Nsansi player targets more acts this year
Youthful Nsansi player, Patrick Chimbewa, who is based in Ntchisi, has said he wants to hold a number of performances this year to promote and preserve traditional instruments.
With traditional instruments such as Nsansi, kaligo and Pango among others not being played frequently as they used to be in the past, Chimbewa is on a move of showing the best of the instruments having been taught by veteran ethno-musician Charles Chavaramangwere Mkanthama.
Chimbewa, who has been utilised in different platforms including Ethno-music camps spearheaded by Music Crossroads Malawi to teach how to play the traditional instruments, said he has so far made several traditional instruments citing nsansi and kaligo.
“The idea of making more of these instruments is to make them available so that people can play them. The other problem we have as to why people have not embraced the playing of these traditional instruments is that they are not available. We need to make them available so that people can play them,” Chimbewa said.
He said he was happy that a lot of young people now are showing interest in learning how to play traditional instruments.
“These traditional instruments are part of our culture. We need to keep playing them and again, they have its own unique sound compared to electrical instruments,” Chimbewa, who also plays Kaligo said.
To market some of the traditional instruments he makes and plays, Chimbewa has utilised the social media where he posts some of the instruments and his performances.
“We need to embrace technology if we are to reach out to more people and this is why I have been using my Facebook page to talk about the instruments I make. This has attracted interest not only in Malawi but also outside the country,” Chimbewa said.
The artist, who has one album to his credit titled Munditengele Kumudzi, he is finalising his second album.
“Through this album, I want people to sample the beautiful sounds of traditional instruments. I am also set to launch a music video. The challenge now is inadequate funds and if I can get support then the better otherwise there is more to come,” Chimbewa said.
Chimbewa has also been improvising his works as last year he came out with what he dubbed a Nsansibar which has a combination of the Nsansi and the Nemba.
Chimbewa is a product of the 2016 Talent project spearheaded by Forde Traditional and World Music Festival.
