Nyandoro explains silence

Shire Valley music giant Nyandoro has attributed his two-year absence on the Malawi music scene to financial problems.

In an exclusive interview, the artist (formerly Stanley Mthenga), whose Sena Jive was the most played video on the defunct TV Africa,  said economic hitches had betrayed his strides in music.

“It is difficult to plan for shows bearing in mind that the cost of venues, equipment and advertising are increasingly becoming expensive. Every time I see my friends performing, I cry within—just like a football player who works hard during training but hardly gets a chance to play a game. I miss the stage big time,” he said.

He said he was working hard to have at least two shows this year.

However, Mthenga urged local radios to introduce a policy that would accord local music more airplay than foreign hits. He advocated for at least 49 percent of music aired on local airwaves to be locally made.

“My plea is for radio station to have a deliberate policy to support local music so that Malawian music is boosted. The current trend is even worse to people like me that play traditional music,” he said.

According to Nyandoro, it is high time Malawians started supporting local music to help “preserve national identity”.

Meanwhile, the Shire Valley hitmaker has disclosed that he was working on an album Bye-Bye.

“My goal though is to produce music that should be recognised internationally,” he said.