Madalitso Band, the duo of Yobu Maligwa and Yosefe Kalekeni, is set to perform at MTN Bushfire Festival in eSwatini next week.
The duo, from the outskirts of Mtandire in Lilongwe, will be performing at the festival for the first time.
MTN Bushfire Festival is one of the biggest and unique festivals in Africa and brings line-ups that are rooted in a pulsating celebration of diversity and the spirit of inclusion.
This year, the festival will be headlined by Nigerian global music sensation Nneka.
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Apart from Nneka, some of the artists performing at the festival this year include South African artists Thandiswa Mazwai, Makhadzi and 2024 Grammy nominee Musa Keys, Lesotho singer and writer Maleh, eSwatini’s Bholoja and Legendary Stewart Sukuma & Banda Nkhuvu from Mozambique.
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The other acts who will star at this year’s showdown are Fetén Fetén from Spain and Réunion Island’s DJ Sebb.
Madalitso Band’s local manager Emmanuel Kamwenje said Thursday that the duo is ready to serve authentic music at MTN Bushfire.
“Madalitso Band has been to many top festivals but this will be their debut outing at this festival. There is so much progress in their music since they made a breakthrough at Sauti Za Busara Festival in Tanzania,” Kamwenje said.
He said the development also means that festivals in Africa are opening up for Madalitso Band.
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“We will keep pushing them so that they get more opportunities at other festivals such as the Lake of Stars. We are also casting the net wider in festivals in Zambia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Uganda and West Africa. As we have always said, this is not for Madalitso Band but for Malawi; we need to export our music,” Kamwenje said.
The group’s international manager Neil Nayar said the group’s exploits are now being felt at festivities.
“It is not easy to get these opportunities but with what they have done at other festivals including in Europe and United States of America, their name is making its way up,” Nayar, who is also a musician, said.
Last year, the group successfully represented the country when it went on a world tour, starting off in Europe before debuting in USA, where they held over 20 gigs. Madalitso Band also had gigs in Tanzania.
The duo said they were happy with the steps they have made in raising Malawi’s flag through music.
“We just want to thank our managers Neil Nayar and Emmanuel Kamwenje; they have been there for us and have raised our profile to perform at international stages,” Maligwa said.
Madalitso Band has two albums to their credit namely Fungo la Nyemba and Wasalala.
