Tumaini fundraises for Dzaleka youths
Tumaini Letu, organisers of the Tumaini Festival, on Friday hosted a fundraiser for Dzaleka youths at Orchid Café in Area 12, Lilongwe.
The three-hour event, which started from 7pm, featured performances ranging from poetry to acoustic music and visual arts exhibitions.
The night started with a poetry recital by Tamanda Kanjaye, a 13-year-old who recited poems she composed and dedicated to Tumaini.
I an interview after the performance, she said Tumaini provides a great platform for showcasing her art.
Said Kanjaye: “When I was approached to perform tonight, I just had to come up with something.”
In her Tumaini poem, she tackled issues of immigration and resettlement.
The poetry session was followed by music by Luki 247 who performed songs such as My People, Who You With, Pulika and U and I.
Speaking during the performance, Luki 247 said she was grateful for the Tumaini initiative.
She said: “Tumaini is home to me. It gives an opportunity to people from all walks of life to come together.
“The festival also gives a platform for artists of different backgrounds to express themselves.”
Luki said she has participated in the Tumaini Festival since its inception.
Another female poet, Gome recited emotional pieces about gender-based violence and Malawians working in South African mines, which touched many people.
The poet, who stammers, gave credit to her secondary school teacher for encouraging her to continue with poetry.
She said: “Look at me. I stammer, but I am a stand-up poet. There is power in our stammering. I always give credit to my secondary school teacher who always encouraged me in poetry.”
Mzuzu-based Afro-pop musician Cindy also graced the stage with her soul touching vibes that fuse Nyanja, Chichewa, English and Tumbuka languages.
In his remarks, Tumaini founder Menes La Plume said the fundraiser was initially designed to provide a platform for talented female artists, but some male artists such as Lazarus, Dan Kalima and Neil Nayar offered to perform for free.
“I just came here to watch the show, but looking at the atmosphere. I asked Menes if I could perform. He said yes and I felt honoured,” remarked Kalima also known as Serius.
The show reached its climax when Lazarus took to the stage performing his Chichewa traditional songs which attracted the audience to the dance flow.
La Plume said they will soon announce how much money they raised from the event.
The fundraiser was also spiced up by music by Dzaleka Refugee Camp-based female DJ La Perle.
Derived from a Swahili word meaning hope, poet La Plume introduced Dzaleka’s first arts and cultural festival Tumaini in November 2014. This year’s festival is scheduled to take place in November.
