where his talent could flourish. He imagines sharing his story on global stages, then returning to Dzaleka to inspire the next generation. His goal is to show others that it is possible to be seen and to create change beyond the limits of being a refugee.

Lipanda has already made steps toward that future. He has published two books,Our Voice Is Our Advocate andBeing Refugee Wasn't a Choice, and continues to lead AYAP workshops. The program welcomes youth from across the camp's communities. "We provide a safe space for expression," he says. "Poetry is in their blood now."

Day-to-day life in Dzaleka remains difficult. Hunger is common. School is not guaranteed. Kahitani says many young people are focused on survival and have little energy for much else. As a result, leadership in a place like Dzaleka comes with pressure.

"Being a leader here means carrying the silence of others," Kahitani says. "Even when you feel broken inside, you have to keep going. Someone is looking to you for strength."

Both poets are also working to shift how refugees are perceived. Rather than being reduced to statistics or labels, they see themselves as individuals with potential.

In his poem We Are the Dream Diggers, Lipanda describes Dzaleka as "a grave of dreams." Yet despite that, he sees his fellow poets as more than the limitations of their environment. "We are the dream diggers," he writes.