Rains disrupt Evison Matafale Memorial
The highly anticipated annual Evison Matafale Memorial show ended prematurely on Sunday at Civo Ground, Gadaga, Chileka in Blantyre as it was disrupted by rains which were accompanied by heavy winds.
The rains lasted not more than 30 minutes but it was enough to disrupt the memorial as it was getting to its climax with Blacks already on stage.
The stage went messy as the winds soaked speakers and instruments.
The rains forced some people to hide at a nearby church, some in cars while others decided to embrace the rains as they sang “Ife sitiyimva/Mvula ndi madalitso” [We won’t budge; rains are blessings].
The whole ground turned muddy and, as such, some people decided to dance in the mud.
The rains stopped but, with the stage in a mess and equipment soaked, the show could not continue as Mibawa crew started packing everything.
People waited until late, thinking the show would resume but it was never to be. Inevitably, others started walking to their respective homes, especially those who came all the way from Ndirande, Mbayani and other far away places.
This was the 15th edition of the show that commemorates the life of Matafale, founder of reggae group Black Missionaries who died on November 27 2001.
Although Matafale stands out during the memorial, the event also commemorates the lives of other fallen Chileka artists including Musamude and Gift Fumulani.
The memorial, as usual, attracted a huge audience that enjoyed reggae vibes from other acts but others went home disappointed as there was no show for Black Missionaries and Anthony ‘Mr Cool’ Makondetsa.
Ivory-Coast-based female musician, Tamanyawaka Chavula, is one of those who did not perform.
The Rastafarian colours of red, yellow and green were visible during the festival.
There were also people who normally use their painting skills during the memorial to paint people’s faces with the
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