Everyone who is not aware of our modern music history, I mean history of digital music, will better be told from the beginning. The beginning therefore will be telling a different story if it does not start from Alleluya Band.
You know, it is not as if there were no bands that used to play before the multiparty dispensation; there were bands like the Likhubula Dance Band, which was backing Robert Fumulani, there were also Police Orchestra, the MBC Band and the Chichiri Queens and uncountable local artist.
There was also talent within the country but there was no knowledge of how one could put his talent into musical product through a recording studio.
Bands used to go to one and only place where the Malawian music was played and therefore this is where they used to listen to their music and for that reason, they knew that bands used to record there because there was nowhere else and this was at the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation MBC studios.
The music was also being recorded merely for MBC airplay because it was being stored on reels, which was something that could not be taken on the market for sale.
At least it was only the emergence on the scene of Alleluya Banda from Balaka, led by the agile guitarist hands of Sir. Paul Banda, that led people to realise several things about what can happen with music.
They appreciated that independent studios can record elsewhere other than the MBC studios alone. They discerned that local music performed by local artists could also be put in a cassette and be made available for the take of those with money to, to enjoy it in the comfort of their homes.
There was a time when the sound that the pen once emitted from the drum was to the effect that whether one likes it or not Sir. Paul Banda ‘revolutionarised’ Malawi music.
This was the case because of this history and for Bwana Banda to achieve all his deserving accolades it was because he used Alleluya Band to launch his decorated musical career.
Lucious Banda needs no introduction to the world of music from these parts; he has marked his name; no, he has engraved his name in the hall of fame.
All these can trace their history to Alleluya Band. Then there is the list of the country’s most accomplished artists, you mention artists like Charles Sinetre, Coss Chiwalo, Isaac Liwotcha, Rod Valamanja, Paul Subiri, che Kachingwe, and the list is just too long to fill the whole page with names.
However, one person that also features highly on this list is Foster Chimangafisi, Sinetre and Foster are two famous Alleluya products and one of the valuable musical artefact that bought them fame is the ‘Chimangafisi Dollar’ album and track.
‘Tipange yathu Dollar, Chimangafisi Dollar, Tisamavutike ndikumadzitsaka’. This is the chorus line of the track and remembering it now makes me start thinking; did we miss something in the song? Did it have a hidden meaning that we are so daft and failed to notice?
Were the two talent endowed musicians clearly telling us that Alleluya Band was just attractive from the outside and therefore the best way to get money was to have their own currency?
The story that Foster Chimangafisi was diagnosed with Tuberculosis and he is now bedridden in a hospital bed where he is suffering financial crisis because Alleluya Band cannot do enough, speaks volumes of how troubled our music industry is.
Do you remember how Ada Manda fought both his disease and poverty in Nkhatabay until he died? What about Stonard Lungu, do you remember how he was forced to still look for funds even in his ailing state?
Many questions arise from this and effort to find answers gives us a number of issues to ponder on deeply.
The first one is why is it that it is Foster Chimangafisi, out of the accomplished list that seems to be suffering in this manner? While we sympathise with Chimangafisi for having fallen to the exploitative means of a church managed secular band, we also have to answer the question above.
Does he fall in the category of artists who live for today. Our musicians are usually a sorry tale; they perform in all places and find little monies and unfortunately, they do not have any sense of saving.
One might argue that they do not make enough to save anything at all. However, how is it that some that have come through the rank and file of the band have progressed so gloriously?
It is a shame that a band like Alleluya on whose apparel, uncountable medallion for their unsurpassed musical achievement are pinned, should be paying its musicians K1500 a month.
One might wonder, if this is the money they are getting now, how much Lucious or Paul was carting home.
However, while we are at this, did Mr. Chimangafisi do enough to ensure that things do not come to this state? I beseech all musicians that while we sympathise with Chimangafisi let him be our source of lesson to prepare for tomorrow.
Feedback: drummingpen@columinist.com
Gregory Gondwe is a Malawian Journalist. He covers most of the issues unfolding in this part of Sub-Saharan Africa. Lately, his focus has been on Musical information about Malawi, most of the musical articles that appear here until March 2016 were a reproduction of Column entries in Malawi's oldest weekly, Malawi News which was called Drumming Pen.. Now he writes a similar column in the Weekend Nation called Lyrical Pen.
Sunday, 27 December 2009
Tuesday, 22 December 2009
Unmarked Grave of Mc Ewen Manda
The 30th June of this year, was business as usual to most people involved in music. The Musicians Association of Malawi minded its business save for its zone call point person in the name of Lanz Nkhata. The media that deals with music saw nothing wrong with this day.
However, Malawi lost on this day, a very young man Mc Ewen Manda, whose many nicknames bestowed on him by his fans; speak volumes of how mesmerised musical lovers as well as artists themselves were with his unmatched talent on a drum set.
He answered to nicknames like ‘Shambumbu’, ‘Mr. Brown’ and ‘Bongo Tchaka’ and despised all ridicule by responding with his drum beating antics.
At his 28, McEwen Manda, who was a drummer in the band The Body, Mind and Soul’ led by Dave Luhanga fondly known in showbiz cycles as ‘The Street Rat’, achieved so much. So much, that achievements of other artists that started long before him pales into triviality.
The drumming pen, which is closer to fellows on drum set as well as on percussion than it is to anyone else playing any other musical instrument, wishes to pay tribute to the talented ‘Shambumbu’.
Street Rat says he first met the young Manda at St. Peters Primary School and by providence; they were sitting on the same desk, which made them notorious to teachers because every time a teacher taking charge of their classroom moved an inch away from it, they would turn the room into a musical entertainment haven.
As both would do later in the years, the young man would turn the desks into drum sets while the rat would vocalise along the thumping of the desks to produce music that would enthuse fellow pupils at the expense of their studies. The two parted ways in pursuant of better education only to meet again as members of Mzuzu’s Ghetto Souls in 2000.
While there, they participated in the music crossroads two times including in 2002 when they emerged regional champions before participating in the defunct Kuchekuche Music Competition in 2003 where they also won regional finals but tumbled at national finals.
Interestingly, Street Rat says at the Ghetto Souls he discovered that the soul moves music and while anybody else settled for anything they could lay their hands on when they disbanded, he clung to the soul, which he took to the music crossroads of 2004 under the name of ‘Souls of Ghetto’.
They kept their triumphant pulsation all the way but it went dim at the inter-regional festival at the French Cultural. This led to the disbandment of the group again, and all the artists scattered including McEwen who remained in Blantyre where he played with a number of musical groups including the Chosen Few.
Street Rat says he preserved the soul and brought it back to Mzuzu with which he set up a percussion Band with saxophones guitars etc, and with it they emerged the best acoustic band.
It must be said that McEwen left Blantyre and returned to Mzuzu where he followed the dictates of his weakness and drowned his soul into liquor and this forced the Street Rat to rescue him by taking him back into the band in 2006...
Now the band’s name was Body Mind and Soul mark the ‘soul’... in the name of the bands. The same year they joined Music Crossroads where they co-triumphed at national level with Alleluya II and went for the inter-regional in Zimbabwe where the Body, Mind and Soul won.
The prize was to tour Europe, the band had to undergo a yearlong preparation, and indeed, they departed in June of 2008 and toured 8 European countries that included Spain, Holland, Austria, Croatia, Belgium, UK, Ireland and Germany.
McEwen did very good, he was so petit in stature but had his own touch and finesse when put on a drum set and on the tour he left many a mouths agape. However, tragically, he was killed on 30th June close to Mzuzu stadium ironically the very place he had performed and sent many a souls spellbound.
A vehicle hit him and the maturing talent was nipped in the bud. Why he went unnoticed is the question I have always asked.
Was it because he played in a band that has so huge a name in Europe but so looked down upon in the country? Just a few weeks ago, Malawi hosted her annual fixture, musical crossroads. If you check in all the newspapers that wrote about the bands that performed there, you will not find the name Body, Mind and Soul that McEwen helped to formulate.
The question however, is not about The Body Mind and Soul. The question is on our artists resting place. I will never tire referring to the hero Michael Sauka whose widow pleaded that at least she wished someone had built a tomb for her fallen husband.
The unnoticed death of McEwen Manda is not an isolated case, many artists that have entertained us in their lives, and by Malawian standards a noble profession, considering that they gain nothing in terms of resources, should in the least be recognised and have their tombs have motifs that are recognizably heroic.
Feedback: drummingpen@columinist.com
However, Malawi lost on this day, a very young man Mc Ewen Manda, whose many nicknames bestowed on him by his fans; speak volumes of how mesmerised musical lovers as well as artists themselves were with his unmatched talent on a drum set.
He answered to nicknames like ‘Shambumbu’, ‘Mr. Brown’ and ‘Bongo Tchaka’ and despised all ridicule by responding with his drum beating antics.
At his 28, McEwen Manda, who was a drummer in the band The Body, Mind and Soul’ led by Dave Luhanga fondly known in showbiz cycles as ‘The Street Rat’, achieved so much. So much, that achievements of other artists that started long before him pales into triviality.
The drumming pen, which is closer to fellows on drum set as well as on percussion than it is to anyone else playing any other musical instrument, wishes to pay tribute to the talented ‘Shambumbu’.
Street Rat says he first met the young Manda at St. Peters Primary School and by providence; they were sitting on the same desk, which made them notorious to teachers because every time a teacher taking charge of their classroom moved an inch away from it, they would turn the room into a musical entertainment haven.
As both would do later in the years, the young man would turn the desks into drum sets while the rat would vocalise along the thumping of the desks to produce music that would enthuse fellow pupils at the expense of their studies. The two parted ways in pursuant of better education only to meet again as members of Mzuzu’s Ghetto Souls in 2000.
While there, they participated in the music crossroads two times including in 2002 when they emerged regional champions before participating in the defunct Kuchekuche Music Competition in 2003 where they also won regional finals but tumbled at national finals.
Interestingly, Street Rat says at the Ghetto Souls he discovered that the soul moves music and while anybody else settled for anything they could lay their hands on when they disbanded, he clung to the soul, which he took to the music crossroads of 2004 under the name of ‘Souls of Ghetto’.
They kept their triumphant pulsation all the way but it went dim at the inter-regional festival at the French Cultural. This led to the disbandment of the group again, and all the artists scattered including McEwen who remained in Blantyre where he played with a number of musical groups including the Chosen Few.
Street Rat says he preserved the soul and brought it back to Mzuzu with which he set up a percussion Band with saxophones guitars etc, and with it they emerged the best acoustic band.
It must be said that McEwen left Blantyre and returned to Mzuzu where he followed the dictates of his weakness and drowned his soul into liquor and this forced the Street Rat to rescue him by taking him back into the band in 2006...
Now the band’s name was Body Mind and Soul mark the ‘soul’... in the name of the bands. The same year they joined Music Crossroads where they co-triumphed at national level with Alleluya II and went for the inter-regional in Zimbabwe where the Body, Mind and Soul won.
The prize was to tour Europe, the band had to undergo a yearlong preparation, and indeed, they departed in June of 2008 and toured 8 European countries that included Spain, Holland, Austria, Croatia, Belgium, UK, Ireland and Germany.
McEwen did very good, he was so petit in stature but had his own touch and finesse when put on a drum set and on the tour he left many a mouths agape. However, tragically, he was killed on 30th June close to Mzuzu stadium ironically the very place he had performed and sent many a souls spellbound.
A vehicle hit him and the maturing talent was nipped in the bud. Why he went unnoticed is the question I have always asked.
Was it because he played in a band that has so huge a name in Europe but so looked down upon in the country? Just a few weeks ago, Malawi hosted her annual fixture, musical crossroads. If you check in all the newspapers that wrote about the bands that performed there, you will not find the name Body, Mind and Soul that McEwen helped to formulate.
The question however, is not about The Body Mind and Soul. The question is on our artists resting place. I will never tire referring to the hero Michael Sauka whose widow pleaded that at least she wished someone had built a tomb for her fallen husband.
The unnoticed death of McEwen Manda is not an isolated case, many artists that have entertained us in their lives, and by Malawian standards a noble profession, considering that they gain nothing in terms of resources, should in the least be recognised and have their tombs have motifs that are recognizably heroic.
Feedback: drummingpen@columinist.com
When Manganje becomes Malawian Beat
Others before me have wondered how much justice we offer our music genres like Ingoma, Manganje, Chioda, Tchopa, Likhuba, Minoghe, Masewe, Mchoma and the list could be endless.
UNESCO has so far recognised Malawi’s two traditional dances of Vimbuza and Gule wamkulu as protected heritage.
We have discussed about musicians calling the kind of music that they churn out as traditional music. Almost most of our renowned musicians at one time or the other have produced songs which are described as the traditional dances stated above.
I want us to look at the so-called songs and agree if indeed they are what they are described. Can indeed Manganje, which is a dance that uses a dancing pattern, two drums and clapping of hands for it to be produced use electrical equipment by contemporary artists, and be called the same.
The reason that Vimbuza Healing Dance and Gule wa mkulu have joined a number of dances across the globe in all member countries that subscribe to the ideals of UNSECO is to preserve the oral and intangible heritage of humankind.
What they are safeguarding is the knowledge, the values and the artistic intellectual behind its creation and this is done is line with supporting copyright and intellectual property so that those artists at the core of these products enjoy the fruit of their sweat.
What is perhaps more interesting is that when you look at a music genre like Pop or Rhythm and Blues or Jazz you will not hear it being called anything close to a dance.
While what we are saying here is that the kind of arrangement that is called Manganje is called a traditional dance and not traditional music, genres like pop or reggae are looked at differently as purely music.
The reasoning is simple but tough. While you will just have, the sentimental songs done by say ‘Beethoven’ appreciated because of how they are produced, as we know them today, our parents never invented any music genre without accompanying it with some choreographically designed pattern.
Alternatively, one may argue on what was starting first when our ancestors invented these artistic products. Were they inventing the dances first then music later as is the case now? Yes, now like when women want to compose a Chioda song for President Mutharika. They are not going to re-invent a type of dance and songs; they will only compose songs that will be performed in the Chioda dance.
The reason Gule wa Mkulu is also protected is not only for its pattern of drums that is emitted when performed or how nicely the lyrics are arranged. However, it is also for the other artistic aspect that goes with it that makes it so rich. How one spends time to carve a mask to be worn by a ‘Mbano’ or ‘Simon’ that has to look different from one to mask the face of the effeminate ‘Maria’.
The same can be said of Vimbuza. For the performer there has to be a headgear called ‘Njukula’, a necklace called ‘Mthiyi’, a flying whisk known as ‘Tchowa’ , leg wear called ‘Nyisi’, and waist wear called ‘Mangenjeza’ or ‘Mangwere’. Some of these wears also emit sound that complement the music.
The additional artefacts that go with the performance are one other aspect of art that makes these traditional dances so loaded.
Then there are those that will be playing the music, who will be using drums, hoe beating, clapping hands and actual singing, which has to take after a pattern that is in tandem with the dancing.
What it means here is that minus any of the mentioned bits and pieces the particular dance will be in complete.
It is therefore folly that one Mlaka Maliro should be saying he has produced a Manganje track or Billy Kaunda a Vimbuza song or Malume Bokosi a Tchopa number when all they have done is take after a pattern, which is devoid of all other necessities that make up a complete Manganje, Vimbuza and Tchopa performance respectively, for example.
We are a creative nation and we should not confuse what our contemporary performers are calling Vimbuza when we know what vimbuza entails. There has to be a proper name for ‘Chiterera’ when Phungu Joseph Nkasa releases a song he is calling a ‘Chiterera’ one.
This why Soul Chembezi has to tell us what he is singing and not tell us that he has three Manganje songs in his latest album, for example.
Our traditional dances are so rich, that we cannot allow anyone to start defacement of a heritage that has come from very far. If our artists have chosen to use modern instruments let what they play be in line with what is modern and let them call such products appropriate names.
Let the national dance troupes who will indeed give you what ‘Beni’ or ‘Manganje’ is be given room to deservedly be the ones calling their products as such. Otherwise, Manganje is Manganje when it is performed as Manganje and there need not be any shortcuts.
Feedback: drummingpen@columinist.com
UNESCO has so far recognised Malawi’s two traditional dances of Vimbuza and Gule wamkulu as protected heritage.
We have discussed about musicians calling the kind of music that they churn out as traditional music. Almost most of our renowned musicians at one time or the other have produced songs which are described as the traditional dances stated above.
I want us to look at the so-called songs and agree if indeed they are what they are described. Can indeed Manganje, which is a dance that uses a dancing pattern, two drums and clapping of hands for it to be produced use electrical equipment by contemporary artists, and be called the same.
The reason that Vimbuza Healing Dance and Gule wa mkulu have joined a number of dances across the globe in all member countries that subscribe to the ideals of UNSECO is to preserve the oral and intangible heritage of humankind.
What they are safeguarding is the knowledge, the values and the artistic intellectual behind its creation and this is done is line with supporting copyright and intellectual property so that those artists at the core of these products enjoy the fruit of their sweat.
What is perhaps more interesting is that when you look at a music genre like Pop or Rhythm and Blues or Jazz you will not hear it being called anything close to a dance.
While what we are saying here is that the kind of arrangement that is called Manganje is called a traditional dance and not traditional music, genres like pop or reggae are looked at differently as purely music.
The reasoning is simple but tough. While you will just have, the sentimental songs done by say ‘Beethoven’ appreciated because of how they are produced, as we know them today, our parents never invented any music genre without accompanying it with some choreographically designed pattern.
Alternatively, one may argue on what was starting first when our ancestors invented these artistic products. Were they inventing the dances first then music later as is the case now? Yes, now like when women want to compose a Chioda song for President Mutharika. They are not going to re-invent a type of dance and songs; they will only compose songs that will be performed in the Chioda dance.
The reason Gule wa Mkulu is also protected is not only for its pattern of drums that is emitted when performed or how nicely the lyrics are arranged. However, it is also for the other artistic aspect that goes with it that makes it so rich. How one spends time to carve a mask to be worn by a ‘Mbano’ or ‘Simon’ that has to look different from one to mask the face of the effeminate ‘Maria’.
The same can be said of Vimbuza. For the performer there has to be a headgear called ‘Njukula’, a necklace called ‘Mthiyi’, a flying whisk known as ‘Tchowa’ , leg wear called ‘Nyisi’, and waist wear called ‘Mangenjeza’ or ‘Mangwere’. Some of these wears also emit sound that complement the music.
The additional artefacts that go with the performance are one other aspect of art that makes these traditional dances so loaded.
Then there are those that will be playing the music, who will be using drums, hoe beating, clapping hands and actual singing, which has to take after a pattern that is in tandem with the dancing.
What it means here is that minus any of the mentioned bits and pieces the particular dance will be in complete.
It is therefore folly that one Mlaka Maliro should be saying he has produced a Manganje track or Billy Kaunda a Vimbuza song or Malume Bokosi a Tchopa number when all they have done is take after a pattern, which is devoid of all other necessities that make up a complete Manganje, Vimbuza and Tchopa performance respectively, for example.
We are a creative nation and we should not confuse what our contemporary performers are calling Vimbuza when we know what vimbuza entails. There has to be a proper name for ‘Chiterera’ when Phungu Joseph Nkasa releases a song he is calling a ‘Chiterera’ one.
This why Soul Chembezi has to tell us what he is singing and not tell us that he has three Manganje songs in his latest album, for example.
Our traditional dances are so rich, that we cannot allow anyone to start defacement of a heritage that has come from very far. If our artists have chosen to use modern instruments let what they play be in line with what is modern and let them call such products appropriate names.
Let the national dance troupes who will indeed give you what ‘Beni’ or ‘Manganje’ is be given room to deservedly be the ones calling their products as such. Otherwise, Manganje is Manganje when it is performed as Manganje and there need not be any shortcuts.
Feedback: drummingpen@columinist.com
Music at Entertainment Joints
You have heard of Chez Ntemba in the Capital, Pa Stereo in Blantyre and Sport Cafe or Paris in Mzuzu. These places have been made famous because of not its beers, or prostitutes or revellers that patronise it; it has become famous not because of how majestic the infrastructure looks...
If you want to listen to latest songs around, you just have to visit these places. What are common in these joints are the larger-than-life speakers that threaten to force out your innards due to heaviness of sound that pound out of them.
There is ‘Mafunyeta’, a Youngman from Capital Lilongwe who has hit the musical scene with his ‘confused’ but populous music, especially one track ‘Yellow’ where he just storms and enthuses about a girl in yellow. There is also one track by a man calling himself ‘Lawi’ called ‘Amati andikawe’.
Do not be surprised; long before radio stations started playing these songs, I first heard them in one of these places.
If you must know, there are some revellers that will heavily patronise specific joints, specifically because of their knack for local latest music, musicians that are in their twilight have made it big somehow through these places.
Then there are live band performances from our very own local artists. Much as most of the artists play low quality music when performing live as compared to their studio productions, they still deserve some rewards befitting their toils.
Lately, other artists are getting to put their price on the table before they can be hired to perform in different joints unlike in the past and other pockets of resistance in the owners of some joints who still want to pay artists based on the gate collections.
I want to look at the issues from a two-way position, one where due to poor quality of music, artists expose themselves to exploitation, because no one will approach them at all, for their mediocre output. The other one is whether artists like Lawi or Mafunyeta that I mentioned benefit anything at all from their playtime that entertainment joints expend using their music.
Let me start with the first position, quality begets quantity but top quality begets hefty quantity. Meaning, if musicians playing in the joints practice a lot and produce quality music then they will place themselves at substantial price tag.
What happens when musicians beg entertainment joints to play live music is that either they will share 50-50 or sometimes if owners understand, they will get 40 per cent while the performing artists get the remaining 60 per cent.
Likely most artists do not have resources to own musical equipment so they will hire at say K10,000 and not only this they will also need to hire a vehicle at K5,000 to transport the equipment from wherever they have hired it to a venue they are supposed to conduct their performance.
But already if a band is this struggling, you do not expect it to conduct themselves to a level where the audience will be satisfied and therefore even if they say gate charges will be at K200 per head you find that only 20 people have turned up for the show.
My poor mathematics tells me this will come up to K4, 000. Now if the joint owner is the 50-50 kind, then the band will remain with K2,000 out of which it has to pay equipment owner K10,000 while the vehicle owner wants his K5,00 and I am not mentioning the hard pressed performers who are looking up to the collections for their survival.
Now while the audience of 20 has enjoyed themselves, whatever the quality, what do the artists take home with them? More misery than when they were living home.
You might think their Musicians Association is not aware of their plight but you are wrong because they are. They love to hold positions but they are so headless that they can come up with innovations where they, for example they purchase equipment or develop infrastructures where the artists can get to and train or borrow equipment.
Now on the second point, where other joints will play music or artists; strangely we have Copyright Society of Malawi COSOMA, a body that is so opportunistic and suck from thin cows, who are the artists themselves.
There is neither intellectual property protection nor any enforcement of copyright issues. I remember at one time my cousin and I were running an entertainment joint; somehow, we could get to some people with music on their computers and burn them into compact disks.
We would take the music and have our clients entertained to the maximum and even share it with other customers. There has never been any visit from anybody that demanded anything from us, for playing the music produced by both international as well as local artists for commercial purposes. Something this is, is it not?
Feedback: drummingpen@columinist.com
If you want to listen to latest songs around, you just have to visit these places. What are common in these joints are the larger-than-life speakers that threaten to force out your innards due to heaviness of sound that pound out of them.
There is ‘Mafunyeta’, a Youngman from Capital Lilongwe who has hit the musical scene with his ‘confused’ but populous music, especially one track ‘Yellow’ where he just storms and enthuses about a girl in yellow. There is also one track by a man calling himself ‘Lawi’ called ‘Amati andikawe’.
Do not be surprised; long before radio stations started playing these songs, I first heard them in one of these places.
If you must know, there are some revellers that will heavily patronise specific joints, specifically because of their knack for local latest music, musicians that are in their twilight have made it big somehow through these places.
Then there are live band performances from our very own local artists. Much as most of the artists play low quality music when performing live as compared to their studio productions, they still deserve some rewards befitting their toils.
Lately, other artists are getting to put their price on the table before they can be hired to perform in different joints unlike in the past and other pockets of resistance in the owners of some joints who still want to pay artists based on the gate collections.
I want to look at the issues from a two-way position, one where due to poor quality of music, artists expose themselves to exploitation, because no one will approach them at all, for their mediocre output. The other one is whether artists like Lawi or Mafunyeta that I mentioned benefit anything at all from their playtime that entertainment joints expend using their music.
Let me start with the first position, quality begets quantity but top quality begets hefty quantity. Meaning, if musicians playing in the joints practice a lot and produce quality music then they will place themselves at substantial price tag.
What happens when musicians beg entertainment joints to play live music is that either they will share 50-50 or sometimes if owners understand, they will get 40 per cent while the performing artists get the remaining 60 per cent.
Likely most artists do not have resources to own musical equipment so they will hire at say K10,000 and not only this they will also need to hire a vehicle at K5,000 to transport the equipment from wherever they have hired it to a venue they are supposed to conduct their performance.
But already if a band is this struggling, you do not expect it to conduct themselves to a level where the audience will be satisfied and therefore even if they say gate charges will be at K200 per head you find that only 20 people have turned up for the show.
My poor mathematics tells me this will come up to K4, 000. Now if the joint owner is the 50-50 kind, then the band will remain with K2,000 out of which it has to pay equipment owner K10,000 while the vehicle owner wants his K5,00 and I am not mentioning the hard pressed performers who are looking up to the collections for their survival.
Now while the audience of 20 has enjoyed themselves, whatever the quality, what do the artists take home with them? More misery than when they were living home.
You might think their Musicians Association is not aware of their plight but you are wrong because they are. They love to hold positions but they are so headless that they can come up with innovations where they, for example they purchase equipment or develop infrastructures where the artists can get to and train or borrow equipment.
Now on the second point, where other joints will play music or artists; strangely we have Copyright Society of Malawi COSOMA, a body that is so opportunistic and suck from thin cows, who are the artists themselves.
There is neither intellectual property protection nor any enforcement of copyright issues. I remember at one time my cousin and I were running an entertainment joint; somehow, we could get to some people with music on their computers and burn them into compact disks.
We would take the music and have our clients entertained to the maximum and even share it with other customers. There has never been any visit from anybody that demanded anything from us, for playing the music produced by both international as well as local artists for commercial purposes. Something this is, is it not?
Feedback: drummingpen@columinist.com
Malawi Music’s Quality Control
Quality control in this case refers to letting our music pass some form of litmus test...
Most radio stations complain that they receive an uncountable music compact disks or sometimes tapes brought by every Jack and Jill who say are musicians who have made some music that now needs airplay.
Without trying to patronise owners of music outlets, meaning those that have radio stations, Television stations or entertainment joints that play music, I think if we are to have quality music, then we need to set up standards, which should be set up as a checklist.
Once acclaimed musicians bring their music, it must be passed through a rigorous due process where it has to pass all or 90 percent of the points drawn on the checklist.
What would be the purpose of all this is to certify quality; some hints could be to look at the quality of sound i.e. is it filling the whole eardrum? On the other hand, is it trying to pull off the ear? Is it going to ‘infect’ the eardrum or just use it as a passage as it soothes the soul?
When listening to it are you feeling ashamed that the so called musician only exposed to outside ears failure when it is clear the voice used in the song desperately needed the very space the body also badly needed for some oxygen?
What about vocal variations, is it blending with the instrumentation? Is the music some common organised noise? I know there could be many areas to look into before venturing into unknown terrain. Well, all what sound this pen is trying to drum out is to ensure standard enforcement.
There are some employees in the radio stations, TVs and even entertainment joints that, at the expense of their jobs, let gluttony scarlet red in the teeth.
You find the musician taking their music to radio stations where they neither will nor query on procedures for leaving one’s music at such places.
Instead, they will look for a particular radio or TV presenter or the people who play music in entertainment joints most that wrongly tag themselves as disk Jockeys DJs – and leave their CDs with them.
The recipients of such will either dump it even when they pocketed a K10, 000 bunch of K500 notes for a Coke or play it repeatedly even when it is so immature to be called music.
This kind of greed is not motivational in the would be musician and it encourages them to go to a person who has a mixer placed in his dining room on his dining table linked with a ‘scraggy’ boom microphone.
Within two hours the so called musician will gurgle out noise, which the man owning the dining table and the mixer placed on it, will mix the panting sound with some computer programmes that will give it a drumbeat, accompanied by sounds of guitars and percussions.
All this will be happening on the back of an outcry that Malawi music has and still is struggling to get a place on the international market.
Some have been attributing this to failure to lack of establishment of a unique music genre but this earns my disagreement because this happens because artists do not know what they want to achieve.
This is what will usually generate impatient in the way music in the country is produced, even for those that are nationally acclaimed, as our top musicians have no patient to take time before releasing anything.
Come on! How can a band like Black Missionaries, for example, declare that they will be producing Kuimba albums annually?
If what they have on their records shelf as the latest production is Kuimba 7 then it means for the last 7 years they have been producing.
On average, they produce about 10 songs per album and in seven years, it means they have produced around 70 songs to their credit.
Are you sure, there is no compromise to quality in this instance?
Radio stations will always have no problems with this, as they will establish several programme specifically designed to ‘promote’ this kind of local music. If what is meant is to be achieved is really meant to promote, then I have a problem with the mediocrity they are championing.
If by accident or chance a member of an international music-promoting firm is visiting the country or any of the websites that have some of the local radios that are streaming online and catches the hurriedly prepared musical stuff, will they really be encouraged to come and promote it for the international market?
If we are to achieve quality as a country and promote local music, then local radio and TV stations and entertainment joints in collaboration with organisations dealing in and with music and musicians have to set up benchmark, which has to be used if music produced has to gain airplay.
These outlets need to critically look at the music videos produced other than broadcasting or playing anything they lay their hands on.
Even the press should not always carry stories for mediocre performers who just visit newsrooms, declare their musicians, and get story space.
Entertainment writers have to listen to the music of an artist before they can start glorifying mediocrity. We can do better with quality control in the music Industry.
Most radio stations complain that they receive an uncountable music compact disks or sometimes tapes brought by every Jack and Jill who say are musicians who have made some music that now needs airplay.
Without trying to patronise owners of music outlets, meaning those that have radio stations, Television stations or entertainment joints that play music, I think if we are to have quality music, then we need to set up standards, which should be set up as a checklist.
Once acclaimed musicians bring their music, it must be passed through a rigorous due process where it has to pass all or 90 percent of the points drawn on the checklist.
What would be the purpose of all this is to certify quality; some hints could be to look at the quality of sound i.e. is it filling the whole eardrum? On the other hand, is it trying to pull off the ear? Is it going to ‘infect’ the eardrum or just use it as a passage as it soothes the soul?
When listening to it are you feeling ashamed that the so called musician only exposed to outside ears failure when it is clear the voice used in the song desperately needed the very space the body also badly needed for some oxygen?
What about vocal variations, is it blending with the instrumentation? Is the music some common organised noise? I know there could be many areas to look into before venturing into unknown terrain. Well, all what sound this pen is trying to drum out is to ensure standard enforcement.
There are some employees in the radio stations, TVs and even entertainment joints that, at the expense of their jobs, let gluttony scarlet red in the teeth.
You find the musician taking their music to radio stations where they neither will nor query on procedures for leaving one’s music at such places.
Instead, they will look for a particular radio or TV presenter or the people who play music in entertainment joints most that wrongly tag themselves as disk Jockeys DJs – and leave their CDs with them.
The recipients of such will either dump it even when they pocketed a K10, 000 bunch of K500 notes for a Coke or play it repeatedly even when it is so immature to be called music.
This kind of greed is not motivational in the would be musician and it encourages them to go to a person who has a mixer placed in his dining room on his dining table linked with a ‘scraggy’ boom microphone.
Within two hours the so called musician will gurgle out noise, which the man owning the dining table and the mixer placed on it, will mix the panting sound with some computer programmes that will give it a drumbeat, accompanied by sounds of guitars and percussions.
All this will be happening on the back of an outcry that Malawi music has and still is struggling to get a place on the international market.
Some have been attributing this to failure to lack of establishment of a unique music genre but this earns my disagreement because this happens because artists do not know what they want to achieve.
This is what will usually generate impatient in the way music in the country is produced, even for those that are nationally acclaimed, as our top musicians have no patient to take time before releasing anything.
Come on! How can a band like Black Missionaries, for example, declare that they will be producing Kuimba albums annually?
If what they have on their records shelf as the latest production is Kuimba 7 then it means for the last 7 years they have been producing.
On average, they produce about 10 songs per album and in seven years, it means they have produced around 70 songs to their credit.
Are you sure, there is no compromise to quality in this instance?
Radio stations will always have no problems with this, as they will establish several programme specifically designed to ‘promote’ this kind of local music. If what is meant is to be achieved is really meant to promote, then I have a problem with the mediocrity they are championing.
If by accident or chance a member of an international music-promoting firm is visiting the country or any of the websites that have some of the local radios that are streaming online and catches the hurriedly prepared musical stuff, will they really be encouraged to come and promote it for the international market?
If we are to achieve quality as a country and promote local music, then local radio and TV stations and entertainment joints in collaboration with organisations dealing in and with music and musicians have to set up benchmark, which has to be used if music produced has to gain airplay.
These outlets need to critically look at the music videos produced other than broadcasting or playing anything they lay their hands on.
Even the press should not always carry stories for mediocre performers who just visit newsrooms, declare their musicians, and get story space.
Entertainment writers have to listen to the music of an artist before they can start glorifying mediocrity. We can do better with quality control in the music Industry.
How do the Dead Musicians Get their Royalties
There is a big difference between doing something in Malawi and doing similar thing in the West.
There was a time that I wondered on this very page why Michael Jackson’s riches are increasingly making him posthumously richer when there is no penny to show for Malawi’s fallen reggae hero Evison Matafale.
Without bothering to look at a well-coordinated system where musicians outside can release just a mere single and hit gold and continue making more money even after they die, I want us to look at what happens to music of our dead musicians.
We still hear songs on our radios that were done by the late Robert and Arnold Fumulani, Alan Namoko, Daniel and MacDonald Kachamba, Samangaya and the list goes on and on...
Well, do you remember when in 2002 or 2003 there about, Phungu Joseph Nkasa received royalties from Copyright Society of Malawi (COSOMA) in excess of millions.
Musicians I talked to explained to me how the system works. For every copy that an artist will sell, there is a royalty of K1.50t or something within this range, while every time a song by an artist is played on radio, that particular radio has to give COSOMA K0.60t for the song each time it is played.
Now in the absence of proper and transparent communication channel where you would expect COSOMA to clearly explain how this works, you cannot help it but wonder who get this money for the dead musicians.
In an attempt to avoid re-living the ordeal that talented Stonard Lungu underwent including performing while he was in an excruciating cancerous pain, just to raise resources for medical care and treatment, one wonders if there is a proper mechanism to ensure that musicians benefit from their intellectual property.
Honestly, if the system were well laid, you would not expect Alan Namoko’s grave for example, to wait until such a time when broadcaster Gospel Kadzako would establish a successful media business to construct him a tomb. At least Kadzako ensured that where Alan Namoko was interred, should look honourable.
Recently there was an announcement in the media that Andrew Matrauza was topping the list of those musicians that who got most of the royalties. Well, looking at the songs that are said to have helped him achieve this feat, it is – I do not want to call it disappointment – but rather a surprise that they were in fact done years ago.
Among many questions arising as a result of this is that when I sell my music today, when am I expected to get the royalty money?
Again, looking at a figure like K240, 000 that Matrauza got, what does it explain if this is cumulative over a period of five years? Is musical profession in Malawi worthwhile?
Then, why should the list be of only those that are still alive, when – like when Matafale passed away – his music dominated the airplay not to mention record sales, which overshot, making distributors fail to satisfy the demand.
Even under the guidance of the antiquated Copyright Act nothing tangible, seem to be taking shape to either protect or benefit both the dead and living musicians.
How ironic! Why should people that are gifted with musical art, entertaining us throughout all their lives, which are strewn, with all struggles due to poverty, indeed suffer a life of penury? Worse still, why should their poor financial status not only continue haunting them in their graves but make their bereaved family members laughing stock as well?
Imagine, you are brother or sister to one super fallen artist and you are, say, in a bus, where they are playing his music. Everyone is talking about how great Ned Mapira, Samangaya or Ada Manda were; is it not a mockery when you are struggling to construct them a proper tomb, not to mention failing to raise and school their orphans?
Remember the fate of our all time great Michael Sauka, brains behind the National Anthem?
If we had a vibrant musical body, for lack of a suitable institution let me mention COSOMA for example, the best would have to create a special fund for artists. This could be taking up part of their royalties if they are still alive while managing all of the dead musician royalties and then trickle it to their families based on each one’s percentage contribution.
The same fund could become handy as well in situations like one that Stonard Lungu wanted to go to a Tanzanian hospital for cancer treatment.
Musicians Association of Malawi knowing that there is a day when its members would also found themselves in this position should at times organise musical shows or other activities to generate money for the fund.
Whoever could also be the in charge of such fund might as well use the money to buy shares to ensure a steady financial position. The living artists could buy life insurance policies; even policies that can carter for education of their children using the same money.
In this way, maybe we can be rest assured that our dead musicians are ‘Resting in Peace’ as they lay in their unkempt graves.
There was a time that I wondered on this very page why Michael Jackson’s riches are increasingly making him posthumously richer when there is no penny to show for Malawi’s fallen reggae hero Evison Matafale.
Without bothering to look at a well-coordinated system where musicians outside can release just a mere single and hit gold and continue making more money even after they die, I want us to look at what happens to music of our dead musicians.
We still hear songs on our radios that were done by the late Robert and Arnold Fumulani, Alan Namoko, Daniel and MacDonald Kachamba, Samangaya and the list goes on and on...
Well, do you remember when in 2002 or 2003 there about, Phungu Joseph Nkasa received royalties from Copyright Society of Malawi (COSOMA) in excess of millions.
Musicians I talked to explained to me how the system works. For every copy that an artist will sell, there is a royalty of K1.50t or something within this range, while every time a song by an artist is played on radio, that particular radio has to give COSOMA K0.60t for the song each time it is played.
Now in the absence of proper and transparent communication channel where you would expect COSOMA to clearly explain how this works, you cannot help it but wonder who get this money for the dead musicians.
In an attempt to avoid re-living the ordeal that talented Stonard Lungu underwent including performing while he was in an excruciating cancerous pain, just to raise resources for medical care and treatment, one wonders if there is a proper mechanism to ensure that musicians benefit from their intellectual property.
Honestly, if the system were well laid, you would not expect Alan Namoko’s grave for example, to wait until such a time when broadcaster Gospel Kadzako would establish a successful media business to construct him a tomb. At least Kadzako ensured that where Alan Namoko was interred, should look honourable.
Recently there was an announcement in the media that Andrew Matrauza was topping the list of those musicians that who got most of the royalties. Well, looking at the songs that are said to have helped him achieve this feat, it is – I do not want to call it disappointment – but rather a surprise that they were in fact done years ago.
Among many questions arising as a result of this is that when I sell my music today, when am I expected to get the royalty money?
Again, looking at a figure like K240, 000 that Matrauza got, what does it explain if this is cumulative over a period of five years? Is musical profession in Malawi worthwhile?
Then, why should the list be of only those that are still alive, when – like when Matafale passed away – his music dominated the airplay not to mention record sales, which overshot, making distributors fail to satisfy the demand.
Even under the guidance of the antiquated Copyright Act nothing tangible, seem to be taking shape to either protect or benefit both the dead and living musicians.
How ironic! Why should people that are gifted with musical art, entertaining us throughout all their lives, which are strewn, with all struggles due to poverty, indeed suffer a life of penury? Worse still, why should their poor financial status not only continue haunting them in their graves but make their bereaved family members laughing stock as well?
Imagine, you are brother or sister to one super fallen artist and you are, say, in a bus, where they are playing his music. Everyone is talking about how great Ned Mapira, Samangaya or Ada Manda were; is it not a mockery when you are struggling to construct them a proper tomb, not to mention failing to raise and school their orphans?
Remember the fate of our all time great Michael Sauka, brains behind the National Anthem?
If we had a vibrant musical body, for lack of a suitable institution let me mention COSOMA for example, the best would have to create a special fund for artists. This could be taking up part of their royalties if they are still alive while managing all of the dead musician royalties and then trickle it to their families based on each one’s percentage contribution.
The same fund could become handy as well in situations like one that Stonard Lungu wanted to go to a Tanzanian hospital for cancer treatment.
Musicians Association of Malawi knowing that there is a day when its members would also found themselves in this position should at times organise musical shows or other activities to generate money for the fund.
Whoever could also be the in charge of such fund might as well use the money to buy shares to ensure a steady financial position. The living artists could buy life insurance policies; even policies that can carter for education of their children using the same money.
In this way, maybe we can be rest assured that our dead musicians are ‘Resting in Peace’ as they lay in their unkempt graves.
Music is a Mission, not Competition
I know you have heard of Alpha Blondy, Ishmael Isaacs, Tinken Jah Fakoly and Serges Kassi all these are from Abidjan in Ivory Coast. They are the best of reggae artists that have emerged from Africa.
On 20th October 2009, I was listening to BBC Focus on Africa where it was declared that Abidjan is to Africa what Kingston is to Jamaica if we are to consider how the two cities have befriended reggae music.
BBC says Ivorians believe their main city Abidjan is one of the reggae capitals of the world.
Well, during the time I was listening to BBC radio there was an interview of another reggae artist for Abidjan called ‘Kajim’ who declared that music is a mission and not competition.
Kajim declared, "Here our music is a weapon, and it is not the same thing in other countries."
Although music is a weapon, Kajim said he has refused to be used by politicians because as a mission how can a musician be used by a politician.
He said this in contrast to his compatriots who have fallen for politicians like one reggae man, Serges Kassi, who is a fervent supporter of President Laurent Gbagbo and BBC reports that he is in fact one of the leaders of his militant supporters, the Young Patriots, who in the past have been accused of being a militia.
While it says another musician, Tiken Jah Fakoly, who is perhaps Ivory Coast's biggest reggae star after Alpha Blondy, is firmly in the other camp.
Fakoly has criticized President Gbagbo heavily, calling him "badly elected" and a "thug President".
While his songs have found fertile ground with the New Forces, rebels who control the north of the country it has made Tiken Jah live in exile in Mali, saying it would be too dangerous for him to return to Abidjan.
You might be wondering why today the pen is trying to drum strange sound from foreign land, well; the reason is that their situation can easily be identifiable to our own.
Let us start with ‘Wagwa nayo’ and ‘Mose wa Lero’ two opposing songs that dominated the campaign trail in the country’s last elections.
I do not want to dwell on which one took the centre stage of the two above, all I am trying to stress is on the declaration; ‘Music is a mission not competition’.
Lucious Banda has Paul Banda as not only a brother, according to his own words but also a father. Lucious is one talented musician who is so creative that will make you listen to a UDF song even if you have sworn never to hear anything UDF but because of its musicality, you find yourself listening to the music substituting the UDF aspect.
Lucious has Paul to thank for nurturing his talent to the levels it reached but the moment he strayed from the path Paul had charted for him he landed himself in problems.
Sir Paul Banda, as most of us would fondly call him, has always realized that music is a mission and he has stuck to this belief and this is why he is so respected. While Lucious despised this belief and found himself being used as a competition tool for politicians and ended up broken. He only has his talent to thank because it is the only thing that has bailed him out.
When music was a mission in the eyes of Lucious he used it as a weapon which fought for the people and it had a huge result as masses appreciated and this he realized and called himself ‘Soldier’. Believe you me Lucious has almost forgotten that he used to call himself ‘Soldier’ because he strayed when he mistook music mission for competition.
Whether one likes it or not Sir Paul Banda revolutionized the Malawi music, this is the reason in the beginning the Balaka beat dominated. When Lucious came on the limelight, everyone wanted to imitate him, because he had so big an influence, we found artists like Billy Kaunda, Isaac Liwotcha and the rest that followed, starting their careers using the Lucious Banda template.
To any music missionary, Lucious Banda can also be squarely blamed for having misled the very artists he had influenced into following him into the political competitive aspect when he joined the political bandwagon.
Look at how many musicians followed suit, ironically Billy Kaunda continued following the leading Lucious and perhaps MacDonald Mlaka Maliro can claim that he had been steadfast in his realization that music is a mission not a competition and this is why it was his wife Bernadette who is a politician not him. However, the mere fact that he went flat out using his music to promote her, shows that he still missed it anyway.
As a mission, not competition, music is used as a unifying factor. Before Lucious compromised his musical mission with political competition, he could take up a national debate through his music and be heard without any misgivings.
Now tell him to do one song on ‘quota system’ or whether President Bingu wa Mutharika is justified to be a patron of a tribal grouping, everyone will be saying he has been sent by former President Bakili Muluzi because people think he is Muluzi’s political puppet.
On 20th October 2009, I was listening to BBC Focus on Africa where it was declared that Abidjan is to Africa what Kingston is to Jamaica if we are to consider how the two cities have befriended reggae music.
BBC says Ivorians believe their main city Abidjan is one of the reggae capitals of the world.
Well, during the time I was listening to BBC radio there was an interview of another reggae artist for Abidjan called ‘Kajim’ who declared that music is a mission and not competition.
Kajim declared, "Here our music is a weapon, and it is not the same thing in other countries."
Although music is a weapon, Kajim said he has refused to be used by politicians because as a mission how can a musician be used by a politician.
He said this in contrast to his compatriots who have fallen for politicians like one reggae man, Serges Kassi, who is a fervent supporter of President Laurent Gbagbo and BBC reports that he is in fact one of the leaders of his militant supporters, the Young Patriots, who in the past have been accused of being a militia.
While it says another musician, Tiken Jah Fakoly, who is perhaps Ivory Coast's biggest reggae star after Alpha Blondy, is firmly in the other camp.
Fakoly has criticized President Gbagbo heavily, calling him "badly elected" and a "thug President".
While his songs have found fertile ground with the New Forces, rebels who control the north of the country it has made Tiken Jah live in exile in Mali, saying it would be too dangerous for him to return to Abidjan.
You might be wondering why today the pen is trying to drum strange sound from foreign land, well; the reason is that their situation can easily be identifiable to our own.
Let us start with ‘Wagwa nayo’ and ‘Mose wa Lero’ two opposing songs that dominated the campaign trail in the country’s last elections.
I do not want to dwell on which one took the centre stage of the two above, all I am trying to stress is on the declaration; ‘Music is a mission not competition’.
Lucious Banda has Paul Banda as not only a brother, according to his own words but also a father. Lucious is one talented musician who is so creative that will make you listen to a UDF song even if you have sworn never to hear anything UDF but because of its musicality, you find yourself listening to the music substituting the UDF aspect.
Lucious has Paul to thank for nurturing his talent to the levels it reached but the moment he strayed from the path Paul had charted for him he landed himself in problems.
Sir Paul Banda, as most of us would fondly call him, has always realized that music is a mission and he has stuck to this belief and this is why he is so respected. While Lucious despised this belief and found himself being used as a competition tool for politicians and ended up broken. He only has his talent to thank because it is the only thing that has bailed him out.
When music was a mission in the eyes of Lucious he used it as a weapon which fought for the people and it had a huge result as masses appreciated and this he realized and called himself ‘Soldier’. Believe you me Lucious has almost forgotten that he used to call himself ‘Soldier’ because he strayed when he mistook music mission for competition.
Whether one likes it or not Sir Paul Banda revolutionized the Malawi music, this is the reason in the beginning the Balaka beat dominated. When Lucious came on the limelight, everyone wanted to imitate him, because he had so big an influence, we found artists like Billy Kaunda, Isaac Liwotcha and the rest that followed, starting their careers using the Lucious Banda template.
To any music missionary, Lucious Banda can also be squarely blamed for having misled the very artists he had influenced into following him into the political competitive aspect when he joined the political bandwagon.
Look at how many musicians followed suit, ironically Billy Kaunda continued following the leading Lucious and perhaps MacDonald Mlaka Maliro can claim that he had been steadfast in his realization that music is a mission not a competition and this is why it was his wife Bernadette who is a politician not him. However, the mere fact that he went flat out using his music to promote her, shows that he still missed it anyway.
As a mission, not competition, music is used as a unifying factor. Before Lucious compromised his musical mission with political competition, he could take up a national debate through his music and be heard without any misgivings.
Now tell him to do one song on ‘quota system’ or whether President Bingu wa Mutharika is justified to be a patron of a tribal grouping, everyone will be saying he has been sent by former President Bakili Muluzi because people think he is Muluzi’s political puppet.
Dogmas and Half-Baked Gospel Music
Every religious belief is a closed system, so other philosophers argue.
Being such, it has its bedrock on a specific dogmatic belief. This is the reason one can neither question nor disagree with church authorities.
Christianity or Islam tells us that God created us even when we know we were born from our mothers and fathers. This parenthood knowledge has therefore compelled most of us to question our parents who God’s mother and father are, when we are at a tender age.
While the explanation is that God is Omnipotent, He was there and shall always be there looks like enough, it still has holes, which fail to hold together even a child’s credulity.
This is where a belief will use its ‘closed system’ which simply shut-up you by saying it is the evil powers of Satan that drives a person to ask such questions and this snaps any desire to ask more. This approach is what is usually looked at as a dogmatic slumber, where you wake up at your own peril.
This frame is unfortunately one which most of Gospel musicians want to use. They sing very bad songs, which they are not even ashamed to put into compact disks or tapes and call them albums, comfort in the belief that no one will point a finger at their mediocrity because it is the word of God.
Artists that are into gospel take it for granted that since it is gospel music then they could get away with it.
No, I am not going to believe that, this is a big lie. God loves beauty, this is the reason even his creations are a beauty including Lucifer himself – or herself pardon my gender sensitivity here – although in believer’s depiction they will try to show him as a badly horned looking creature.
For every 10 gospel songs produced in Malawi, you find that one will be a hit while for every 10 secular songs produced in the country at least five will become the street anthems due to its popular appeal.
While there is always a listener in the mind of the latter, the former gives it no effort to have quality music because to them gospel is gospel so you do not have to choose what to listen to.
I remember when I was growing up, our family used to pray at one of the world traditional churches The Catholic. There were five choirs at the church, which used to alternate during mass services. Of the five, only two practiced so hard and every time it was their turn to perform during the mass, no one wanted to leave the church.
The other three had a careless approach and on their worst days, they could even clash with lines of their songs not to mention starting off-key where the choirmaster would then struggle to make them start repeatedly as if they are practising when it was a mass service.
We thought we were the only ones that witnessed this middle-of-the-road act, but lo! The father superior was also irritated, he eventually dissolved the three choirs, and we remained with the two.
This is a clear indication that we cannot go to God with half-baked production just because we are mentioning his name expecting that everyone will let us be.
Every time we launch our gospel musical career, we also need to be so creative to captivate even the non-believer to turn to God. It is wrong to conclude that Malawi although a God fearing nation does not promote her gospel artists. Gospel music should entice not dispel!
Much as it is a necessity for churches or any other beliefs to keep tight their dogmas, it would be wrong to use the same as a yardstick when producing music that sing about the very belief and approach it with a laissez-faire attitude.
It is a pity that some churches will even generate so many resources for say their pastor or evangelist to produce a musical album, not because he is talented but because he thinks he can do it since resources are available.
The best way to do it, if congregations have resources they want to waste on any musical production, is perhaps to identify a few talented individuals within the congregation who should be supported to produce music.
Today, I do not want to mention any names, but I should believe that we have amidst us gospel musicians that are worth the name while others are not only a shame to humanity but also their music stand blasphemous in the presence of God because of its mediocrity.
There was a time when this pen drummed something that echoed ‘quality control’ believe you me, quality control would be more useful in this respect than in any other type of music because those that sing gospel music take it for granted that our radios will make their listeners listen to their underdone work because it is for God.
Only if they can be made to listen to their badly produced music themselves and never allow it to reach to anyone else in the name of quality control, can we stop those using dogmatic beliefs to produce mediocrity.
Being such, it has its bedrock on a specific dogmatic belief. This is the reason one can neither question nor disagree with church authorities.
Christianity or Islam tells us that God created us even when we know we were born from our mothers and fathers. This parenthood knowledge has therefore compelled most of us to question our parents who God’s mother and father are, when we are at a tender age.
While the explanation is that God is Omnipotent, He was there and shall always be there looks like enough, it still has holes, which fail to hold together even a child’s credulity.
This is where a belief will use its ‘closed system’ which simply shut-up you by saying it is the evil powers of Satan that drives a person to ask such questions and this snaps any desire to ask more. This approach is what is usually looked at as a dogmatic slumber, where you wake up at your own peril.
This frame is unfortunately one which most of Gospel musicians want to use. They sing very bad songs, which they are not even ashamed to put into compact disks or tapes and call them albums, comfort in the belief that no one will point a finger at their mediocrity because it is the word of God.
Artists that are into gospel take it for granted that since it is gospel music then they could get away with it.
No, I am not going to believe that, this is a big lie. God loves beauty, this is the reason even his creations are a beauty including Lucifer himself – or herself pardon my gender sensitivity here – although in believer’s depiction they will try to show him as a badly horned looking creature.
For every 10 gospel songs produced in Malawi, you find that one will be a hit while for every 10 secular songs produced in the country at least five will become the street anthems due to its popular appeal.
While there is always a listener in the mind of the latter, the former gives it no effort to have quality music because to them gospel is gospel so you do not have to choose what to listen to.
I remember when I was growing up, our family used to pray at one of the world traditional churches The Catholic. There were five choirs at the church, which used to alternate during mass services. Of the five, only two practiced so hard and every time it was their turn to perform during the mass, no one wanted to leave the church.
The other three had a careless approach and on their worst days, they could even clash with lines of their songs not to mention starting off-key where the choirmaster would then struggle to make them start repeatedly as if they are practising when it was a mass service.
We thought we were the only ones that witnessed this middle-of-the-road act, but lo! The father superior was also irritated, he eventually dissolved the three choirs, and we remained with the two.
This is a clear indication that we cannot go to God with half-baked production just because we are mentioning his name expecting that everyone will let us be.
Every time we launch our gospel musical career, we also need to be so creative to captivate even the non-believer to turn to God. It is wrong to conclude that Malawi although a God fearing nation does not promote her gospel artists. Gospel music should entice not dispel!
Much as it is a necessity for churches or any other beliefs to keep tight their dogmas, it would be wrong to use the same as a yardstick when producing music that sing about the very belief and approach it with a laissez-faire attitude.
It is a pity that some churches will even generate so many resources for say their pastor or evangelist to produce a musical album, not because he is talented but because he thinks he can do it since resources are available.
The best way to do it, if congregations have resources they want to waste on any musical production, is perhaps to identify a few talented individuals within the congregation who should be supported to produce music.
Today, I do not want to mention any names, but I should believe that we have amidst us gospel musicians that are worth the name while others are not only a shame to humanity but also their music stand blasphemous in the presence of God because of its mediocrity.
There was a time when this pen drummed something that echoed ‘quality control’ believe you me, quality control would be more useful in this respect than in any other type of music because those that sing gospel music take it for granted that our radios will make their listeners listen to their underdone work because it is for God.
Only if they can be made to listen to their badly produced music themselves and never allow it to reach to anyone else in the name of quality control, can we stop those using dogmatic beliefs to produce mediocrity.
Reggae Caught in a Confluence of Emotions
Late Gift Fumulani’s ten-track album ‘Mphamvu yake Mulungu’ is one such musical artefact that is more revealing. It is a very personal statement of one man whose mind was still searching for a right spiritual sanctuary.
It is an interface of intercession mingled in a psycho-religious dilemma, spiritual declaration interlocked with an expression of love devotion. It is also a three-way communication, one to self, the other to the listener while the last, which is almost dominant in all the tracks to God.
Whatever the case, by all Malawian reggae standards, this was Gift Fumulani at his best, regardless of whatever faculty of distinguishing sounds one holds. The album transcends all the borders that divide the kind of music genres that tickle the aperture of one’s ear.
It is a piece of art that one rarely comes up with in a lifetime. Pity Fumulani never lived to continue pulling all the tricks from the hat. Ironically, in one track ‘Oyipa’ he presages, “I will sing for the last time and perhaps the last mile and like the last trumpet”.
However, allow me to depart from the praise and stay with the fact that the dilemma in Gift’s albums is characteristic of all musicians in the country who are also reggae music players or spot dreadlocks and chant Jah Rastafarie in their music.
Other quarters have labelled this Fumulani album in question as gospel, however, going by all the lyrics in the songs of the album Fumulani failed to say yes or no to this question.
Listening to the music, which if thrown into Jamaican music chart where reggae was born and still continues to be genetically modified in their studios, Fumulani could still find a place among the counted.
This, in other words, is purely to say that Fumulani’s album is purely reggae, which is known as conscious vibes because of its religious construct. One question that stands out high when listening to this album is whether Fumulani is a Rasta or just a Christian.
An opening of the kind of internal war that is raging within his psyche is crystal clear in the track ‘Mphavu yake Mlungu’ where he sings of someone from far away place who wants to be worshiped but Fumulani challenges him saying his wishes are impossible.
In the same track, he says he will sing the song of his defeat. “They will force my people to enter his congregation but God’s power will destroy you with fire”.
In addition, this element of destruction of fire seems to be disturbing Fumulani so much that it is present in most of tracks.
If anyone was in doubt if Fumulani is a Rasta or not ‘Uyankhe Wekha’ is characteristically a Rasta song. This is what in Reggae music styles is known as a ‘Nyaghabingi Chant’ where there is dominance of drum beating.
Anybody who liked his first album could in no way ignore ‘Mphamvu yake Mulungu’ and if they had doubts over his capabilities, this album vindicated him and gave them a headache to differentiate between him and his cousins of the Black Missionaries.
One clear common thing, between the Fumulanis, thus Gift and his Black Missionaries cousins, is the internal war that is raging within them of whether they can depend on Rasta life or Christianity as their source of salvation, and therefore project this into their music.
Black Missionaries founder late Evison Matafale and torchbearer thereafter, late Msamude Fumulani never doubted a minute where they stood on their religious inclinations.
However, looking at Anjiru and Chizondi Fumulani, you cannot help it, but realise that they are not sure what direction they want to take lyrically while they seem grounded with the reggae tune. What perhaps could be more problematic is that they have another artiste extraordinaire, the guitar wizard himself Peter Amidu who does not hide his Rasta faith.
This means anytime the two Fumulani remnants decide to purge out reggae as their identical genre then they will also be parting ways with Amidu.
Interestingly, whenever dreadlocked Sally Nyundo has released an album, he uses the Black Missionaries for promotion. Sally is a sworn reggae artist but is not sure if he is a Rasta or not for real; he acknowledges something to this effect in his latest DVD.
Hax Momba? All he tries to do in all the music that he plays is to give you the annoyance of trying to tell whether he is trying to mimic Jamaican reggae grandfather Burning Spear or the fallen megastar late Joseph Hills who in the later days of his life adopted the name Culture that was previously, their reggae group name.
Momba will however, try to run away from declaring if he is Rasta or not, the same would be said of Lucious Banda who could even have the temerity to chant some Jah Rastafarie in his songs.
What does this tell us? It is about imitating without enough knowledge and following a genre that means nothing to passion.
It is an interface of intercession mingled in a psycho-religious dilemma, spiritual declaration interlocked with an expression of love devotion. It is also a three-way communication, one to self, the other to the listener while the last, which is almost dominant in all the tracks to God.
Whatever the case, by all Malawian reggae standards, this was Gift Fumulani at his best, regardless of whatever faculty of distinguishing sounds one holds. The album transcends all the borders that divide the kind of music genres that tickle the aperture of one’s ear.
It is a piece of art that one rarely comes up with in a lifetime. Pity Fumulani never lived to continue pulling all the tricks from the hat. Ironically, in one track ‘Oyipa’ he presages, “I will sing for the last time and perhaps the last mile and like the last trumpet”.
However, allow me to depart from the praise and stay with the fact that the dilemma in Gift’s albums is characteristic of all musicians in the country who are also reggae music players or spot dreadlocks and chant Jah Rastafarie in their music.
Other quarters have labelled this Fumulani album in question as gospel, however, going by all the lyrics in the songs of the album Fumulani failed to say yes or no to this question.
Listening to the music, which if thrown into Jamaican music chart where reggae was born and still continues to be genetically modified in their studios, Fumulani could still find a place among the counted.
This, in other words, is purely to say that Fumulani’s album is purely reggae, which is known as conscious vibes because of its religious construct. One question that stands out high when listening to this album is whether Fumulani is a Rasta or just a Christian.
An opening of the kind of internal war that is raging within his psyche is crystal clear in the track ‘Mphavu yake Mlungu’ where he sings of someone from far away place who wants to be worshiped but Fumulani challenges him saying his wishes are impossible.
In the same track, he says he will sing the song of his defeat. “They will force my people to enter his congregation but God’s power will destroy you with fire”.
In addition, this element of destruction of fire seems to be disturbing Fumulani so much that it is present in most of tracks.
If anyone was in doubt if Fumulani is a Rasta or not ‘Uyankhe Wekha’ is characteristically a Rasta song. This is what in Reggae music styles is known as a ‘Nyaghabingi Chant’ where there is dominance of drum beating.
Anybody who liked his first album could in no way ignore ‘Mphamvu yake Mulungu’ and if they had doubts over his capabilities, this album vindicated him and gave them a headache to differentiate between him and his cousins of the Black Missionaries.
One clear common thing, between the Fumulanis, thus Gift and his Black Missionaries cousins, is the internal war that is raging within them of whether they can depend on Rasta life or Christianity as their source of salvation, and therefore project this into their music.
Black Missionaries founder late Evison Matafale and torchbearer thereafter, late Msamude Fumulani never doubted a minute where they stood on their religious inclinations.
However, looking at Anjiru and Chizondi Fumulani, you cannot help it, but realise that they are not sure what direction they want to take lyrically while they seem grounded with the reggae tune. What perhaps could be more problematic is that they have another artiste extraordinaire, the guitar wizard himself Peter Amidu who does not hide his Rasta faith.
This means anytime the two Fumulani remnants decide to purge out reggae as their identical genre then they will also be parting ways with Amidu.
Interestingly, whenever dreadlocked Sally Nyundo has released an album, he uses the Black Missionaries for promotion. Sally is a sworn reggae artist but is not sure if he is a Rasta or not for real; he acknowledges something to this effect in his latest DVD.
Hax Momba? All he tries to do in all the music that he plays is to give you the annoyance of trying to tell whether he is trying to mimic Jamaican reggae grandfather Burning Spear or the fallen megastar late Joseph Hills who in the later days of his life adopted the name Culture that was previously, their reggae group name.
Momba will however, try to run away from declaring if he is Rasta or not, the same would be said of Lucious Banda who could even have the temerity to chant some Jah Rastafarie in his songs.
What does this tell us? It is about imitating without enough knowledge and following a genre that means nothing to passion.
Has any Malawian invented a Musical Genre?
Strange! One would exclaim. Strange because someone would just decides to call a genre ‘Dub Reggae Poetry’ or Rhythm and Poetry shortened to RAP and bang! Everybody has no problem with it; others would even start understudying those practising it and start imitating it.
San B will come up with his and call it ‘Honjo’ and Atumwi will call theirs ‘Sendeza’. The African Representatives to the 2008 World Music Crossroads festival, the Boys from Mzuzu ‘The Body, Mind and Soul’ will call theirs ‘Voodoo jazz’. Tay Grin, Nyau Music and no one will take them seriously.
An internationally acclaimed music guru Alex Combs says prehistoric man started music when he was trying to imitate birds. With the development of writing, music became more refined and crafted instruments like pipes, flutes, basic stringed instruments, and similar tools aided this further as it helped in the creation of harmonies.
Combs says the oldest known song is over 4000 years old, written in cuneiform, and uses the diatonic scale but he says further developments created more regional sound, as different technology discoveries in different areas led to unique instruments.
He then looks at "classical music" which he says is generally assumed to be the sounds of composers like Bach or Beethoven, it actually refers to any music of this period when music was usually religiously inspired or supported, and usually taught formally as a skill rather than developed through experimentation.
Then comes ‘Folk music’ which he says is generally the sound of the unlearned classes, those that could not write or read and it wa learned orally and often portrayed the concerns of the illiterate class and was usually not supported, but tolerated, by the government and religious leadership.
May before we plunge into actual discussion of creation of music genres perhaps we can look at some kind or style of music that we have and what justification such has over our own locally created genres.
There is one called ‘Rhythm and Blues’ or R ‘n’B simply put as popular music with blues themes and a strong rhythm. Then there is ‘Soul’ that originated from America, which is a fusion of rhythm and blues, gospel and rock elements.
Around 1950s there emerged ‘Pop’ cut from popular and this is regarded as the world’s highly successful commercial music. ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ is another popular dance-music originating around the same period with a heavy beat and often a blues element and its cousin, which was dished loud and with a pounding rhythm settled for the name ‘Rock’.
Then there is ‘Reggae’, which emerged from the West Indies, and it is usually described as a style of music with a strongly accented subsidiary beat; then you have ever heard of disco, which is merely popular dance music with a heavy bass rhythm.
‘Jazz’ described as rhythmic syncopated or improvised music of Black Americans is another one.
At least black people originated most of these but others would not forgive me if I do not mention ‘Country-and-Western’, a type of folk music originated by Whites in the southern US.
Right here in Africa we have ‘Rhumba’ from East Africa and Kwasakwasa and Soukous created in DR Congo although with big French influence.
In Southern Africa we have ‘Simanjemanje’ in South Africa and the Zimbabwe beat of the John Chibadura and company while in Zambia ‘Chikokoshi’ was it and in Malawi lost our ‘kwela’ to South Africa who now claim it is their genre.
If we are to look at all these genres, would we say they were created from without? I might challenge that no one can prove that these genres were invented independent of the other.
This is the reason I will not talk about Hip-hop but would rather talk about the fusion of poetry with any of genres to create different genres.
Talk of the creation or reggae instrumentation with poetry perfected by Jamaican based Mutabaruka who now hates his real name Alan Hope and the England based Linton Kwesi Johnson called Dub-Reggae-Poetry. Then there is the fusion of R ‘n’B which saw the birth of Rhythm and Poetry RAP.
Do I think any of this has influence in the type of genres that out artists are claiming to have originated? Very much so I would commit.
When Malawians musicians claim that they have come up with their own genre, are they fair to themselves?
Ben Mankhamba has tried to do a fusion of traditional dances with western instruments and called it Beni, Mwinoghe, vimbudza while Lucious has tried to have an Ingoma beat in most of his albums.
Wambali Mkandawire has never called what he plays anything else other than African Jazz whatever this means.
However the questions that still bothers me is that are our artists truthful to themselves when they claim to own or to have originated a unique genre when there are elements of synthesisers, electric drums, keyboards or saxophones and name them in their music?
After all what is African music when most of the world’s genres owe to their birth to African music influence?
San B will come up with his and call it ‘Honjo’ and Atumwi will call theirs ‘Sendeza’. The African Representatives to the 2008 World Music Crossroads festival, the Boys from Mzuzu ‘The Body, Mind and Soul’ will call theirs ‘Voodoo jazz’. Tay Grin, Nyau Music and no one will take them seriously.
An internationally acclaimed music guru Alex Combs says prehistoric man started music when he was trying to imitate birds. With the development of writing, music became more refined and crafted instruments like pipes, flutes, basic stringed instruments, and similar tools aided this further as it helped in the creation of harmonies.
Combs says the oldest known song is over 4000 years old, written in cuneiform, and uses the diatonic scale but he says further developments created more regional sound, as different technology discoveries in different areas led to unique instruments.
He then looks at "classical music" which he says is generally assumed to be the sounds of composers like Bach or Beethoven, it actually refers to any music of this period when music was usually religiously inspired or supported, and usually taught formally as a skill rather than developed through experimentation.
Then comes ‘Folk music’ which he says is generally the sound of the unlearned classes, those that could not write or read and it wa learned orally and often portrayed the concerns of the illiterate class and was usually not supported, but tolerated, by the government and religious leadership.
May before we plunge into actual discussion of creation of music genres perhaps we can look at some kind or style of music that we have and what justification such has over our own locally created genres.
There is one called ‘Rhythm and Blues’ or R ‘n’B simply put as popular music with blues themes and a strong rhythm. Then there is ‘Soul’ that originated from America, which is a fusion of rhythm and blues, gospel and rock elements.
Around 1950s there emerged ‘Pop’ cut from popular and this is regarded as the world’s highly successful commercial music. ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ is another popular dance-music originating around the same period with a heavy beat and often a blues element and its cousin, which was dished loud and with a pounding rhythm settled for the name ‘Rock’.
Then there is ‘Reggae’, which emerged from the West Indies, and it is usually described as a style of music with a strongly accented subsidiary beat; then you have ever heard of disco, which is merely popular dance music with a heavy bass rhythm.
‘Jazz’ described as rhythmic syncopated or improvised music of Black Americans is another one.
At least black people originated most of these but others would not forgive me if I do not mention ‘Country-and-Western’, a type of folk music originated by Whites in the southern US.
Right here in Africa we have ‘Rhumba’ from East Africa and Kwasakwasa and Soukous created in DR Congo although with big French influence.
In Southern Africa we have ‘Simanjemanje’ in South Africa and the Zimbabwe beat of the John Chibadura and company while in Zambia ‘Chikokoshi’ was it and in Malawi lost our ‘kwela’ to South Africa who now claim it is their genre.
If we are to look at all these genres, would we say they were created from without? I might challenge that no one can prove that these genres were invented independent of the other.
This is the reason I will not talk about Hip-hop but would rather talk about the fusion of poetry with any of genres to create different genres.
Talk of the creation or reggae instrumentation with poetry perfected by Jamaican based Mutabaruka who now hates his real name Alan Hope and the England based Linton Kwesi Johnson called Dub-Reggae-Poetry. Then there is the fusion of R ‘n’B which saw the birth of Rhythm and Poetry RAP.
Do I think any of this has influence in the type of genres that out artists are claiming to have originated? Very much so I would commit.
When Malawians musicians claim that they have come up with their own genre, are they fair to themselves?
Ben Mankhamba has tried to do a fusion of traditional dances with western instruments and called it Beni, Mwinoghe, vimbudza while Lucious has tried to have an Ingoma beat in most of his albums.
Wambali Mkandawire has never called what he plays anything else other than African Jazz whatever this means.
However the questions that still bothers me is that are our artists truthful to themselves when they claim to own or to have originated a unique genre when there are elements of synthesisers, electric drums, keyboards or saxophones and name them in their music?
After all what is African music when most of the world’s genres owe to their birth to African music influence?
Being a Secular or Gospel Musician
Last week I started looking at music and beliefs, which has now led me to what has become to be known as Secular and Gospel sections of musicians in the country.
While the majority of local music consumers have condemned artists like Geoffrey Zigoma who they say gluttony moves them from the ship of gospel musicians one minute, and into one for the secular musicians the other minute, I do not intend to agree or disagree. I am determined to look at musicians like Zigoma from a different standpoint.
The problem that is killing Malawi’s nascent music industry is the artists’ struggle to do something without knowing what they want to become.
Mentality is of essence when any one person decides to venture into music; lack of it only proves the saying ‘garbage in, garbage out’ unnecessarily true. Unfortunately sometimes musicians think they have finally seen light forcing through its long leg through what they think is an opening but when they follow it and set off their music career barely a while down the road, they find their round shape failing to fit into the square hole.
I will forgive songbird Mrs. Ethel Kamwendo Banda for having started from secular terrain before jumping ship to join the gospel fray.
I have considered her age and influence from her elderly siblings and the stereotypes that used to haunt female musicians at the time she launched her career – or is it her secular career. These factors failed to prepare her mentally or her mentality was all but botched-up and this is why her girlish credulity decided which line of music she had to belong to while maturity charted her gospel route eventually.
Now exists Mrs. Banda, enters self-acclaimed Honjo inventor San B. He launched his career as a secular artist, and along the way, I thing he did a number of best hits but one I would want to dwell on is what I still consider as a master piece which goes like ‘Mukanena kuti Ha!Ha! Halleluja! Inu muziti Amen, akulu ampingo amve…!” This was however, the turning point for San B.
In the first place, he innocently did a secular song that touched on the gospel and depending on what one wanted to believe, this was either a gospel piece or a secular piece. San B bought the gospel sense and declared himself a gospel artist.
Whether he wants to believe it or not, when he became a gospel artist he lost his music panache. Interestingly Christianity like all other beliefs somehow is enemy to reality. It finds a way to hide truth by bringing in the underhand of Lucifer.
I am saying this because San B and his new gospel followers would think Satan is using me to discourage him from continuing the ‘blessed’ missionary work he has started. But my stand is he was the best when he had secular sense when doing his music than now when he is spreading gospel through his ‘honjo’ brainchild.
However, what could be an interesting aspect is perhaps a little recall to where we are coming from as a nation that came to grips with a penchant for good music. You remember when the Joseph Nangalembes, the Robert Fumulanis used to rule the airwaves, was there any divisions like secular and gospel artists.
Would you therefore say Nangalembe was not doing God’s work? Is being secular pursuit of evil? Do we perhaps realize that God can try to change a person to follow His ways by perfecting the person’s social being by using music to do this? And obviously musicians would be involved to achieve this?
Well, I might seem to be digressing, but my point is that musical talent that is in the artists is endowed as the artists sense it; it should therefore not be compromised to please anyone.
If you pause a minute and wonder, would you say a musician is supposed to consider what the audience would want to listen to, or what he or she has to unravel from the gods of novelty in the subliminal.
Billy Kaunda, Lucious Banda, Mlaka Maliro and who else? Are these secular or gospel musicians?
Will it be for them to tell us they are gospel musicians or it’s up to consumers to conclude where they belong.
The all great Wambali Mkandawire once declined to accept that he is a gospel musician he instead said his is spiritual music, would this have any distinctive telling on therefore will buy his music?
My question is what should follow what? consumers who will get attracted by outstanding creation of music or musician trying to interest consumers after playing second fiddle to some music stardom who attracted consumers to his or her music in the first place?
This is what brings in the copycats amidst the industry.
I want us to think aloud, and conclude with me that much as those who do praise and worship will chose whatever name to call themselves considering what has influenced whatever sectarian tags they want to go with, it is clear that something is wrong with mentality.
While the majority of local music consumers have condemned artists like Geoffrey Zigoma who they say gluttony moves them from the ship of gospel musicians one minute, and into one for the secular musicians the other minute, I do not intend to agree or disagree. I am determined to look at musicians like Zigoma from a different standpoint.
The problem that is killing Malawi’s nascent music industry is the artists’ struggle to do something without knowing what they want to become.
Mentality is of essence when any one person decides to venture into music; lack of it only proves the saying ‘garbage in, garbage out’ unnecessarily true. Unfortunately sometimes musicians think they have finally seen light forcing through its long leg through what they think is an opening but when they follow it and set off their music career barely a while down the road, they find their round shape failing to fit into the square hole.
I will forgive songbird Mrs. Ethel Kamwendo Banda for having started from secular terrain before jumping ship to join the gospel fray.
I have considered her age and influence from her elderly siblings and the stereotypes that used to haunt female musicians at the time she launched her career – or is it her secular career. These factors failed to prepare her mentally or her mentality was all but botched-up and this is why her girlish credulity decided which line of music she had to belong to while maturity charted her gospel route eventually.
Now exists Mrs. Banda, enters self-acclaimed Honjo inventor San B. He launched his career as a secular artist, and along the way, I thing he did a number of best hits but one I would want to dwell on is what I still consider as a master piece which goes like ‘Mukanena kuti Ha!Ha! Halleluja! Inu muziti Amen, akulu ampingo amve…!” This was however, the turning point for San B.
In the first place, he innocently did a secular song that touched on the gospel and depending on what one wanted to believe, this was either a gospel piece or a secular piece. San B bought the gospel sense and declared himself a gospel artist.
Whether he wants to believe it or not, when he became a gospel artist he lost his music panache. Interestingly Christianity like all other beliefs somehow is enemy to reality. It finds a way to hide truth by bringing in the underhand of Lucifer.
I am saying this because San B and his new gospel followers would think Satan is using me to discourage him from continuing the ‘blessed’ missionary work he has started. But my stand is he was the best when he had secular sense when doing his music than now when he is spreading gospel through his ‘honjo’ brainchild.
However, what could be an interesting aspect is perhaps a little recall to where we are coming from as a nation that came to grips with a penchant for good music. You remember when the Joseph Nangalembes, the Robert Fumulanis used to rule the airwaves, was there any divisions like secular and gospel artists.
Would you therefore say Nangalembe was not doing God’s work? Is being secular pursuit of evil? Do we perhaps realize that God can try to change a person to follow His ways by perfecting the person’s social being by using music to do this? And obviously musicians would be involved to achieve this?
Well, I might seem to be digressing, but my point is that musical talent that is in the artists is endowed as the artists sense it; it should therefore not be compromised to please anyone.
If you pause a minute and wonder, would you say a musician is supposed to consider what the audience would want to listen to, or what he or she has to unravel from the gods of novelty in the subliminal.
Billy Kaunda, Lucious Banda, Mlaka Maliro and who else? Are these secular or gospel musicians?
Will it be for them to tell us they are gospel musicians or it’s up to consumers to conclude where they belong.
The all great Wambali Mkandawire once declined to accept that he is a gospel musician he instead said his is spiritual music, would this have any distinctive telling on therefore will buy his music?
My question is what should follow what? consumers who will get attracted by outstanding creation of music or musician trying to interest consumers after playing second fiddle to some music stardom who attracted consumers to his or her music in the first place?
This is what brings in the copycats amidst the industry.
I want us to think aloud, and conclude with me that much as those who do praise and worship will chose whatever name to call themselves considering what has influenced whatever sectarian tags they want to go with, it is clear that something is wrong with mentality.
Music and Beliefs
If you were to tell what started first, between music and religion, would you find problems giving out an outright answer or would it be like figuring out the egg and hen enigma?
Well, I neither have an out-and-out answer as well, nor will I attempt to be knowledgeable but one very clear thing is that music is an integral part of most religions or beliefs.
One thing which every belief or religion will link to, is the powers of the soul or spirit perhaps this is the reason William Shakespeare was prompted to say “If music be the food of soul, then play on” considering that for the sake of human fulfillment at least the soul needs some form of musical appeasement.
In the risk of failing to prove its historicity, it looks like music preceded religion if assertions that music started when men were trying to imitate birds is anything to go by.
This is perhaps the reason the medieval sacred music was esoteric; meaning it was supposed to be intelligible only to those with special knowledge in the belief.
The art of music neither was an ego trip for the performer, nor meant to prop up vanity but to aid in meditation that would consequently help the believer achieve bliss. Don’t you believe that music has a powerful effect on our beliefs and our actions?
Every time you are in your church, synagogue, or attending any religious ceremony in or outside your mosque or where ever, what after effect does the music leave in you or leave you into?
Even without choir music, the Catholic Church will still be involved in antiphons where a priest will provoke the congregation with a versicle, which is each of the priest’s short sentences in a liturgy, and the congregation will respond and usually this is a singsong process. For example, the priest will go; “Ambuye akhale nanu” and the Congregation will respond “Akhalenso ndi inu nomwe”.
Alternatively, have you ever heard of the Gregorian chant ritual music, named after Pope Gregory I.
Christians are the last ones in all religions to disapprove that they showed up late on the scene, when it comes to their involvement with music. Trace of this is in the New Testament on some hymns which are seriously followed now by Orthodox Church, like the baptism theme "Awake, awake O sleeper". There is also a belief that the Christian leader Jesus being Jewish most likely sung the psalms from memory.
Then there is the Kirtan, which is the Hindu bhakti tradition performed as loving songs sung to God.
While Jewish music is based on the earliest synagogal music which was based on the same system as that in the Temple in Jerusalem.
Rastafarian music, which is known to be reggae, cannot beat the Nyabinghi chants, which is played at worship ceremonies called grounations characterized by drumming, chanting and dancing. There is also Shintō music , which is ceremonial music for the native religion of Japan, the same as Buddhist music used in Buddhist ceremony or meditation, which takes after the form of sutra recitation.
Another emphasis on music and belief that I should dwell on is based on findings by the US Princeton University’s sociologist Robert Wuthnow who established that music has kept the sound of organized religion from fading because from the 1960s to the closing years of the 20th century, various cultural observers predicted that religion would experience an enormous decline in America.
In his book called "All in Sync," Wuthnow says those who had predicted this decline were surprised by the stability and vitality of American religion in the last three decades of the 20th century because at the opening of a new millennium, American religion appears to be more vital even than in the 1950s cold-war era.
Based on 400 interviews with clergy, church members, and directors of cultural organizations, Wuthnow established that this vitality might in large part be traced to music and the arts, because one of the most important reasons that spirituality seems so pervasive in American culture is the publicity it receives because of its presence in the arts.
He looked at how the search for spirituality in America pervades even popular songs such as Madonna's "Like a Prayer".
Well, all I am trying to say here is that you cannot divorce music from religious belief.
Now coming back to Malawi, with all due respect to well established denominations, it is very clear that the emerging of Pentecostalism has brought in a very different appeal to followers, especially with its usage of band music.
The same has propelled most of our artists to stick to gospel music although the reasons that make them stick to gospel music pale into insignificance, if we are to look at what the actual goal for such music is.
Without trying to dodge this goal, one has just to look at how many of our musicians have left the secular stage for a gospel one, not to mention one Geoffrey Zigoma whose movement in zigzag direction beats political movement late Chakufwa Chihana made in his political sojourns.
Check this place next week, as I have just started.
Well, I neither have an out-and-out answer as well, nor will I attempt to be knowledgeable but one very clear thing is that music is an integral part of most religions or beliefs.
One thing which every belief or religion will link to, is the powers of the soul or spirit perhaps this is the reason William Shakespeare was prompted to say “If music be the food of soul, then play on” considering that for the sake of human fulfillment at least the soul needs some form of musical appeasement.
In the risk of failing to prove its historicity, it looks like music preceded religion if assertions that music started when men were trying to imitate birds is anything to go by.
This is perhaps the reason the medieval sacred music was esoteric; meaning it was supposed to be intelligible only to those with special knowledge in the belief.
The art of music neither was an ego trip for the performer, nor meant to prop up vanity but to aid in meditation that would consequently help the believer achieve bliss. Don’t you believe that music has a powerful effect on our beliefs and our actions?
Every time you are in your church, synagogue, or attending any religious ceremony in or outside your mosque or where ever, what after effect does the music leave in you or leave you into?
Even without choir music, the Catholic Church will still be involved in antiphons where a priest will provoke the congregation with a versicle, which is each of the priest’s short sentences in a liturgy, and the congregation will respond and usually this is a singsong process. For example, the priest will go; “Ambuye akhale nanu” and the Congregation will respond “Akhalenso ndi inu nomwe”.
Alternatively, have you ever heard of the Gregorian chant ritual music, named after Pope Gregory I.
Christians are the last ones in all religions to disapprove that they showed up late on the scene, when it comes to their involvement with music. Trace of this is in the New Testament on some hymns which are seriously followed now by Orthodox Church, like the baptism theme "Awake, awake O sleeper". There is also a belief that the Christian leader Jesus being Jewish most likely sung the psalms from memory.
Then there is the Kirtan, which is the Hindu bhakti tradition performed as loving songs sung to God.
While Jewish music is based on the earliest synagogal music which was based on the same system as that in the Temple in Jerusalem.
Rastafarian music, which is known to be reggae, cannot beat the Nyabinghi chants, which is played at worship ceremonies called grounations characterized by drumming, chanting and dancing. There is also Shintō music , which is ceremonial music for the native religion of Japan, the same as Buddhist music used in Buddhist ceremony or meditation, which takes after the form of sutra recitation.
Another emphasis on music and belief that I should dwell on is based on findings by the US Princeton University’s sociologist Robert Wuthnow who established that music has kept the sound of organized religion from fading because from the 1960s to the closing years of the 20th century, various cultural observers predicted that religion would experience an enormous decline in America.
In his book called "All in Sync," Wuthnow says those who had predicted this decline were surprised by the stability and vitality of American religion in the last three decades of the 20th century because at the opening of a new millennium, American religion appears to be more vital even than in the 1950s cold-war era.
Based on 400 interviews with clergy, church members, and directors of cultural organizations, Wuthnow established that this vitality might in large part be traced to music and the arts, because one of the most important reasons that spirituality seems so pervasive in American culture is the publicity it receives because of its presence in the arts.
He looked at how the search for spirituality in America pervades even popular songs such as Madonna's "Like a Prayer".
Well, all I am trying to say here is that you cannot divorce music from religious belief.
Now coming back to Malawi, with all due respect to well established denominations, it is very clear that the emerging of Pentecostalism has brought in a very different appeal to followers, especially with its usage of band music.
The same has propelled most of our artists to stick to gospel music although the reasons that make them stick to gospel music pale into insignificance, if we are to look at what the actual goal for such music is.
Without trying to dodge this goal, one has just to look at how many of our musicians have left the secular stage for a gospel one, not to mention one Geoffrey Zigoma whose movement in zigzag direction beats political movement late Chakufwa Chihana made in his political sojourns.
Check this place next week, as I have just started.
Malawi’s Music Archives and Vinegar Syndrome
An old Swiss saying ‘To get credit you must spend. To get debit you must have’ reminds me of the need to save. Savings, not of money but anything valuable, like paintings, miniatures and of course music, which to me, the mere act of keeping them is like a creation of leverage with posterity.
What this means is that storage is like debit where you have a ready pool where one can go to and withdraw. Music in the country did not have enough justice in as far as its storage is concerned. There was a time when it was only the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation MBC, which was recording artists and keeping their music on its open reel tapes.
At that time, we had no music industry worth its salt – I hope we have now. While in neighbouring Zambia, I remember my father used to purchase some LPs of artists like Super Mazembe, while we used to only listen to music of our artists no more than when MBC felt like playing it.
No wonder the dominant music that used to be played at different occasions, like during nationwide beauty contests or in villages during wedding ceremonies or sells of locally brewed ‘masese’ beer was from neighbouring Zambia, East African, Zimbabwe, South Africa etc.
What this means is that besides our oral music history, like where we would tell our sons and daughters that we had so and so who used to play this or that kind of music there is no opportunity to play it for the sake of their appreciation.
From some corners, I cannot place a finger on; I have heard a declaration ‘any country that has no history is like a tree without roots’. Usually, history is both oral and written and for the sake of posterity communities have established information banks they call libraries which if the history is not in audio form then it is in books.
The little publicised National Archives pats itself on the back for having preserved music that traces our history right to the colonial era, although it is now, however, faced with vinegar syndrome due to initial incapability to preserve its material properly.
Since there was no company that was furrowing our music on plates that used to be the LPs etc.; plus we did not have a recording studio other than that of MBC, even what the national archives kept in its repository were mostly open reel tapes taken from the broadcaster and the information department.
Those musicians that had gone to Southern and Northern Rhodesia or had the opportunity of having their music sent there had their marked music on the plates like Ndiche Mwalale, Bali Kuseli, Gerald Wayawaya etc.
The biggest challenge the national archives is faced with is in many folds. Biggest of them all is fending off agents of deterioration.
Chief among such agents is the time itself, followed by chemicals that are used to make the reel tapes, or films and other forms of storage, which make them, suffer deterioration as a result of chemical reaction, commonly known as vinegar syndrome.
For example, sulphur dioxide released from cars starts a chemical reaction once it finds its way into the repositories and the result is unpalatable to antiquarians.
The other challenge is the relic gadgetry that is used to play the stored material, where you would find music stored in a phonographic form in a reel tape can no longer be played because the machine was broken down and companies that used to manufacture them have since stopped producing them.
Even the tape reels use magnetic patterns which get compromised with different magnetic fields which demands that at intervals those looking after the repository have to rewind them time and again and this has its own attendant problems, like getting damaged etc.
Music is an art that sells itself if it has been made with matchless innovations. Beethoven produced in 16th century but we still listen to his music and has inspired so many. It reminds me of what Walt Disney, father of the cartoon strip Mickey Mouse once said that “Do something so well, that the world will pay you to do it again.”
But if this good artist who made music so well is long gone, all that has to be done is to go back to his or her old works and this is why in whatever case, we need to preserve our music because it is our heritage.
Now while we encourage that our music archives has to move with age, where migration of the materials has to take after the modern day technology, we also have to be wary of the computer usage because like fire, it also makes a wonderful servant but a terrible master, talk of piracy.
What this means is that storage is like debit where you have a ready pool where one can go to and withdraw. Music in the country did not have enough justice in as far as its storage is concerned. There was a time when it was only the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation MBC, which was recording artists and keeping their music on its open reel tapes.
At that time, we had no music industry worth its salt – I hope we have now. While in neighbouring Zambia, I remember my father used to purchase some LPs of artists like Super Mazembe, while we used to only listen to music of our artists no more than when MBC felt like playing it.
No wonder the dominant music that used to be played at different occasions, like during nationwide beauty contests or in villages during wedding ceremonies or sells of locally brewed ‘masese’ beer was from neighbouring Zambia, East African, Zimbabwe, South Africa etc.
What this means is that besides our oral music history, like where we would tell our sons and daughters that we had so and so who used to play this or that kind of music there is no opportunity to play it for the sake of their appreciation.
From some corners, I cannot place a finger on; I have heard a declaration ‘any country that has no history is like a tree without roots’. Usually, history is both oral and written and for the sake of posterity communities have established information banks they call libraries which if the history is not in audio form then it is in books.
The little publicised National Archives pats itself on the back for having preserved music that traces our history right to the colonial era, although it is now, however, faced with vinegar syndrome due to initial incapability to preserve its material properly.
Since there was no company that was furrowing our music on plates that used to be the LPs etc.; plus we did not have a recording studio other than that of MBC, even what the national archives kept in its repository were mostly open reel tapes taken from the broadcaster and the information department.
Those musicians that had gone to Southern and Northern Rhodesia or had the opportunity of having their music sent there had their marked music on the plates like Ndiche Mwalale, Bali Kuseli, Gerald Wayawaya etc.
The biggest challenge the national archives is faced with is in many folds. Biggest of them all is fending off agents of deterioration.
Chief among such agents is the time itself, followed by chemicals that are used to make the reel tapes, or films and other forms of storage, which make them, suffer deterioration as a result of chemical reaction, commonly known as vinegar syndrome.
For example, sulphur dioxide released from cars starts a chemical reaction once it finds its way into the repositories and the result is unpalatable to antiquarians.
The other challenge is the relic gadgetry that is used to play the stored material, where you would find music stored in a phonographic form in a reel tape can no longer be played because the machine was broken down and companies that used to manufacture them have since stopped producing them.
Even the tape reels use magnetic patterns which get compromised with different magnetic fields which demands that at intervals those looking after the repository have to rewind them time and again and this has its own attendant problems, like getting damaged etc.
Music is an art that sells itself if it has been made with matchless innovations. Beethoven produced in 16th century but we still listen to his music and has inspired so many. It reminds me of what Walt Disney, father of the cartoon strip Mickey Mouse once said that “Do something so well, that the world will pay you to do it again.”
But if this good artist who made music so well is long gone, all that has to be done is to go back to his or her old works and this is why in whatever case, we need to preserve our music because it is our heritage.
Now while we encourage that our music archives has to move with age, where migration of the materials has to take after the modern day technology, we also have to be wary of the computer usage because like fire, it also makes a wonderful servant but a terrible master, talk of piracy.
Mutharika – The Musician
Everyone knows President Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika as the head of the Malawi state, an accomplished economist, ‘chitsulo cha njanji’ and ‘Mose wa Lero’ a title that is musically ironic.
I want to discuss President Mutharika the musician. I guess because this is one facet of the head of state that has been left out or not noticed enough.
To start with, his talents came to the fore during the 2004 campaign, when politically; music also decided the pace of the campaign when musician Lucious Banda came on the scene with his hit single ‘Yellow’.
Then, Mutharika would sing out former Zambian President Dr. Kenneth Kaunda’s ‘Tiyende Pamodzi ndi Mtima Umodzi’ verses which never captivated anyone musically.
But having gained the incumbency, eventually, and formed his Democratic Progressive Party after ditching the United Democratic Front it looks like he got a totally new mettle for his musical capabilities.
Now this ‘Tiyende Pamodzi’ mantra had a different swirl to it, now that it was being sung by the first citizen who gave it an executive appeal. And when one of his Members of Parliament, gifted music producer and singer Joseph Tembo, [of course the name is now preceded by the title Honourable] took ‘the executive singing toils’ into the studios and manipulated it with his wizardry, what came out is a hit.
To show how outstanding the track has become one has just to measure how it is still terrorising the beer halls as well as the dance floors.
With the President’s musical involvement, one would not have been surprised to see how many old and new artists went home composing one song after the other.
By the way, this is not the first time that a State House resident has shown interest in actual singing.
Remember ‘Ise tikusewa mbuto za lusungu Tizam’mwemwetera Pa kuvilonga?’ [We who plant seeds of grace shall rejoice during harvest time’]. This was the first Head of State Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda doing a hymn single handedly. Then, there were times when he would start a song to Guide his mbumba sing him what he wanted.
Kamuzu I had also too much influence some coming out from duty demand and veneration as was the case with the MBC Band and The Chichiri Queens which came up with ‘Zonse zimene nza Kamuzu Banda’ while others composed songs in order to be noticed or because other musicians had composed songs of Kamuzu Banda so failure to do likewise would be deemed disobedience of highest order.
There was not much when President Bakili Muluzi came to power. He was not into singing and perhaps this was the reason he was finding fault with the way his successor sang ‘Tiyende Pamodzi’.
Muluzi was wondering, how one person [in this case Bingu] would start singing a song then turn into a backing vocalist at the same time? For whatever this was trying to communicate his contention was more of an arts critic than a political riposte for old scores if you look at it from a different perspective.
You would have expected Muluzi to as well critique a song Lucious Banda jointly performed with his wife Shanil for the sake of his jokes of course.
Then besides the actual musical involvement of the three Heads of state there was the involvement of artists different musical artists in their rallies.
I remember the late Davis Kapito who was a UDF bigwig wanted to use the fame his half brother Evison Matafale had built with his songs to bolster UDF standing in its political rallies and things got out of hand in Kasungu when the issue of reward led the two to separate paths.
Then there was a political declaration from Muluzi that he will reward musician Joseph Nkasa who was famous at that time by buying him a car. The two do not see each other eye to eye.
But with the change of occupant on the mantle of power it looks like Nkasa whose song ‘Mose wa Lero’ disputably helped augment Bingu’s political profile is not even complaining about rewards as he did when he sang ‘Anamva’ which challenged Muluzi to live by his words and buy him a car he pledged.
The issue here is now that the current resident of Sanjika has shown interest in music to an extent of breaking a step or two when his daughter hosted ‘Ethel Mutharika Memorial Show’ where local and international artist showcased their talent and sharing a stage with Nkasa during the DPP victory celebrations, can’t the music industry take advantage of this? Rewards.
There is a need of nurturing the musical talent that is seen in all the corners of the country by establishing a musical academy and this can be possible if musicians joined hands and approached Mutharika the musician.
I want to discuss President Mutharika the musician. I guess because this is one facet of the head of state that has been left out or not noticed enough.
To start with, his talents came to the fore during the 2004 campaign, when politically; music also decided the pace of the campaign when musician Lucious Banda came on the scene with his hit single ‘Yellow’.
Then, Mutharika would sing out former Zambian President Dr. Kenneth Kaunda’s ‘Tiyende Pamodzi ndi Mtima Umodzi’ verses which never captivated anyone musically.
But having gained the incumbency, eventually, and formed his Democratic Progressive Party after ditching the United Democratic Front it looks like he got a totally new mettle for his musical capabilities.
Now this ‘Tiyende Pamodzi’ mantra had a different swirl to it, now that it was being sung by the first citizen who gave it an executive appeal. And when one of his Members of Parliament, gifted music producer and singer Joseph Tembo, [of course the name is now preceded by the title Honourable] took ‘the executive singing toils’ into the studios and manipulated it with his wizardry, what came out is a hit.
To show how outstanding the track has become one has just to measure how it is still terrorising the beer halls as well as the dance floors.
With the President’s musical involvement, one would not have been surprised to see how many old and new artists went home composing one song after the other.
By the way, this is not the first time that a State House resident has shown interest in actual singing.
Remember ‘Ise tikusewa mbuto za lusungu Tizam’mwemwetera Pa kuvilonga?’ [We who plant seeds of grace shall rejoice during harvest time’]. This was the first Head of State Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda doing a hymn single handedly. Then, there were times when he would start a song to Guide his mbumba sing him what he wanted.
Kamuzu I had also too much influence some coming out from duty demand and veneration as was the case with the MBC Band and The Chichiri Queens which came up with ‘Zonse zimene nza Kamuzu Banda’ while others composed songs in order to be noticed or because other musicians had composed songs of Kamuzu Banda so failure to do likewise would be deemed disobedience of highest order.
There was not much when President Bakili Muluzi came to power. He was not into singing and perhaps this was the reason he was finding fault with the way his successor sang ‘Tiyende Pamodzi’.
Muluzi was wondering, how one person [in this case Bingu] would start singing a song then turn into a backing vocalist at the same time? For whatever this was trying to communicate his contention was more of an arts critic than a political riposte for old scores if you look at it from a different perspective.
You would have expected Muluzi to as well critique a song Lucious Banda jointly performed with his wife Shanil for the sake of his jokes of course.
Then besides the actual musical involvement of the three Heads of state there was the involvement of artists different musical artists in their rallies.
I remember the late Davis Kapito who was a UDF bigwig wanted to use the fame his half brother Evison Matafale had built with his songs to bolster UDF standing in its political rallies and things got out of hand in Kasungu when the issue of reward led the two to separate paths.
Then there was a political declaration from Muluzi that he will reward musician Joseph Nkasa who was famous at that time by buying him a car. The two do not see each other eye to eye.
But with the change of occupant on the mantle of power it looks like Nkasa whose song ‘Mose wa Lero’ disputably helped augment Bingu’s political profile is not even complaining about rewards as he did when he sang ‘Anamva’ which challenged Muluzi to live by his words and buy him a car he pledged.
The issue here is now that the current resident of Sanjika has shown interest in music to an extent of breaking a step or two when his daughter hosted ‘Ethel Mutharika Memorial Show’ where local and international artist showcased their talent and sharing a stage with Nkasa during the DPP victory celebrations, can’t the music industry take advantage of this? Rewards.
There is a need of nurturing the musical talent that is seen in all the corners of the country by establishing a musical academy and this can be possible if musicians joined hands and approached Mutharika the musician.
Finding a name for our Music in Malawi
That Malawi music leaves a lot to be desired is a fact I do not desire to dwell on as others before me have ably expounded on the subject.
Nevertheless, I feel duty bound to disabuse all who think highly about our musicians with a revelation that all are just rote musicians whose simple task is to blindly arrange sound to produce what they feel will give their audience a pleasing effect.
Show them the do-ti-la-so-fa-mi-re-do stuff and they will look at you with blank faces, as all this will be Greek to them. Simply put, they can’t read music; others do not even know that music is meant to be read.
The musical notation like breve, semi breve, minim, crotchet in Britain and quarter note in America or quaver or semi quaver which is the sixteenth note is known only by those in the military or the police service bands in the country. Pity it is confined within the terra firma of order and discipline establishments.
Of course these play instrumental music, as they are brass bands whose main up-thrust is to perform during ceremonial occasions while seated or while they march.
What we have outside the barracks is what others have called ‘trash’ while I would like you and I to find a name for the sound arrangements taking place in the country, which is called ‘music’.
There are several factors that we have to take note of; the first one is realising how we found ourselves a nation grappling with a music career.
We had music greats whose music still reigns in the country’s Hall of Fame as they used to enthuse all.
Names of Dr Daniel Kachamba and his brother Donald, Wenham Chechamba, Alan Namoko, Michael Mukhito Phiri, Snowden Ibu, Tambala Chitenje, Stonald Lungu etc. invokes memories that used to make everyone proud.
It is a pity that nothing can be said without singing about politics in the country now. This unfortunately does not leave much to music history, which has also politics dictating and charting its direction.
With the fight for change from Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda’s single party dictatorial rule to plural politics so emerged another crop of musicians like Lucius Banda.
When we took a stride into the multiparty political system we had the youths who had little hope in the employment market. Then they went into a flurry of activities arranging sound which they would eventually call music and sell to the Malawians. This was self-employment at its best, youngsters fighting for the right to be self sufficient.
At least Malawians had now their own music that had a certain appeal, especially considering that the other political system left behind never allowed our music to be expressive because it would have brought political disgruntlement and despair. But when the new artists did that, then that was the best music, so it sold well.
Now with the establishment of our democracy we have to revisit this pattern. Currently a song produced involves a drum roll, followed by a voice, which is complaining over lack of employment or political manipulation. Then the song goes into what is believed to be a chorus then back to a verse, a little instrumentation then, suddenly, the song is over.
When another new artist emergences, the only difference he brings is that of using a high-pitched voice as opposed to the low tones of the previous artist. Then the cycle goes round and round. And we have all their kind littering our music market and airwaves.
Now this confused sound is enough for our radio stations to create programmes meant to feature local music.
Most of the courses that have so far been offered in both private and public institutions prepare Malawians to be job seekers without being able to make Malawians self-employed or job creators.
If government can make available a facility that trains these fellows who think they are musicians to become real artists, singing what is real music - then the nation can really stumble onto gold. The positive point is they are willing to work out something for themselves and have great initiative to succeed.
Good music makes good sales. Unlike other products for instance the maize crop, which can only be exported when it achieves a surplus in production. With music the better the product, the more assured it is to collar markets outside the country, which in turn can give us greater forex.
I may be wrong, but I understand Malawi’s music is the richest in the region in terms of depth of tone and clarity of pitch. Surely this can be exploited!!
Nevertheless, I feel duty bound to disabuse all who think highly about our musicians with a revelation that all are just rote musicians whose simple task is to blindly arrange sound to produce what they feel will give their audience a pleasing effect.
Show them the do-ti-la-so-fa-mi-re-do stuff and they will look at you with blank faces, as all this will be Greek to them. Simply put, they can’t read music; others do not even know that music is meant to be read.
The musical notation like breve, semi breve, minim, crotchet in Britain and quarter note in America or quaver or semi quaver which is the sixteenth note is known only by those in the military or the police service bands in the country. Pity it is confined within the terra firma of order and discipline establishments.
Of course these play instrumental music, as they are brass bands whose main up-thrust is to perform during ceremonial occasions while seated or while they march.
What we have outside the barracks is what others have called ‘trash’ while I would like you and I to find a name for the sound arrangements taking place in the country, which is called ‘music’.
There are several factors that we have to take note of; the first one is realising how we found ourselves a nation grappling with a music career.
We had music greats whose music still reigns in the country’s Hall of Fame as they used to enthuse all.
Names of Dr Daniel Kachamba and his brother Donald, Wenham Chechamba, Alan Namoko, Michael Mukhito Phiri, Snowden Ibu, Tambala Chitenje, Stonald Lungu etc. invokes memories that used to make everyone proud.
It is a pity that nothing can be said without singing about politics in the country now. This unfortunately does not leave much to music history, which has also politics dictating and charting its direction.
With the fight for change from Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda’s single party dictatorial rule to plural politics so emerged another crop of musicians like Lucius Banda.
When we took a stride into the multiparty political system we had the youths who had little hope in the employment market. Then they went into a flurry of activities arranging sound which they would eventually call music and sell to the Malawians. This was self-employment at its best, youngsters fighting for the right to be self sufficient.
At least Malawians had now their own music that had a certain appeal, especially considering that the other political system left behind never allowed our music to be expressive because it would have brought political disgruntlement and despair. But when the new artists did that, then that was the best music, so it sold well.
Now with the establishment of our democracy we have to revisit this pattern. Currently a song produced involves a drum roll, followed by a voice, which is complaining over lack of employment or political manipulation. Then the song goes into what is believed to be a chorus then back to a verse, a little instrumentation then, suddenly, the song is over.
When another new artist emergences, the only difference he brings is that of using a high-pitched voice as opposed to the low tones of the previous artist. Then the cycle goes round and round. And we have all their kind littering our music market and airwaves.
Now this confused sound is enough for our radio stations to create programmes meant to feature local music.
Most of the courses that have so far been offered in both private and public institutions prepare Malawians to be job seekers without being able to make Malawians self-employed or job creators.
If government can make available a facility that trains these fellows who think they are musicians to become real artists, singing what is real music - then the nation can really stumble onto gold. The positive point is they are willing to work out something for themselves and have great initiative to succeed.
Good music makes good sales. Unlike other products for instance the maize crop, which can only be exported when it achieves a surplus in production. With music the better the product, the more assured it is to collar markets outside the country, which in turn can give us greater forex.
I may be wrong, but I understand Malawi’s music is the richest in the region in terms of depth of tone and clarity of pitch. Surely this can be exploited!!
Getting Musically Worked Up
‘Music is life’ so, the saying goes. While definition of life comes in very complex form, definition of music has also failed the most accomplished sages of the trade from both an academic and practical perspective, to really expound what it entails.
In academic corridors theoretical base that has been built about music has been whiplashed with rote artists like Elvis Presley who stormed the world to an extent of being accorded deity veneration, even when he emerged from a musical wilderness.
Upon his death or ‘disappearance’ as his ardent followers will tell you, he was filthily rich. Three quarters of our musical artist almost followed the same path, but they died in pauperism and relatives never managed to get them proper coffins.
While music is hard to describe, it still has managed to smile more to others while making others mere instruments of elation without helping them butter their bread.
This is the purpose of this column, where we, together as Malawians want to start a musical journey which will go a little bit back, to appreciate our musical history, move to the present and then chart the future so that we are able to find a suitable definition of our music.
In this new stage where I intend to create a relationship with you, readers, I intend to rock with you and blaze our airwaves using whatever medium with music.
From the onset the intention is not to restrict ourselves to what we have known as our music local genres. The question raised here would perhaps be; do we at all have our own kind of music, a music that once it is within anyone’s ear shot, would be recognised as Malawian.
The intention of this ‘musical podium’ will be full of musical showcase, where we will trace the history of music and its influence on the world scale, we will then come down to Malawi music; where it is coming from, what impact it has left on Malawians, Africans and the World.
We will then look at our rote musicians and those musicologists who laugh at our artists’ lack of ability to read music.
We will then look at how much efforts our organisations put in place to help our musicians and our music grow and glow have left any impact at all on the industry.
Then we will go right inside our studios to see the appreciation of music as a form of art which uses sound as its medium to tickle the ear. Together we will examine whether or not our producers know what pitch to employ into the music they are generating, in relation to the pitch that has to, at the same time, be in line with the needed melody and harmony. We will also try to establish if we have the right rhythmic tempo or meter and articulation imposed by our artists. Or find out what sells in our music; is it the dynamics or the timbre or texture sonic characters that makes the songs?
We will try to ascertain whether our success in selling our music or lack of it is because we have or have not considered all this; or whether we know what this is all about or whether our producers or musicians achieve this by intuition, talent or knowledge?
Do we have the qualities that can enable one to formulate all this into one beautiful song but cannot pick out its harmonic sense neither will they acknowledge if someone is appreciating its melodically interweaved potency.
Together, I want us to appreciate the coming in of the internet and its influence on music.
We complain that our old time musicians like Robert Fumulani, Daniel Kachamba and just recently Stonard Lungu died poor men when they had left too much wealth of musical art.
Robert Nesta Marley, the Jamaican reggae icon famed as Bob Marley, died on May 11, 1981 but he is more wealthier now than he was alive, his 12 children fathered from seven women are millionaires in all currencies, so are the members of his band, The Wailers; all this wealth is coming as a result of his music legacy. His music is still leading in the world platinum spot 28 years after his demise.
But the legacy left by our own artists is nothing but laughable, and this was then, before the computer age and the internet came into use where it was possible to sell music in its physical format.
Music now is suffering amid an industry-wide malaise because consumers resort to "free" music online and that revenue is hard to get by.
Musicians outside the country have started using alternative sources, such as advertising just to produce enough for the sweating artists.
This has been possible with the help of music labels, like Warner Music Group which is the world’s third-largest music label. But the question now would be have we ever heard of any label in Malawi?
So, this is the purpose of this column, to help us be where the rest of the world is, in terms of music.
We also intend to look at how best we can do it better than now.
All musicians, producers, promoters, music officials and the multitude that listens to music; I mean music, not secular or gospel - because this is a different terrain we will also explore together – this will be an exciting forum which if better used will be the biggest of the promoter, the larger than life teacher and the hub of our networking, so keep your ears open as the pen is about to start drumming sound.
In academic corridors theoretical base that has been built about music has been whiplashed with rote artists like Elvis Presley who stormed the world to an extent of being accorded deity veneration, even when he emerged from a musical wilderness.
Upon his death or ‘disappearance’ as his ardent followers will tell you, he was filthily rich. Three quarters of our musical artist almost followed the same path, but they died in pauperism and relatives never managed to get them proper coffins.
While music is hard to describe, it still has managed to smile more to others while making others mere instruments of elation without helping them butter their bread.
This is the purpose of this column, where we, together as Malawians want to start a musical journey which will go a little bit back, to appreciate our musical history, move to the present and then chart the future so that we are able to find a suitable definition of our music.
In this new stage where I intend to create a relationship with you, readers, I intend to rock with you and blaze our airwaves using whatever medium with music.
From the onset the intention is not to restrict ourselves to what we have known as our music local genres. The question raised here would perhaps be; do we at all have our own kind of music, a music that once it is within anyone’s ear shot, would be recognised as Malawian.
The intention of this ‘musical podium’ will be full of musical showcase, where we will trace the history of music and its influence on the world scale, we will then come down to Malawi music; where it is coming from, what impact it has left on Malawians, Africans and the World.
We will then look at our rote musicians and those musicologists who laugh at our artists’ lack of ability to read music.
We will then look at how much efforts our organisations put in place to help our musicians and our music grow and glow have left any impact at all on the industry.
Then we will go right inside our studios to see the appreciation of music as a form of art which uses sound as its medium to tickle the ear. Together we will examine whether or not our producers know what pitch to employ into the music they are generating, in relation to the pitch that has to, at the same time, be in line with the needed melody and harmony. We will also try to establish if we have the right rhythmic tempo or meter and articulation imposed by our artists. Or find out what sells in our music; is it the dynamics or the timbre or texture sonic characters that makes the songs?
We will try to ascertain whether our success in selling our music or lack of it is because we have or have not considered all this; or whether we know what this is all about or whether our producers or musicians achieve this by intuition, talent or knowledge?
Do we have the qualities that can enable one to formulate all this into one beautiful song but cannot pick out its harmonic sense neither will they acknowledge if someone is appreciating its melodically interweaved potency.
Together, I want us to appreciate the coming in of the internet and its influence on music.
We complain that our old time musicians like Robert Fumulani, Daniel Kachamba and just recently Stonard Lungu died poor men when they had left too much wealth of musical art.
Robert Nesta Marley, the Jamaican reggae icon famed as Bob Marley, died on May 11, 1981 but he is more wealthier now than he was alive, his 12 children fathered from seven women are millionaires in all currencies, so are the members of his band, The Wailers; all this wealth is coming as a result of his music legacy. His music is still leading in the world platinum spot 28 years after his demise.
But the legacy left by our own artists is nothing but laughable, and this was then, before the computer age and the internet came into use where it was possible to sell music in its physical format.
Music now is suffering amid an industry-wide malaise because consumers resort to "free" music online and that revenue is hard to get by.
Musicians outside the country have started using alternative sources, such as advertising just to produce enough for the sweating artists.
This has been possible with the help of music labels, like Warner Music Group which is the world’s third-largest music label. But the question now would be have we ever heard of any label in Malawi?
So, this is the purpose of this column, to help us be where the rest of the world is, in terms of music.
We also intend to look at how best we can do it better than now.
All musicians, producers, promoters, music officials and the multitude that listens to music; I mean music, not secular or gospel - because this is a different terrain we will also explore together – this will be an exciting forum which if better used will be the biggest of the promoter, the larger than life teacher and the hub of our networking, so keep your ears open as the pen is about to start drumming sound.
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