People camped at the top of Soche Mountain in Blantyre on Saturday through to Sunday when they were treated to the inaugural Soche Mountain Festival in Blantyre.
The festival, which is aimed at raising awareness for the conservation of Soche Mountain, started off at Chibowa with other undertakings such as a race where the winners were decorated with medals and saw social media influencer Pemphero Mphande in attendance.
There was supposed to be a performance after that from Amapiano star Zeze Kingston but it failed to take place before the fiesta relocated to the top of Soche Mountain.
The trek in nighttime was a tough episode for many people as some were doing it for the first time.
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With soldiers from Malawi Defence Force and organisers leading the way, people climbed to the top of Soche Mountain with a number of slowdowns on the way for them to rest and also take some water.
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Torches and phone lighters had to be used on the way and people sweated as it turned out to be hot but it was a different story on top, where it was cold.
Musicians Faith Mussa alongside his drummer Omex Chimpeni, Suffix and his keyboardist Dan Khoviwa, DJ Mighty Virus and Slyc were part of the hike.
“I did not know it would be such an experience; otherwise, I would have prepared well in terms of my dressing but, all the same, I love the whole concept,” the ‘Mdidi’ star said on the way up.
The artists later entertained the people although there were some hitches that delayed performances.
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At the top, people had food first to regain their energy after the hike before enjoying the performances, with Faith hitting the stage first before Suffix took over.
Playing his guitar with Omex on percussions, Faith dished out a number of songs including ‘Desperate’ and ‘Pamudzi Pano’, but it was ‘Mdidi’ which had the audience singing along.
There was even a rare moment when Suffix and Faith collaborated in the track ‘Mkazi Wakumwamba’, which Suffix acknowledged had raised his musical profile.
“This is a festival for a cause and that is why I decided to be part of it. Being the first time, they have a lot to work on for sure; otherwise, I have enjoyed this experience,” Faith said.
Suffix also cherished the festival although he also urged organisers to improve and seal the loopholes.
DJ Mighty Virus later took over and warmed up the stage for Slyc, famed for the track ‘Ndapanga Dala’, which drew people to the dance floor.
One of the members of the organising team Yangairo Yangairo admitted that they had some gaps being the inaugural event but assured people of improvements next year.
“The good thing is that we have started. Come next year, there will be so many improvements,” Yangairo said.
DJ Mighty Virus was the one who closed the curtain until the early hours of Sunday.
