Gospel songbird Ethel Kamwendo Banda, who was the guest of honour at the launch of cervical cancer screening week by the Blantyre District Health Office (DHO) at Chikuli in Blantyre North on April 19, excited crowds that attended the launch when she performed two songs.
Soon after delivering her speech, the gospel musician burst into singing, “Pamene wayimapo, usachoke, dikira dzanja la Yehova. Olo wina akunyoze, usachoke pamene wayimapo.”
It was a song that she dedicated to women who have made a decision to go for cervical cancer screening which in some parts of Blantyre, started on April 20 and will end on April 26.
She danced happily to the rhythm of the song and was joined by some elated nurses, vice-chairperson of Blantyre District Council Innock Mukhori, Senior Chief Kunthembwe and Blantyre district health officer, Dr. Medson Matchaya.
All the while, some guests and some people from the community took to the open ground to relish a rare occasion of seeing the songbird perform on their soil.
She also performed a song titled Ambuye mwandikondera which had a direct meaning to what happened to the women of Chikuli and the surrounding areas. In the song, the message is that of gratitude to God for favouring Chikuli of all places in Malawi for the Ministry of Health to choose for the official launch of the campaign.
There were also poetry recitals whose message was encouragement to women to go for cervical cancer screening. There was also a stage play and a performance of Gule wa Mkulu. n
