By Cathy Maulidi & Henry Chulu:
As a mass service was being conducted at Parliament Building for Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima on Saturday night, a candlelight memorial service organised by UTM Youth was also running at Bingu International Conference Centre in Lilongwe.
Young people, clad in black attire with their candles, turned out in large numbers to celebrate the life of the Vice President, who died in a tragic plane accident with eight others last Monday in Chikangawa Forest in Mzimba District.
There were tears, laughter and dances at the memorial, where young people rekindled memories of Chilima’s words of hard work.
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It was a platform where the audience sampled art in the form of music, dance and poetry in honouring and celebrating the life of the Vice President.
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Gospel musician Ethel Kamwendo Banda was among the gospel artists that performed and before she took to her act, she called upon the youth in the country not to give up but to continue working hard and follow in the footprints of the Vice President to advance his legacy.
“Let us look up to the Lord, let us pray for the Chilima family,” the ‘Ndiumboni’ maker said.
Rapper Fredokiss said SKC is now an idea that has been birthed in the minds of young people and that they will race with it without fear.
At the event, a documentary looking back at the Vice President’s journey was also screened with young people responding to some of his messages.
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Director of ceremonies at the event, Promise Matatiyo, said Chilima’s soul will not be pleased if the youth in the country will forget what he wanted.
A similar event was held at Katoto Ground in Mzuzu where the dress code, just like in Lilongwe, was dark colours and people brought in candles to light a shining legacy in honour of the Vice President, who they described as a generational hero.
And Sunday, young people in Blantyre followed suit holding a candle light ceremony in honour of the Vice President at Chichiri Upper Stadium.
Chilima will be laid to rest at his home village of Nsipe, Ntcheu Monday.
