Madalitso Band off to UK
Malawi’s Madalitso Band is set to rock the stage with reggae icon Ziggy Marley when the local duo performs at the World of Music, Arts and Dance (Womad) Festival.
According to www.womad.co.uk, the event, scheduled to take place from July 25 to 28 at Charlton Park, Wiltshire in UK, will also see singer and songwriter Salif Keita, electronic music legends Orbital, and singer and guitarist Anna Calvi performing.
“The Womad festival boasts of diversity in sound split over six stages, while embracing all styles of music from around the globe, focusing on originality and high-quality free expression.
“For well over 30 years, Womad has sought to recognise and unite passionate artists and fans alike, both from its base in England and abroad,” reads part of the information on the website.
Madalitso Band’s manager Emmanuel Kavwenje says the festival marks the start of another exciting year for the duo.
“This is an announcement of major bands at the 2019 Womad Festival and Madalitso Band will be there as part of this year’s tour. More performances are set to be announced later,” he said.
Until February 2017, the band from Mtandire slum in Lilongwe was just one of the numerous street performers in the city.
The troubadours survived on hand to mouth, lurking from different corners of Lilongwe until an opportunity came knocking to perform at one of the biggest music festivals in Africa, the Sauti za Busara. On the verge of missing out on a life-changing opportunity due lack of funds, their appearance paid dividends as last year, the band, comprising two friends Yobu Malingwa, 37, and Yosefe Kalekeni, 27, toured Europe for the first time where they performed at some of the top music festivals and events.
