The three-day Urban Music People (UMP) Festival featuring a combo of activities from music, poetry, film, theatre, dance, visual art, games and sports among others, starts today and ends on Sunday at Cape Maclear in Mangochi.
Over 50 international artists and 60 local artists are expected to star at the festival dubbed The Evolution.
Led by Chitoliro Productionz, UMP Festival takes place for the first time in Mangochi having run most of its past editions in Blantyre.
Despite the acute shortage of fuel, UMP Festival Director and Chitoliro Productionz Director Ken Zizwa Limwame maintained on Thursday that they have a plan to limit the impact of the fuel shortage saying that they have a public shuttle.
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“Let us go and experience this combo of activities. This is The Evolution and it is destined for nothing but the best,” he said.
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Ahead of the festival, organisers held a two-day creative industry conference at Amaryllis Hotel in Blantyre that saw stakeholders brainstorming on important issues such as policies aimed at uplifting the sector.
“We are fully charged having had a fruitful two-day conference. Now it is time to dance, sing, swim and party,” Limwame said.
He called upon families to come and be part of the festival saying they have also created platforms for families and children.
With Nigerian musician Anesi arriving on Wednesday through Chileka International Airport in Blantyre alongside Chisenga from Australia, another Nigerian star Magixx, jetted into the country yesterday through Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe.
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Local acts performing at the UMP Festival include Onesimus, Gibo Pearson, Temwah, Tuno, Mario Bros, Ethel Kamwendo Banda, Black Missionaries, Theresa Phondo and Sean Morgan.
The festival, which began as Urban Music Party in 2009 in Blantyre, is this year also bringing back UMP Awards to be held in December.
