The night music won

Entertainers Promotions (EP) were back in the fray last Friday night as the country’s leading entertainment stable celebrated its30th anniversary.

For a good three decades, the company has dedicated all its energies and resources in making sure that they bring Malawians quality entertainment, music wise. Formed in 1989, by probably Malawi’s entertainment lord Jai Banda, EP has almost done and seen it all.

The EP has associations with almost every name that counts on the Malawi music terrain. From the years of Love Aquarius, Black Angelz, Gus Machinehead, Pamodzi to New Scene Band.

To the generation of Bright Nkhata, Ethel Kamwendo, Ben Michael and his Acacius Band through the generation of Lucius Banda, Billy Kaunda, CharlesNsaku till the time EvisonMatafale set the reggae revolution with his Never Ending Wailers.

Now, the EP is presiding over the generation of AnjiruFumulani’s and the Black Missionaries Band, Six Solid Band, Anthony Makondetsa and many others.

This reach profile should be enough to scare anyone who has an interest in the tidings of local music. The EP has reached out and helped transform, or at least create a platform, for many artists in Malawi.

The passion that the EP team has displayed in promoting music throughout the years that they have been around is unparalleled. Whoever has been behind this drive can look back with pride at the difference the establishment has managed to make. All we can say is THANK YOU EP!

On Friday, July 26, the EP had the honours to mark their existence in the most extraordinary way. The stage was set, Bingu International Convention Centre’s (Bicc) Amphitheatre was the rendezvous and South Africa’s trending rapper Kwesta Dakar was in town. 

Some circles, not so familiar with the artist, had raised their concerns before the show. The question I had to answer often in the last two weeks was: Who is Kwesta? What does he sing? Honestly, these were questions I had no responses for.

I wish all those who had been bombarding me with these enquiries had time to come and attend the Winter White Party, which is sadly behind us now. The South African perfectly provided the responses of who he is, what he sings and how he enjoys music with his performance.

It was clear he loved his time in Malawi. During a post-performance interview, he was almost at a loss of words about the feeling his Malawian performance had brought him. And he was appreciative of the love Malawians had shown him too.

“They brought a lot of energy and I kind of got myself into that energy. So shout out to the energy that they brought. I had fun and I hope they did too and also the fact they appreciated the music,” he said in his husky voice that had most ladies drooling by the stage side.

The artist retaliated the power that music has as universal language. He said it is not important to start figuring out what the artists are saying in their songs but starting feeling the emotion that the music relays.

Kwesta said: “Whether I am singing in Zulu you will however still understand it because music is music. One of the things that I have learnt during my stay here in Malawi is that regardless of whether the crowd knows the song word for word or not, the music is always bigger than everything.”

He gushed about how good it felt to be in Malawi. He did not rule out any possible collaborations with local artists, as long they are organic not something rushed just to suit the moment.

“I will tell every South African artist to make sure that they come to Malawi because if they don’t then they don’t know how it feels like to be in the warmest part of Africa,” he declared.

EP celebrated its 30th anniversary, Kwesta was there and it was the night that music won. n