Mlaka Maliro revisits Yasowa

In January this year, a sample of Mlaka Maliro’s upcoming single Yasowa leaked and found its way in the public domain.

The song had the DNA of Mlaka of old as he took a swipe at the alleged mess created by the governing Tonse Alliance leadership. The song mainly dwelt on the promise by the leadership to take Malawians to the land of Canaan.

However, according to Mlaka, the current situation shows that the country has missed its way to Canaan as now headed to Libya.

Perhaps what surprised many was the final stanza of the song which heaped praise on Alliance for Democracy (Aford) leader Enoch Chihana, touting him as the only option Malawians now have.

But on Tuesday evening, the Balaka-based artist released the final version of the song and to the surprise of many, the original final stanza has been removed. 

In an interview yesterday, the singer and composer said people should not read too much into the issue. He blamed the whole outcome on the leak of the sample, saying it was not meant for public consumption.

Said Mlaka: “When one is producing a song, it passes through a lot of phases. I composed this song when I was on tour with Aford in the Northern Region. Sometimes when you want to keep the tune alive in your memory, you can just sing anything just to have your mind refreshed when producing the final copy.”

“Yasowa, yasowa, yasowa mama ndodo ya Moses. Ulendo wopita ku Canaan, wavuta tikupita ku Libya. Mama yasowa! Ambuye wokonda aliyense, akantheni anthu akubawa…” the chorus goes in part.

Mlaka said what inspired him to compose the song is the state of governance prevailing in the country. He said he saw the need to stand up and speak on behalf of the people.

The Maloto creator said as someone who is based in the rural areas of the country, he is able to appreciate first hand the economic challenges that average Malawians are facing.