Music has long given the voiceless a voice.
Not just in Malawi, but the world over, artists have used music to advance the agenda of the oppressed. From Bob Marley, Lucky Dube, Peter Tosh to Michael Jackson, musicians are some of the world’s most powerful advocates of social justice.
In Get Up, Stand Up, for example, Bob Marley encourages local people to demand what is rightly theirs.
Co-written by Peter Tosh, the song takes a militant approach.
“Get up, stand up, stand up for your right”
In Malawi, musicians have used it to speak to power, question leaders and carry the frustrations of ordinary people into the public square.
Listen to Life by Lucius Banda.
“Malawians have refused to be nothing. We shall say something even if it means going to prison, so what? Zusiyana pati ku ndende ndi kunja kuno?,” he rants.
It is a striking statement from a musician who understood that music could be a platform for questioning power.
In Life, Banda takes on some of the issues that defined Malawi’s political and social landscape during Bingu wa Mutharika’s second term—tyranny, taxation, fuel shortages, electricity problems, water charges and poor governance, among others. The song asks questions that could have come from a political rally, newspaper editorial or civil society campaign.
Banda was not alone.
Phungu Joseph Nkasa also joined the fray with songs like Chakakala Chaziya.
“Yakukwanirani nthawi yanu aphungu, mutinyese nalo bodza…,” he tells politicians for failing to deliver the promises they had made to voters.
In Anenere, Nkasa turns to police officers grievances—poor housing, overtime, meagre salaries and pensions.
The delivery is simple, yet because the message is carried through music, it can travel far beyond the spaces where political arguments normally take place.
Other artists such as Billy Kaunda, Mlaka Maliro and many others have taken the same route in their previous productions.
For years, musicians gave Malawians a way to question those in power because there was an audience willing to listen.
But has that audience changed?
Today, Malawians continue to face economic hardship, unemployment, corruption, rising living costs and political disappointment.
Yet the direct political music that once confronted those in power appears less prominent.
Music critic and columnist Gregory Gondwe traces Malawi’s protest music to the influence of reggae, where musicians such as Burning Spear frequently drew on Marcus Garvey’s ideas and legacy.
“Generally, this is the root of protest music. Take Not Stupid, for example. The musician was criticising leaders who told people life would become better, cheaper and easier but failed to deliver,” he says.
Gondwe argues that the lack of platforms for people to express their anger gave protest singers an important role.
“These days, demand is low for protest songs, which is discouraging musicians from creating protest songs which they are sure people will not listen to,” he says.
Gondwe also attributes the dwindling presence of protest songs to political patronage and fear of losing opportunities.
“The voices are there. But it is fragmented,” he says.
Social media, Gondwe argues, has changed the equation.
With platforms such as Facebook providing spaces where people can openly express their frustrations, musicians are no longer the only ones giving voice to public anger.
So, has Malawi lost its voice in protest songs?
Perhaps not.
The voices are still there. What may have changed is where they are being expressed—and whether musicians still feel there is an audience waiting to sing along.
John Mbenje is a music fanatic who thinks musicians can still write protest songs despite the coming in of social media.
“Music is more than the message. It is also the melody, the progression code and others. If a musician is talented enough, he/she can surely bring attention to important issues affecting society through their music,” he says.
