When Azonto is more popular than Zili Ndi Iwe

The Malawian music industry has an affluent history and has produced a puddle of exceptional music endowment and legends in great musicians with great artistic dexterity in the likes of the Daniel Kachamba, Ndiche Muharare, Allan Namoko Morrison Phuka, Robert Fumulani, Chenasawa and Isaac Mkukupa, Mjura Mkandawire, Mike Kamwendo, Gides Chalamanda, Ndingo Brothers Band, Maurice Maulidi, States Samangaya, Stonard Lungu, Saleta Phiri, Brite Nkhata, Griffin Mhango, Maria Chidzanja-Nkhoma, Evison Matafale, Mtebeti Wambali Mkandawire, Sir Paul Banda and Lucius Banda just to mention a few.

But, by the look of things, Zambian, South African and Nigerian music is flooding the market in Malawi and enjoying even more airplay than the local music. It is taking over the musical plot in the country in all aspects and this has scattered their confidence further.

One Anne Matumbi once opined that Malawi music is hurried and once it comes face to face with Zambian music it pales into submission. Even controversial reggae musician Limbani Banda once called Malawi music trash.

One can argue that in the first place, these days, clubs or call them entertainment joints, and now weddings are the places where music is promoted. And it looks like the Zambian, Nigerian and South African musician is all intent to produce music that will find a place in all entertainment joints and blare across its dance floor.

But why is it so? Should Malawian musicians abandon ship and join the bandwagon going after the adage,’ if you cannot beat them, just join them’? Why are Malawi musicians being beaten to pulp right on their turf?

Does it mean the Zambian, South African and Nigerian music is far too superior to our own?

There has been a chorus of disapproval from those that are sleeplessly trying to promote Malawian music. They say try as they might, putting Malawi music on the world scale looks unattainable.

“There are three sides to this issue but the major problem is the medium of promoting Malawi music, thus our radios are a problem. They play more international music in general and that has a spillover effect on the audience, as such people don’t see the importance of appreciating local music.

“The other aspect is that fact that many people love music they watch on international TV channels like Channel O, which mainly features music from countries like South Africa and Nigeria,” said Lameck Luhanga of Moving Minds, a firm which hires disco equipment.

He added that of course the other problem is the kind of music that is being produced currently.

Said Luhanga; “There was a time when Malawi was flooded with local danceable tunes that people used to enjoy at any event. Even if you play such music today, you will find people jiving to the end. However, what is happening now is that most of our musicians are focusing on slow music, doing the Hip Hop and R’n’B genre, which often is not fast music, meaning people cannot dance at events like weddings.”

Local urban musician Maskal blames the problem on people’s mindset that nothing good can come out of Malawi.

“There’s something lacking from the Malawian audience. Their minds are stuck on the belief that everything from outside is better than what we have. This has resulted in our music stuck at the same level for some time. We even see some local artists trying to copy what others abroad are doing, simply because they want to fit into the situation created by people.

“Again, it’s not about the kind of music but it’s just in people; they do not want to appreciate local talent. The feeling is foreign music is the best. Look at the kind of music Zahara does, nice and slow but she is loved in Malawi. We must support each other. If you ask international stars who have visited Malawi they always say our people and country have and continue to support us this far,” he explained.

Music teacher Marvin Hanke shares Maskal’s sentiments that there is need to adopt a deliberate policy to have all radio stations, whether public or commercial, play more local music.

“Radio stations promote the wrong kind of music. They still have the mentality that everything foreign is better than our own. Listen to radio stations today, you will find the same trend that 90 percent of music played is foreign.

“I don’t know if there should be a ban on foreign music for the benefit of local art but radio stations need to deliberately start playing more local music than that from other countries,” he said.

Hanke who runs a music studio Audio Clinic Productions, added that the foreign music dominance is not as a result of poor songs or lack of danceable tunes locally, but just lack of appreciation and said the onus is on the radio stations to correct the anomaly.

“In countries like Zimbabwe, there is a policy made by government for all radio stations that if one plays three tracks, two should be local. In Tanzania and Kenya you can listen to a radio station for over an hour, and you will not listen to any foreign music. With us its free style. We make the choice based on what we see people are enjoying more. But again, quality of music also matters,” said MBC’s Dickie Shumba.