Gospel goes secular

Something highly unusual and meriting attention is taking place during the regularly organised gospel music shows in the country.

These shows are enjoying mammoth patronage. It all starts with highly catchy advertisements on radios, televisions, public announcement systems mounted on vehicles and posters pinned against trees or walls in locations. The shows, it must be admitted, really live up to such billings as halls are filled to rafters and the musicians perform to thrill their audiences.

Not everything, however, that happens at the performances has a touch of the divine. From dressing to conduct, everything is at variance with shows of such nature. Young women are scantily dressed and raise discomfort with the more Godly among them. They put on skirts so transparent, so tight and so short that they leave little, if anything, to the imagination. Young men are equally as depressing in their own way. Invariably dressed in sagging trousers that fall below the buttocks, many spot fiery red eyes and reek of alcohol that leave observers aghast.

The shows usually kick off with a word of prayer. In essence, the preaching ends there and the rest of the show is surrendered to mere entertainment.

As delirious fans scream and dance in manners far removed from the divine, some artists even encourage them to get in pairs—making it feel as if you inviting the “devil in the house” if you are dancing alone.

As dusk creeps in, as the show is about to hit the finale, some of the paired couples start to get swallowed up in the dark. The next morning, the venue and immediate environs are littered with empty alcohol sachets and used condoms, confirming people’s worst fears.

Without wanting to sound holier than the Pope, some people are left with the conclusion that gospel music concerts are becoming more of social events than spiritual.

Gospel artist MacDonald Mlaka Maliro disputes that conclusion, but Dennis Kalimbe, leader of award-winning Ndirande agrees with it.

“The problem stems from where the patrons come from—their homes and churches. You cannot wholly blame musicians because when we are invited to these shows it’s not specifically for one church as a crusade or something like that. It must be understood that such shows attract people from different churches with different creeds which include clothing beliefs,” says Maliro.

On dressing, he argues that churches should take the flak for failing to guide their flock on appropriate dressing for church or religious functions and that musicians cannot force people to dress otherwise for the music shows.

“I must put this on record that as artists we also feel ashamed and uncomfortable when a patron dresses scantily to our show, but we can’t chase them away because at the end of the day organisers including ourselves need the money paid at the gate by the same people we are talking about here,” add Maliro.

“This is similar to recent concerns by some people who criticised the tendency of inviting secular musicians to perform at gospel shows, but the aim behind that was to attract people who haven’t received Jesus yet and of course maximising revenue,” he says.

Kalimbe, on the other hand, concedes that it would be difficult for musicians to control what people are wearing or doing, but he blames musicians for fanning the flames of secularism at gospel music shows.

“As it is, take, for instance, how we arrange our shows and how we dance; we do more of entertaining than preaching!” declares Kalimbe.

He adds: “As gospel musicians, we are taking the shows as a business and a few of us care what people wear or do so long as we make money.”

Maliro, who is also a pastor at Cross Life Church in Blantyre, implores upon fellow gospel artists to reflect and represent God’s glory during the shows.

“As Mlaka, I always dress up befitting the occasion and in honour of God since I realise the holiness of the message I’m carrying. It’s not that I can’t put on a pair of jeans or short trousers, but I recognise the honour of what I am carrying and I make sure that my dressing projects the image of and glorifies God all the time,” he says.

Kalimbe adds that due to what happens at gospel shows, people can hardly tell the difference between shows by secular and gospel musicians.

“We should start by telling people that they are coming before God,” he says emphatically.

It is a point shared with Mlaka, who states: “At the beginning or in the middle of my performance, I normally take time off to warn people that much as they have come to get entertained, it’s most important for them to heed the messages in my songs and I remind everyone that we all shall be answerable on judgement day.”

Events management expert Kondwani Singo of Lilongwe thinks both artists and organisers should shoulder the blame.

“It’s not a secret that nowadays gospel songs don’t have an impact on patrons and artists first think of composing danceable songs and put less emphasis on the messages contained,” he explains. n