Joe Gwaladi’s music ‘goes’ to university
Popular local musician Joe Gwaladi’s music is set to be a subject of study by an academic to expose its uniqueness and raise scholarly attention.
University of Malawi (Unima)lecturer Dr Innocent Akili Ngulube said his research study is part of the 2025 Cadbury Fellowship in the department of African studies and anthropology at the University of Birmingham in England. The title of the research is Everyday Artistry of Joe Gwaladi’s Music.

In an interview yesterday, he said he was inspired by the uniqueness and lack of corresponding scholarly attention of Gwaladi’s music.
“From the perspective of popular culture, instead of examining the conventions, production and consumption of Gwaladi’s everyday creativity, social commentators focus on his career background and the humorous effects of his music,” said Ngulube.
He said the fellowship includes attending an international conference in June and publishing a journal article on Joe Gwaladi.
Ngulube said he already approached the musician who is keen on the project. The research study is expected to run from May 19 to June 30 under the theme ‘Conventions of creativity: everyday artistry in Africa’.
In a separate interview, Gwaladi said he looks at the opportunity as a form of support to his craft.
“I am happy that my music career is being recognised and supported by all Malawians. I was not expecting that out of all the musicians in the country my music could be considered for this study,” he said.
Meanwhile, music enthusiast Wonderful Mkhutche has defined the development as beneficial to Malawi music, describing Gwaladi as one of the rare cases in the Malawi music circles with undisputable ingenuity.
He said: “The project signifies the potential of Malawi music and the need to embrace it. Joe Gwaladi is a peculiar case in Malawi music for his unfiltered lyrics that tackle social challenges such as sexual promiscuity. Before we know about other countries, we need to know about ourselves first. This also includes our knowledge of music.”
Gwaladi made his name as a youthful street performer. He is renowned for compositions such as Ndinafa Bulu, Tumbocid and Khoswe Chipongwe. His controversial antics off the microphone have also time and again earned him the limelight.