A good way for a family to spend this coming Friday night would be to join in the afro jazz show at Steers Garden which will be offered by Dikamawoko Arts.
“This is a show only for serious music lovers who want to enjoy a sentimental and nostalgic night of wonderful music. As the duo at the core of Dikamawoko Band, myself and Muhanya (Peter Chaponda) are quintessentially rooted in afro music. At times we fuse traditional sounds with jazz and at others, soft rock,†said the theatre’s artistic director Taonga Taddja Nkhonjera.
“A simple study of our listenership showed that the young people love our music, mostly because of the folktales that we sing that they find more captivating. However, feedback from the older generation has indicated that they are more interested by the guitars and other instruments such as the marimba,†he explained.
On the night, other than renditions of popular jazz songs and some jazz melodies, the group will also dish out songs from its album Nthano Zathu– a collection of Malawian folktales. These songs are being played on different radio stations in Malawi, and one of the songs, Gwenembe, is in the top 20 of the local chart,†he boasted.
Nthano Zathu an afro jazz album, has ten songs. Seven of the songs are in Chichewa and three in Chitumbuka. The album was inspired by the love of storytelling Taddja developed while living in the village with grandparents.
“Dikamawoko is known for its theatre. However, in the last two years, we have developed an award- winning band which successfully competed in the Chibuku Road to Fame and Music Crossroads. This band
is a collection of talented young Malawians and will continue to develop young talent for many years to come,†he said.
