Festive heavy blow

Fun seekers and event organisers face a last minute frustration as their festive season entertainment menu is set to go bad following fresh restrictions on public gatherings.

The recent fresh surge of the new strain of Covid-19 has moved the government to   new measures to try and contain the pandemic.

On Tuesday afternoon the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 announced the new measures in Lilongwe which includes a restriction gatherings to a maximum of 100 people.

This effectively means most if not all artistic live performances have been outlawed at least for the next two weeks, if the sirective is anything to go by.

Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda, who is also co-chair of the task force, said government needed to make bold decisions to contain the spread of the disease.

However creatives have reacted indifferently to the announcement, casting doubt if the directive will be adhered to as the country heads into the thick of festive season engagements.

Musicians Union of Malawi (MUM) president Gloria Manong’a described government’s move as unfair.

She said: “We all know how tough the year has been on the part of musicians. They haven’t been performing for the better part of the year and this festive season represented a better chance for them to recoup the losses. Already, in January our business goes slow.”

Manong’a said government was supposed to engage them in dialogue to reach a compromise. She said if government insists on the ban they should be prepared to offer them a bailout package.

Several artists and entertainment companies had lined up shows during the season and most of them say they are not sure if they should cancel or proceed with their events.

Entertainers Promotions (EP) are expected to hold their first show this evening at Zitherepano in Mangochi.

Director of EP Tonderai Banda said that as of yesterday they had not yet made a decision on the way forward, but he indicated that they were proceeding with their preparations for the show.

“The communication did not specify as to when this ban goes into effect. We have been put in a fix. The announcement has just come from the blues without prior notice or warning so it is tricky on our part. We have already cancelled a lot of events this year,” he said.

One of the country’s oldest vernacular drama group’s Kwathu is set to premiere its new production Ana Akumpanda on Christmas Day at Blantyre Cultural Centre (BCC) and according to one of its directors, Charles Mphoka, their show will go ahead.

In an interview, Mphoka said from the start of their preparations they had already factored in the elements of Covid-19 prevention protocols and they will proceed that way.

Mphoka said: “The communication stated what needs to be done and we will stick to that. We will make sure we stick within the permissible limits. At the moment we are going ahead with our preparations and we believe our fans will enjoy our new production.”

During the festive season, Malawi was expected to host an international artist in South Africa’s Mlindo The Vocalist. Organiser of the two shows, musician Kell Kay, said he is yet to make a decision on the shows since he has paid for over half of the costs.

“I honestly don’t know what to do now. When we are organising the shows we make sure we pay at least half of the amount we are charged. Mlindo is coming with a seven member band and air tickets and hotel booking were paid for already. It’s a tough situation for me,” he said.

One of the regular live performers Black Missionaries Band, through their manager Ras Ray Harawa, has indicated that they will go ahead with the festive engagements which starts today all the way up to January 2.

Zembani Band owner Lucius Banda said it would have helped if, in its communication, government would have specified on the number of people permissible per square metre. He said as a group they will go ahead with performances in venues which don’t attract huge crowds. 

He said: “We know the patterns in turnout in the venues that we perform in. We will try to be conscious and avoid those we consider high risk grounds. It is a tough call to make.”