Let Lake of Stars’ homecoming party begin

Good people, the longest-serving summer festival by the waters of Lake Malawi kicks off this evening at Chintheche in Nkhata Bay.

Pilgrims to the weekend festivity call the calendar event Lake of Stars, an astonishing three-day homage to sandy shorelines of the continent’s third-largest freshwater lake.

Celebrating everything good about the starry lake arced by flaming sunrise and sunset skies, the festival was named after Scottish missionary explorer Dr David Livingstone’s impression of the lake’s glimmer.

Besides the lake, the festival is very much about bringing together a diversity of adventure seekers to relax, make merry, exchange cultural snippets, bask in the tanning tropical sun while it shines, walk the powdered beach in the name of love and marvel at a torrent of performances by creative minds from all shades of the globe.

When dusk falls, the stars that matter are not necessarily the sky-high distant sparkles piercing eyes of gig-makers gazing at the galaxy in the dark. Ignore the Milky Way and all the astronomy around it.

At the lakeside affair, the stars that really count are the artists taking turns on the nearest stage and the multitudes of followers calling for encores on the beach. This year’s itinerary comprises over 60 acts drawn from about 15 countries.

On the lookout for fun, nothing, but the ultimate relaxation from the grinding turn of life and work beyond the idyllic venue, are the locals, backpackers, expats and other explorers dying for the very best of entertainment, arts and culture by a no-mean setting.

The musical escape—and it has become poetic, dramatic and bigger over the years—could not have come down that the shutdown of the National Tourism Month envisaged to highlight the radiant side of the country’s attractions.

What a homecoming for the musical tourism affair which will rake in millions of kwacha for the fragile economy.

Lake of Stars returns to its babyhood home having wandered off almost 10 years ago. It drifted southwards to the palm-fringed venue at Sunbird Nkopola in Mangochi, vanished for two years and came back safe and sound two years ago.

People closer to the waters of Nkopola have been whining about long travels to Chintheche, terming the latest edition costly and prohibitive.

However, this is nothing to stop Chintheche Inn from throwing a mesmeric homecoming party for its brainchild who wandered off in search of a better home, but only to find itself back where it all started.

Obviously, the people that will gather on the festival grounds are not talking about Lake of Stars in the same breath as the return of a prodigal son.

Those who have grown up with the festival from the start will remember the unwelcoming mood when it was nothing more than an expats’ outing in Africa with indigenous hands playing peripheral roles to render credence to its claims as an event with Malawians at heart.

Remember the days the festival, which sprung from Liverpool-born Will Jameson’s nostalgic recollections of his encounters in the cane fields where he worked as a volunteer, used to give its followers longer days with nothing on stage and shorter nights of the likes of DJ Yoda, Yiwande, Basement Jaxx, Groove Armada, a string of indie rockers and other western voices that Malawians had no idea about.

Gladly, the festival returns to its original home with a better pedigree as one of the world acclaimed escapes that make Malawi one of the world’s prime places to go.

Let the jam begin. But play it safe, for all is well that ends well. n