He could not remember the actual day and month; only remembering that the year was 1985 when, aged 15, the man we know as Soldier Lucius Banda embarked on the music journey that ended unceremoniously at Sunhill Hospital in South Africa on June 30 2024.
At the time he decided to make music his lived experience, a drowsy calm filled the air in the music circles.
If, at all, the calm was disturbed, it was when local musicians waxed lyrical about the then national leaders, traditional dances, wildlife, love, godliness and such other soft topics because they were afraid of the unknown.
That is when Soldier stormed the scene, albeit on a low note.
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“I actually started my music career when I was in Standard Seven. In those days, you could find 17 and 19-year-olds in Standard Seven or Eight. That time, I starred as Alleluia Band keyboardist at St Louis Montfort Parish [of the Catholic Church] in Balaka District.
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“Then, one thing led to another and, before I knew it, I became band leader for St Paul’s Seminary Band. That was in 1987,” Soldier is on record to have told Weekender, which is a supplement of our sister paper Malawi News.
Actually, Soldier’s daring spirit came to the fore when, after he made the trip to South Africa in 1993, he recorded Son of a Poor Man album.
He indicated that he opted for that title because he wanted to show the powers-that-be that prosperity went beyond having a roof that did not leak, a filled-to-the-brim granary and clothes that were not tattered for, even under circumstances where people had clothes, enough food and quality roofs, some children were growing up under deplorable circumstances.
Maybe Soldier kept challenges he faced for composing songs with such album titles to himself for some time but he could not resist the temptation of shedding light on such circumstances in the song ‘Muwauze’, with its tell-all chorus that goes thus:
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Mavuto tiri nawo/
Koma bola kusiyana ndi kale/
Bwanji ukutero?/
Ndidagonako mu ngalande/
Chifukwa ninji?
Ndinkayimba nyimbo za ndale/
Mpaka pamenepo/
Ankafuna kundipha ine…
And, then, in Take Over album, the fearless Soldier, through the persona in the title track, touched on the controversial topic of military coup, asking imaginary soldiers to take over the joystick of power in an equally imaginary country.
That was as far as it could go.
All these cemented his reputation as “Soldier of the Poor”, a name he lived up to as he was always eager to point at wrongs in society—going to the extent of pointing at the culprits, most of whom were, of course, the ruling elite.
In so doing, he disturbed the disturbing calm of musicians who watched calmly as the socio-economic situation was getting out of control for the populace.
Predictably, his straight-to-the-point songs culminated in the displacement of the uncomfortable calm that nearly became a norm in Malawi.
It is Soldier who sprang from Balaka District to disturb that uncomfortable calm.
The Soldier was, surely, not one to resign to an undesirable situation because ‘calm’ and ‘emptiness’ did not feature in his lexicon.
Man from humble background
In ‘Mayi Zembani’, the persona in Soldier’s song delves into the real-life experience of Soldier himself, revealing that growing up was not easy, as he had to mop toilets to earn a living.
All, according to the persona, because the one who was supposed to be the biological father was busy imbibing beer.
Born on August 17 1970 in Sosola Village, Balaka, Soldier first realised that he could pursue a career in music when he was doing his education at Mponda Full Primary School in Balaka.
It was that conviction that, after he played that keyboard in church back in 1985, he took the next step by enrolling in a music course at Dorkey House, Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1993.
From there, he produced a thunderbolt, recording Son of a Poor Man, which is a product of the able hands of producer George Arigone.
South Africans such as Nomhlanlha Nkhize and Deborah Fraser did the backing, catapulting him to instant fame in Malawi, as the messages in the songs resonated with experiences of people back home.
His next album was Down Babylon, which cemented his reputation as a bold musician.
Then Take Over followed in 1997 and the rest is history.
Twenty albums later, June 30’s catastrophe confirmed that Soldier will never be there in person to record album number 21.
All Malawians know is that he has left a legacy, in the form of his 20 albums, and Zembani Band, which he formed shortly after releasing Take Over.
The 20th album, and unknowingly the last one, happens to be Love and Hate.
It was released five years after the 19th album, aptly called Crimes.
Soldier was not into live album recordings; he was into studio recorded ones.
Out of all his albums, Cease Fire sold like hot cakes.
At the time of his death, Zembani Band was under new leadership, with son Johnny there to steer the ship, with Sam Smak serving as band leader.
Monday, Smak spoke about how tough it would be to soldier on without Soldier.
“He was hardworking and humble; a parent, mentor and father figure. His death is a huge blow to the nation.
“We find solace in the fact that he lives on. And his legacy will live on,” he said.
At the time of his death, he was playing an advisory role at his Impakt Events, an entertainment management firm he founded.
The Lucius revolution
Perhaps realising that time is man’s best friend and, at times, worst enemy, Soldier released an album dedicated to time, aptly named Time. It was his 17th album.
“Everything occurs according to time—the set time, to be specific. That is why we say there is time for everything,” he said.
He indicated that, to be where he was, he had welcomed, faced and shrugged off competition because, to him, money was not the real issue.
To him, he said, what mattered was the satisfaction that came with the right to express oneself through the only medium he ever knew and loved: Music.
The veteran musician also hastened to say that the influence he had imposed on the local music scene was premised on both his origins—as one born in a music-loving family that counts the likes of Sir Paul Banda in its fold—and his temerity to adapt to changing national moods.
“It’s these things that have motivated me and helped me remain relevant. It’s not the money at all; it’s my love for music, and my commitment to music,” Banda indicated at the time.
“I have never looked at music as, merely, a source of income. Rather, it is something I love to do, and shall continue to do even if I were to become the Head of State and Government. You may wish to remember that during the time I was Member of Parliament [for Balaka Central], I continued to compose songs and hold live performances,” Banda added.
Sure enough, when Soldier set out on a music journey that eventually became his life-long pursuit, he was known for his hard-biting compositions in which, as a lone soldier, he took on the powers-that-be for the sake of the voiceless.
Hits like ‘Mabala’, ‘Take Over’, ‘Ali ndi Njira Zawo’, among others, bear testimony of the militancy that characterised some of his songs.
“Those songs were composed to remind Malawians about where we are coming from, how to live harmoniously with fellow human beings, how to keep in touch with the governed and [they are also] about God’s love towards humans,” Banda said.
In his later years, his songs stretched to the themes of love, religion, culture, among others.
The emergence of a new generation of urban musicians also forced the best out of Soldier.
In those early years, Soldier, along with artists such as Paul Banda, Charles Sinetre, Cos Chiwalo, Charles Nsaku, gave prominence to the so-called Balaka Reggae.
How he moved from that to modern genres speaks volumes about his levels of flexibility.
“I am into every genre now. I compose jazz songs, rhumba, ragga, fusion of traditional music, and almost every type of music because an artist has to remain relevant,” he said.
No wonder, Soldier is being mourned by people of all generations.
He was a man who lived in his time—and stretched himself to suit the musical tastes of those that lived in other eras.
And today, there are no disturbing calms; Soldier broke the silence long ago and everyone speaks their mind.
