Nkhotakota Music Festival returned to the fold in flair over the weekend after a two-year break as it treated people to the finest of entertainment headlined by renowned gospel star Faith Mussa.
Having already had stints at the festival, Faith, who almost closed the curtain for the event, was the toast as he performed to his best, with the audience singing along to most of his songs which included ‘Desperate’ and ‘Mdidi’.
Featuring Omex Chimpeni on drums and Gresham Mokwena on keyboards, the artist armed with his lead guitar and baza, he rekindled memories of late Saleta Phiri’s exploits when he dropped ‘Oraruwa’.
“I have been inspired by lots of musicians and Saleta Phiri is one of them and, so, I decided to do one of his pieces and I intend to be doing that as part of reminding people of these great artists,” he said.
Faith said he was happy to perform at the festival once again, saying it gave him an opportunity to connect with people in Nkhotakota and other areas.
“It is a unique festival. We have fans in different areas who long to see us and this was one of the opportunities and I would like to commend organisers for inviting me once again,” he said.
Faith took over the stage from Lusubilo Band, which travelled all the way from Karonga to perform at the festival and they impressed.
Lusubilo may not command a large audience but the musical group, with most of its songs in Kyangonde, has proved in its live acts that they are no ordinary performers; they are super good.
The other acts that performed on the second day included Daughters Band, Neil Nayar, Maggie Kadrum and Madalitso Band, which is set to hold close to 80 concerts in Europe and United States of America later this year.
There were also traditional dances such as Gule Wamkulu and children activities such as face painting.
The two-day festival started on Friday with a number of performances, before the climax on Saturday, with Minister of Youth and Sports Uchizi Mkandawire in attendance on the second day.
The festival also marked the perfect 25th anniversary celebration for Nkhotakota Youth and Community Development Organisation (Youthcode).
“We have come a long way and we are proud of the achievements that we have made especially in pushing youths to believe in themselves in all the areas including art,” the organisation’s executive director Robert Mbaya, said.
The minister said he enjoyed the performances during the festival and also hailed Youthcode for its programmes, which he indicated are aligned to the Malawi 2063 agenda.
“Meaningful youths’ participation is possible. The existence of Youthcode for 25 years for me represents true youth participation. It is high time that youth got involved in solving real problems facing our country,” he said.
