Two years after his death, Malawians are set to converge at Balaka Stadium for a memorial concert in honour of fallen music icon Lucius Banda.
The event will also see the launch of The Lucius Banda Foundation, a charity set to continue with initiatives that the people’s ‘Soldier’ used to run.
In an interview yesterday, Lucius Banda’s son, Johhny Zembani, said the event is a dream come true for the family.
“We have wanted to have this kind of celebration with my father’s fans for a long time and we are happy that it is finally coming true. My father had many fans from around the world and locally and this event is a befitting way to remember him,” he said.
In a separate interview, Lucius Banda Foundation trustee Samuel Kanyama Khwiya said the event will be preseded by the unveiling of the artist’s mausoleum.
“We are ready to launch the memorial concert which will hopefully become an annual event. Banda left us with a lot of good music and this legacy must be celebrated,” he said.
Khwiya said the foundation would like to have as many artist as possible at the concert.
“We are also targetting artists who once worked with Banda. As you may recall, he worked with many artists especially during their budding times,” he said.
Khwiya said that so far, they have confirmed the participation of Lulu and Piksy.
“There are many others that we are talking to and we will come up with a full list ev entually,” he said.
Khwiya said it is important to remember Lucius Banda not just as a musician, but also a philanthropist who did a lot for society.
“He quietly sourced hospital equipment and donated to public health facilities. He also routinely donated wheelchairs to those with mobility challenges. That is what the foundation will continue to do to maintain his legacy,” he said.
On his part, Lulu said if there is a place that he must be then it is at Lucius Banda’s memorial concert.
“I would never miss it for anything in the world. Many of the things that I do today, I learned from him,” he said.
Lulu, real name Lawrence Khwisa, said he plans to perform his tribute song at the concert.
“I have received countless phone calls asking me why it took me so long to produce the tribute. But I have been at pains to accept that ‘Soldier’ is gone; hence, my delay,” he said.
Banda was a prolific musician in Malawi who released his first album Son of a Poor Man in 1993. The hit song in the album was Mabala which spoke of atrocities that Malawians suffered under the one party rule. He later on released 19 more albums making him one of the most popular artists in Malawi. He also joined politics and was elected member of Parliament for Balaka North for two terms.
