Man down! ‘Soldier’ bows out

 The long-lived career of ‘Soldier’ Lucius Banda spannng nearly four decades is about to come to an end, at least in one aspect.

‘Soldier’ has said his next album, Love and Hate, which is his 20th studio offering, will be his last. This album is a compilation of songs he recorded in the last five years and will come out on December 3, five years after his last studio album Crimes.

“This trade is very involving. It becomes impossible for you to do other things and the remuneration is almost zero. My responsibility is too huge now and I feel I need to focus on other things,” he told The Nation on Wednesday.

The artist said he is bowing out as an individual, stressing that Zembani Band will continue performing under new leadership while he will maintain an advisory role at his Impakt Events entertainment management firm.

He said: “I will only do shows that I deem important, especially corporate events. Maybe two or three times a year.”

Banda started his music career aged 15 in 1985 while in Standard Seven when he starred as a keyboardist for Alleluia Band at St Louis Montfort Parish of the Catholic in Balaka.

That marked the start of a music career which saw him graduate into a band leader for St Paul’s Seminary Band in 1987.

Banda said: “Between 1987-89, Lucky Dube’s reggae music became so popular. I used to mimic him. During Alleluia Band shows they could invite me to perform the songs on stage. I was called the Lucky Dube of Malawi.”

Having confined his music pursuits to Balaka District and around Alleluia Band for some time, Lucius then trekked to South Africa in 1993 where he recorded his first ever studio album Son of a poor man.

Though the album was released in December that year, it only got to Malawi in 1994. ‘Soldier’ regretted returning to Malawi before he could promote the album in South Africa as per agreement with the record company he was contracted to.

“Due to other factors, I just felt homesick and I came back home. It was a silly thing for me to do because when I went back a year later, the company discharged me from the contract and I was forced to finance the recording of my second album Down Babylon on my own,” he said.

In a career that has borne 19 albums, it is hard to select a few outstanding songs. This is the case for the Balaka-based artist who said albums are like children and it is always had to pick the best.

But ‘Soldier’ picked three albums he believes are powerful, namely Son of a poor man, his third album and the first to be recorded in Malawi Ceasefire and Freedom.

Banda said: “Son of a poor man introduced me to the world, but Ceasefire remains the best-selling album to date, having sold over two million copies. No one has beaten that record till now. Freedom had some of the best compositions, including the people’s anthem, Nthawi.”

But which are his favourite compositions? Topping the list is Mabala followed Mzimu wa Gadama, Chigawenga, Nthawi and Patsidya la Zambezi.

Ironically, his music acted as a launch-pad for his political career although the artist feels the achievements he has made as an artist outweigh his accomplishments as a politician.

“I have travelled to Europe, America and across Africa. I toured the United Kingdom when I was just 30 years old. Those are some of my memorable moments,” he said.

But what is his biggest regret and lowest point as an artist?

He opened up: “The treatment I got during the first Democratic Progressive Party rule is the worst I ever received. They hated me so much that they wiped out all my music at public broadcaster Malawi Broadcasting Corporation.

“It moved from music and they also banned me on their platforms as a person. They could not air anything that had my name and face on it. For once I felt like a slave in my own country. I lost a lot during that time.”

The 52-year-old admitted that he has his own weaknesses, but said he would love to be remembered for the good things he did in his lifetime.

One of his protégés, Mlaka Maliro, said it is sad that ‘Soldier’ is stepping aside and he described him as an icon and idol of the art.

“He is the one who introduced me to professional music and I have learnt a lot from him both on stage and outside. He is a great musician and will remain so forever. We will miss the wisdom which oozed from his compositions every time he released new music,” he said.

University of Malawi associate professor of communication and cultural studies Anthony Gunde said Banda is a legend with regard to his music’s popular culture and influence on the political landscape.

He said: “Since the nascent of religious music of hegemonic resistance, he was within the birth of Alleluia Band. His individual lyrics and genre have for years been a form of an alternative form of media, representing the marginalised and the voiceless.”