The timing to issue the song Yobwata by Suffix and Faith Mussa would not have come at the right time considering that this is voting time and it is not a secret that the politicians have managed to polarise the country by flashing the tribal card.
Before I can comment on the boldness in lyrical package of the track, I want to point out that this sounds like a sequel of the 2016, release Mkazi wa Kumwamba, where Suffix and Faith also talked of how tribalism weighs in when it comes to deciding who to marry.
Now the track which has video with actors depicting what parents pump in the minds of their young ones when it comes to issues of tribalism before putting out there how tribalism is perpetuated.
Ndimachokela ku South yao, lhomwe,
Sena, tribe - Ndili ndi ma reasons omveka omwe sindikondela mtumbuka ndi ma
guys a pa centre apa.
A Tumbuka kuzimva.
Goes one of the lines in the track, it also mentions cultural beliefs as one aspect that promotes tribalism where issues of dowry are questioned by one tribe over Chikamwini where a man goes to a wife's home once they get married.
The track suggests that the issue of education quota system is informed by tribalistic considerations. "Kukhwefula dala education system ife nkukhala ma victims" sings Suffix
The track which has been done in Hip-hop and pop fusion and according to the two artists, the motivation comes from a song by US artist Joyner Lucas titled I Am Not Racist, which is currently the hot issue there.
In the Malawi case the track exposes it as a deep seated challenge that is only scratched on the surface. The track calls out on Malawians to do something about tribalism and stop pretending that all is well.
Suffix told The Nation that as someone from the Northern Region, he grew up hearing narratives that made him believe he could not trust people of other tribes.
When he grew up and became a devoted Christian, he says his perspective started changing as the Bible promotes love regardless of where one comes from.
The rapper said he hopes the song will help Malawians have healthy conversations about tribalism and how much it negatively affects progress.
Mussa told the same publication that tribalism is getting out of hand in Malawi and that it is time to deal with it. For him, he never thought he would live to see the day when people would be making a big deal about their tribes. Now Malawi has segmented everything into tribes.
He strongly believes that tribalism will make children grow up with hatred towards each other based on tribes yet they never wronged each other.
He also has a strong belief that music is one of the strongest tools in the hands of mankind as it penetrate walls, doors, borders and get to people the makers of such music never even meet.
The
approach to use music to respond and try to resolve the malaise of a nation is
one genius way of playing a part. Music should not only be used to entertain
but to also correct the wrongs. The track does not mince words in the way it
tells it as it happens, how tribalism is propagated and watered to become a
beast.
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