When artists fail to raise the bar

In one of his songs Chidikhodikho, the late Vic Marley blasted local journalists for lauding foreign acts while despising their own.

But should Malawians, as suggested by Marley, be blackmailed into applauding mediocrity for fear of being labelled unpatriotic?

Those who watched Mafikizolo’s performance at the Lake of Stars Festival last Friday would agree that the South African outfit’s performance was out of this world whereas the Malawian acts paled in comparison.

Mafikizolo showed prowess in their stage antics as they performed with bravado and passion.

There was natural chemistry between the dancers and the Mafikizolo duo which made their performance captivating.

The group’s act wowed as it was well rehearsed. The few instruments on set gave the South African act enough performing space. The outfit refreshed their one hour and 30-minute intense performance with water breaks as the choreographers maintained the momentum.

Malawian artists’ performances, however, appeared flat. The shows were predictable and monotonous in routine with little to show that they prepared for the festival as did Mafikizolo.

But what is wrong with local performers that they cannot step up to reach the bar set by international outfits such as Mafikizolo?

Gospel musician Faith Mussa says Malawian artists need to take their careers seriously as well as to always be innovative.

“It is high time artists in Malawi realised that music is a career and need not be done just for fun. In that way, a person invests enough time and energy in it and takes time to research how best to improve oneself. Secondly, you know society is changing, Mafikizolo brought a DJ and a set of a few instrumentalists that blended so well showing us how a CD can bring out a rich urban feel without losing the quality of live instrumentation,”  he says.

Mussa says in Malawi most artists are not full time into music.

“You can’t expect someone who is doing music on part-time to compete with performances of the likes of Mafikizolo. Those guys are full-time musicians,” says the Desperate hit maker.

Another local musician, Skeffa Chimoto of the Chinamuluma Chakuda fame, says many lessons were drawn from Mafikizolo’s performance starting from the connection between singers and their dancers to good sound engineering.

Asked why there was a huge contrast between the headliners and Malawian acts, Skeffa admits being puzzled and replies with a question: “What happened? Were people not dancing to Malawi music after Mafikizolo?

“Most of the times fans go to a show with a preconceived idea of who is going to make them dance. Newspapers, radio advertisements and even poster designs zero in on certain artists. So, psychologically the fans are already brainwashed,” says Skeffa.

He argues it is not the case that Malawian artists are not good, but sometimes artists feel inferior over foreign acts.

“Art goes with emotions. So, if you feel you are less important, you cannot deliver. On the other hand Malawian artists are not very motivated,” argues Skeffa.

The artist confesses that lack of rehearsals sometimes pushing down Malawian outfits performances.

“However, it is not possible that all local artists can be lazy, less talented or less ambitious, but sometimes it is planted in our minds that our things are substandard and we are very good at discouraging each other,” says Skeffa.

Gospel musician Patience Namadingo says there is need for local artists to explore best techniques to deliver their performances.

“The stage is no place for lazy and passive creatures. Malawians do concentrate on lyrics of their music and yet when time comes to perform, they think it’s like a river that flows on its own,” says Namadingo.

He adds that performing on a big stage needs thorough preparation.

“One needs to prepare more than he prepares for his voice alone, knowing the song you are performing does not make you the right man on stage, but knowing the needs of those who are watching you and further more to reach level of excellence one must always surprise the audience with a lot more than they averagely know already,” says Namadingo.

He also pleads with local artists to start hiring professional choreographers.

“Looking at Mafikizolo’s dancers, you will conclude that dancing is their business. Yet, a lot of us here prefer to dance on our own or get a friend who says can dance not even with practice all in the name of running away from costs,” he says.

He, however, says lack of resources is another contributing factor to poor performances.

“How much does a local artist get paid anyway to risk putting up a dream performance?” questions Namadingo.

Black Missionaries bandleader Anjiru Fumulani defends his band, saying they gave a good performance, adding he does not know what went wrong with other performers.

He, however, advises other artists to have self-belief, be dedicated and passionate about stage performances.

Lifting the Lid

Are you ready for sex?

When is the right time to experience physical intimacy with that someone special?  Whether it is the first time to have sex or the first time to have sex with that person…what drives your decision? If you are one of the honest few that keeps it together and waits for that special wedding day then I applaud you, but let us be honest; more times than most those lessons at bridal showers are wasted on learned experts.

Did you, have you or will ask yourself these questions —- are you doing it because you want to? Is your partner or are your friends pressuring you to have sex? Do any of these sound familiar “If you love me, you will do it.” “Everyone else is doing it!” “You were willing before, what changed?” “Don’t you want to make our relationship stronger?” “You will have to do it sometime – why not now, with me?” “I will be gentle and it’ll be really great, I promise!” and my favourite…“I will only put it in for a second…” I know I always chide men for being the culprits but certainly the last one can only be male instigated but women too, do pressurise men into sex.

None of the above. NONE is a good reason to have sex. The person you are with does not respect or really care about you. They are selfish and only thinking of their interests.

Nor should you have sex just because your friends are saying things like: “You mean you have never done it?” “You are a virgin, you would not understand.” “No-one will be interested in you if they hear you are frigid.” “It’s amazing – you don’t know what you are missing!”

Many of your friends will only be saying this sort of thing because they think everyone will laugh at them if they admit they have never really done anything! Besides, being sexually experienced at a young age doesn’t necessarily make someone mature.

Sex can leave you feeling vulnerable afterwards in a way you might not be prepared for. Usually, you will have better sex with someone you know really well, are comfortable with and who you can talk to openly about relationships and feelings.

If you don’t trust your partner enough not to laugh at you or you don’t feel you can tell them whether you have had sex before, then it’s far better to wait until you can. And if you think you will have to drink a lot of alcohol before you do it, so you feel relaxed enough or you only find yourself thinking about having sex when you are drunk, then that suggests you’re not ready.

Adapted from avert.org