What an action-packed week
Jah people, it is thrilling that Music Association of Malawi has set out to honour female artists who have earned coveted standings in a male-dominated industry.
Sieving through the list, only Ethel Kamwendo Banda and Maria Chidzanja Nkhoma seem to be worthy of the recognition following decades of personifying the vibe kukhala mkazi sichifukwa (Being a woman is no crime).
Back in the days, it was unheard of for women to stand side by side with men or ‘manning’ the microphone while the male folk played background roles as dancers or instrumentalists. Back then, it was even fashionable for women to hide in more socially acceptable expectations of singing gospel songs and dancing for founding President Ngwazi Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda, their Nkhoswe Number One. It was at the peak of the 31-years of Kamuzu’s rule that Ethel Kamwendo Banda and Mariah Chidzanja Nkhoma rose from their kitchens and bedrooms to become countrywide hits not for singing praise for Kamuzu, but doing music par excellence.
For their courage, creativity and inimitable voices, the two songbirds have got an array of awards, reviews and fans to their name.
However, it is worrisome that the MAM awards/handouts lump these women of valour and victory together with one-hit wonders who scampered into gospel music because they couldn’t stand competition with men on the secular side of the local beat. The brains behind the awards might wish to know that Kamwendo-Banda only switched to her gospel ministry after excelling beyond a doubt with Kamwendo Brothers and Ravers.
Fikisa Jibe
This week, it was dismaying to see Fikisa–the dance group which mordenised yao healing dance, kungwe, into the likeable Akamwire hit–use their stage time at Nanzikambe Arts’ Mwezi Wawala Festival to wash their dirty linen in public. Next time artists have beef for whoever it may concern, they should be able to name [and shame] whoever is depriving them peace of mind and contracts without inconveniencing the starving audience. It is not entertaining for the fee-paying audience to endure 10 minutes of a story the aggrieved artist can neither complete nor share in detail.
