Agide to tour SA

Veteran musician Gidess Chalamanda is set to tour South Africa next month.

Together with acoustic duo of Edgar ndi Davis, the octogenarian is scheduled to perform in Johannesburg during the first weekend of June.

In an interview on Monday, Davis Njobvu said the idea is to create a profile for the country while also continuing where they left off in the United States of America in 2016, a tour that made Chalamanda’s dream come true.

“The plan is to first have a show in Durban. We are still waiting for the details in terms of the venue. For now, the

shows that are confirmed are at Club Mix Lounge in Randburg and Tijuca in Bruma all in Johannesburg on June 1 and 2, respectively.

“South Africa’s Pamela Nkutha, who used to be a household name in the 1990s in Malawi will feature in the Johannesburg shows plus a number of Malawian artists such as Queen Mishu,” he said.

Njobvu said at the core of the shows is a dream to take Malawi to the international stage as the tour is largely self-funded.

“In Malawi there is a lot of inactivity on the part of the corporate world and you have to go through a lot of red tape as well as bureaucracy. People do not understand the idea of marketing their products using entertainment shows and events.

“I remember we went to US in 2016 without carrying a banner of any of the institutions from Malawi, which is a shame because in other countries it is different.

“Our trip then was possible because of well-meaning individuals like Mike Chilewe who bought a return ticket plus contributions from different people and not the cooperate sector,” said Njobvu.

The tour has excited Chalamanda’s Malawian fans living in South Africa, who have taken to social media to express how excited they are for the gig.

“I just love Agide and this is a must watch show,” wrote Sam Phiri on Facebook in response to one the show’s posters.