We will still splash on!

Circa 1998, Malawi had just started reaping the fruits of the dawn of democracy after 31 years of dictatorship.

Here was a period when the country was appreciating some freedoms and liberties that had been distance during the one-party rule. With this also came some developments in some sectors which drastically changed what was regarded as the standard norm.

The media and civil spaces were opened and a new stomping ground was, thus, created for different stakeholders. This turnaround saw the opening of the country’s first ever television station in Malawi, Television Malawi (TVM) in 1998, now rebranded to MBCTV.

Coming from a background which did not back any relevant experience in the field, the drivers of the initiative had to play it clever. The first cohort of recruits hired to champion the first television station in Malawi were sent to Namibia for a nine-month practical training. Others went to Zimbabwe and France.

Names such as Jolly Ntaba Jnr, Kusali Kubwalo, Agness Mizere, Waliko Makhala, Geoffrey Kapusa, Twimi Kamwambi, Chipiliro Matiya, Bester Matemba, Maneno Mtawali, Swinney Chimkango, Nyembezi Mphande and Sam Alibewache Malunga, among others were part of the pioneers of the project.

After a period of putting together administrative structures and training the team, the lights at Kwacha Studios finally rolled on April 1 1999. There it was, Malawi’s first ever television station. The excitement from Malawians was understandably huge.

At last, there was a platform which we could call our own and broadcast home-made content. The team which was hired to lead this new had to start from scratch. Programme curation, content development and above all building their personalities as television presenters.

After a period of mainly rebroadcasting foreign content, with just a bit of local content, which was mainly current affairs and a few 15-minute programmes, the expansion really begun within the scope of the station.

A number of programmes were introduced. Among these programmes was a weekly music programme called Music Splash and the host was none other than Kapusa. Given the circumstances, it was such a bold move by the presenter with Malunga as the producer.

Being a country which had no television station, it also meant almost an absence of music videos from local artists. But somehow, it had to be done. There had to be a starting point.

After noting that demand was created, a few musicians got the courage to start producing what resembled music videos. But the station knew they had an audience to satisfy and they had to work with what they had.

Producer and presenter of the programme Kapusa knew he had his work well-cut for himself. The motion pictures in the music were not enough to provide the required entertainment on such as platform. He had to play it outside the box.

It, therefore, took the man from Malosa, in Zomba district to bring in a lot of invention in his presenting style to keep the audience entertained. One day he would film his programme at the Blantyre Museum or riding a tractor mowing glass at Blantyre Sports Club and the other day you would see him mingle with locals in the streets of Blantyre. All this added to the fun in the programme.

As years passed, his dexterity and command of the box grew. His famous ‘Splash On’ catchline became synonymous with his personality and he deservedly earned himself the moniker Mr Splash. The name he has been identified with since.

As Mr Splash matured, so did the music industry. The quality of the content on the platform in terms of music videos improved three-fold. The coming in of private video producing companies such as Kings Multimedia Productions led a revolution when it came to music video production.

That only served to bring out the best from Mr Splash. On the other hand, the audience was being served with the best of Malawian music and the musicians themselves also found the platform the perfect to showcase their art. 

On Tuesday, the country woke up to the devastating news of Mr Splash’s death. Looking back, Geoff leaves behind a proud legacy for what he did in contributing to the building of many artistic brands courtesy of the Music Splash platform.

Your journey on this earth may have ended, but your story will be told forever Mr Splash. We will keep splashing the music on. Hamba Kahle Geoff.