Two Malawian artists performing at the Moon-Rock festival in Chintheche, Nkhata-Bay have accused organisers of a parallel festival of false advertisement.
While party lovers will be trekking to Chintheche for a long weekend, others will be heading for Sunbird Sand Music Festival at Nkopola Lodge in Mangochi.
However, adverts for the four-day festival at Nkopola have irked Peter Mawanga and Sally Nyundo who also appear on Moon-Rock playlist.
Said Mawanga in an interview: “It’s not right for Sand Festival organisers to promote our names as part of their line-up when we are not signed to them. It only harms our reputation as professional artists. This is bad way of marketing their shows.
He reckons this will confuse his fans.Â
“I had no idea of what was going on until recently when I saw the ads in the press,†lamented the headliner.
Like Mawanga, Moon-Rock organisers Wilderness Safaris Malawi (WSM) called on organisers of the Nkopola replacement of Lake of Stars Arts Festival to immediately withdraw the misleading advertisements.
“We would like to clarify that artists Sally Nyundo and Peter Mawanga are both contracted solely to the Moon-Rock Festival. This is unethical advertising and it has caused confusion among people,†said WSM Marketing Manager Roshenka de Mel in a statement.
The sentiments were echoed by Nyundo in a separate interview.
The Ras Amadya Nzimbe hitmaker asked for an immediate redress.
In another interview, Sand Music Festival coordinator Lucius Banda said the problem has been noted and will be rectified immediately.
“What happened is we made verbal communication to artists we wanted at the Sand Music Festival and for advertising purposes, those handling adverts rushed to the press before we could finalise agreements with those earmarked for the show. By the time we were reaching for the likes of Mawanga [and Nyundo], they had already signed contracts with Moon-Rock organisers,†he explained.
Other artists lined up for the Moon-Rock Festival include Mafilika, Body Mind and Soul, Music Crossroads band, Konkalazi, Malingaka, Soul Raiders, Young Chilaga and the Black Survivors band, Jimmy Chiozo, Kuyenda, James Duff and Rich Phillips Rainmaker. South Africa’s idols finalist Mark Haze will be the only international act.
On the other hand, the Nkopola beach party will feature Lucius and Zembani, Black Missionaries, Maskal, Armstrong, Piksy, Zambia’s Dalisoul and General Kanene, Botswana’s Makhirikhiri, Mozambique’s Masukusu and Zimbabwe’s Banyana Bafana.
