Suffix, Faith Mussa tackle tribalism in new song

Suffix and Faith Mussa have collaborated on a song titled Yobwata that is addressing tribalism among Malawians.

The two artists, motivated by a song by US artist Joyner Lucas titled I Am Not Racist, discuss how tribalism is affecting the way Malawians relate to each other.

In an interview, Suffix said being from the Northern Region, he grew up hearing narratives that made him believe he could not trust people of other tribes.

“The narrative that surrounded me growing up was that of promoting hate among people of different tribes. But, as I grew and became a devoted Christian, my perspective started changing as the Bible promotes love regardless of where one comes from,” he said.

The rapper said he hopes the song will help Malawians have healthy conversations about tribalism and how much it negatively affects progress.

“We have people employing certain people just because they come from the same tribe. It is really unhealthy. This is also the case in politics. This must stop,” he said.

In a separate interview, Mussa said tribalism is getting out of hand in Malawi and that it is time to deal with it.

“I never thought I would live to see the day when people would be making a big deal about their tribes. Now we have segmented everything into tribes. These are bad seeds we are sowing,” he said.

Mussa said tribalism will make children grow up with hatred towards each other based on tribes yet they never wronged each other.

He said: “I feel this needs to be addressed seriously.

“I believe that music is one of the strongest tools in the hands of mankind. We may not go into every home to say this but music will penetrate walls, doors, boarders and get to people we never even meet.” 

Reacting to the song, LeBron Chiutsi wrote on Facebook: “One of the most relatable songs in the current state of the country and one that people shy away from. But also translates to a broader perspective of how we see each other as human beings. We are one. Shout out to Suffix.”

This is not the first time that Suffix and Mussa have worked together. In 2016, they released Mkazi wa Kumwamba, a song that loosely tackles the same issue of tribalism when it comes to choice of marriage partner.