Fests, fun, greed

Jah people, the just-ended City of Stars in Lilongwe has set a season of festivals into motion. The motion kick-started by the observance of 10-years of the acclaimed Lake of Stars Arts Festivals can only take the arts-savvy to some more three-day entertainment outings starting today in the Southern Region.

Dying for performing arts in the woods, something like the City of Stars which brought lights, cameras and sound to Sanctuary Lodge in Lilongwe? Blantyre Arts Festival (BAF) at the derelict Blantyre Cultural Centre (formerly French Cultural Centre) might be the answer. For five years, BAF has become a calendar spectacle, bringing forth iconic headliners such as Jamaican dub icon Mutabaluka, Zimbabwe’s maestro Oliver Mtukudzi and Mali’s Salif Keita.

With no attraction the size it represents, BAF’s threadbare cast boils down to a detailed encounter with acts that have always entertained the nation times without number.

For those craving for something to fill the hiatus left by Lake of Stars, Lucius Banda’s Sand Music Festival at Sunbird Nkopola Lodge in Mangochi seems to be place to go—a meeting of music Malawian-style, sparkling waters so rare and tourism in action.

Dubbed Lake of Stars by Scottish explorer Dr David Livingstone in 1959, Lake Malawi is a metaphor of the country’s beauty, hospitality and surprises. Since last year, the four-year-old Sand Fest features throngs of adventure-seekers, fusions of Southern Africa’s beats, relaxation on the stunning palm-fringed beaches, walks on massaging golden sands and glittering waters that provide a scenic blue backdrop in travel photographs.

Are you in trouble choosing where to go? This is how the ‘tale of two festivals’ starting today—a scramble for dates that typify our summer entertainment culture—perfectly mirrors the good ole Dickensian dichotomy. It’s the best of the times, a diversity of choices for those thirsting for a chilling outing. It’s the worst of the times, a haunting dilemma for those who love the beats of both worlds.

Blame it on festival organisers who seldom agree on dates. Every dish has a name, but the so-called clash of giants sounds like another festival of greed.

Let the festivities begin!