Nde’feyo dream should not have died

Every system or setup needs some trailblazers who can lead the way inbreaking new ground not matter the risk of the adventure.

Regardless of the outcome, what these people achieve or not acts as a launchpad for others who would at a later stage attempt similar trysts. These experiments offer insights on which areas to improve for one to successfully execute such plans.

Close to two decades ago, two innovative minds in the creative realm, Ken Zizwa Limwame and Khumbo Kabuzzi Munthali teamed to form a music company, Nde’feyo Entertainment with a special focus on urban music.

The appeal of their operational ambitions and objectives was far-reaching. It was little wonder that within a short period of its establishment, the company had signed up almost all of the industry’s promising music talents.

Under their fold they had names such as Piksy, Onesimus, then trading as Armstrong, Namadingo, Trumel, Bucci, Mada Ngoleka, McLuther, Maskal and Sigidi. If we talked about urban music then, nobody certainly looked beyond these names.

The brand promotion strategies that the company deployed worked wonders for them. Resultantly, the profile of their artists rose within a short period. They criss-crossed the country and oversaw reasonable growth of their subjects individually.

But the rosy ride was not to last for long. Differences bordering on contractual agreements shook the blossoming entertainment stable and eventually the artists terminated their contracts.

The stable never appeared to have recovered from that drawback and the relocation of the two brains behind the project saw the dream dying naturally as years wore on.

But over the years, both Kabuzzi and Zizwa have demonstrated that their spirit was meant for the entertainment business. Though staying outside Malawi, they have time and again championed various initiatives in the creative business.

The duo later pioneered the Urban Music People Awards (UMP) for years. The platform recognised outstanding players in the creative industry and it helped create beautiful memories and wonderful experiences for many in the trade.

After years of sustaining the awards platform, their energies dried up too and the UMP Awards folded. The gap that was created in the creative setup is still being felt until now.

Almost two decades after the Nde’feyo Entertainment and UMP Awards dreams ended, Zizwa has reappeared on the entertainment scene under the new banner of Chitoliro Productions.

The coming of this new company could not have been introduced any better than organising the first-ever Nde’feyo Legacy Celebration Shows. Chitoliro Productions has reassembled the team which made Nde’feyo Entertainment a beacon of envy in the industry.

The team had the first of its legacy celebration shows at Club Illusionz in Lilongwe last Saturday and a sequel is slated to take place tomorrow at Club 24/7 near Kameza roundabout in Blantyre.

There is no denying that there is an apparent feeling on nostalgia within the industry as regards the strides that the team made. Having the opportunity to walk back and relive those experiences in massive for both the artists and their fans.

All the artists have grown in so many aspects and have established their own fortes. They are now the movers and shakers of the industry and some of them are now flirting with continental reach and popularity.

That goes to underline how much impact the Nde’feyo Entertainment stable had and continues to have on the industry. The contributions the company made in the formative years of these artists cannot be downplayed, regardless of how their marriage ended.

The fact that these artists have accepted to once again collaborate with their former masters on this legacy celebration project, goes to show how much they also appreciate what the company did to their respective careers.

The outlook and perception of urban music in the country has heavily transformed over the years. This is not by accident. It is down to the individual efforts that entities such as Nde’feyo did long time ago.

How far one goes, is hugely determined on the foundation one is working upon. The local industry needs another Nde’feyo Entertainment. Maybe the dream was not supposed to die after all.