A 2016 song of hope titled ‘Tigwirane Manja’ that Soldier Lucius Banda composed and featured Lulu, Skeffa Chimoto and Wendy Harawa when the country experienced floods that claimed lots of lives and property has been revisited as the country grapples with Cyclone Freddy.
Cyclone Freddy has claimed lots of lives and property in the Southern Region, including the commercial city of Blantyre, with President Lazarus Chakwera declaring a state of disaster in the region.
Lucius said yesterday that music will always play a vital role in terms of healing as well as helping people boost their mood or cope with tough times.
“Yes we recorded this song in 2016 but it was not officially released. The intention of this song is to give hope to all those who have lost their loved ones due to Cyclone Freddy,” the ‘Mabala’ star said.
He said the track also aims at uniting people and calls upon them to put resources together and help those who are in dire need during this tough time.
“I am introducing the song to the situation, how it started, and Skeffa is coming in to give a prayer and asks as to where God is and why he has overlooked us and he is encouraging people to contribute something,” Lucius said.
The legendary musician also said, in the track, Lulu is calling upon people to help everyone and not politicise the situation whereas Wendy is calling upon people to reach out to children.
“It is a song of hope. Naturally, this is a theme song of the season and people are identifying the song but it is a pity that we did not have a chance to produce a video,” he said.
Lucius said their wish was to see media houses using it as a theme song and that this is one of their contribution during this tough time.
Skeffa, who recently released a track titled ‘Chiyambi’, described the track as powerful and that it was important to have it on the market during this time.
“It is a song that we recorded in 2016 and, with what the country is going through now, it is important to have it on the ground,” he said.
Meanwhile, Musicians Union of Malawi (Mum) has joined the rest of the nation in calling for relief efforts indicating that some of its members have been affected.
“We are calling out to all Mum members and the general public to show a unified front by making a contribution to affected musicians,” the statement reads.
Other artists have also been affected and they include poet Yohane Pangani, who told the President at Manja during his visit yesterday that they were in need of more support.
