Lions bring Janta, Tigris together

Due to their love for the lions, artists Janta and Tigris have come together and recorded a single titled Mikango.

Under the management of Conservation Music Malawi,in partnership with Lilongwe Wildlife Trust (LWT), the two artists have recorded the song to inspire tolerance, respect and pride for lions.

In an interview, Tigris said the song is also about looking for the lion in people’s heart, being strong and courageous like a lion.

“The song is further aimed at getting people to identify with lions, or at least identify positive messages with lions. We are talking about lions being the pride of Malawi and our pledge to protect them, that they will be safe here, even in the face of adversity,” she said.

“Ife ndi mikango ndife amphamvu,

Timalimbika pa zochita zathu

Kungotiyang’ana thupi kunjemelela…” goes the song in part.

Conservation Music Malawi secretary Wezzie Chisenga said Mikango also talks about the plight of lions, which are disappearing at an alarming rate across Africa.

He said: “The rate of their disappearance is shocking. The number of lions in the world has fallen from around 450 000 in 1950, to 40 000 in 1997, to around 20 000 today.”

Mikango was released on August 10, which was World Lions Day.

“The song was produced by Janta at SU Studio. Its video is being produced by Zaluso Arts and will be released soon,” said Chisenga.

He said apart from this project, they are currently preparing to do a conservation music cypher, which will feature various artists and will be beamed at this year’s Lake of Stars music festival.

“The production of Mikango is the just the start of bigger things. We will be working with different artists of all genres,” he said

In a separate interview, Mkango The Pride of Malawi campaign coordinator Samantha Nampuntha said: “Lions carry a strong symbol in nature. They are an apex predator, meaning that if they are found in an area that ecosystem is thriving.”