When Faith Mussa met Lawi
Gripping! Although it is an understatement, it is the most suitable way of describing the meeting between Malawi’s finest singers in concert; Lawi and Faith Mussa.
The pair came face to face at a concert in Lilongwe on Sunday night.
It was a night of fun with both the young and old dancing in celebration for the resurrection of Jesus Christ or simply for the delight of music from Malawi’s fresh gospel sound.
Just a few minutes after 8pm, Faith took to the stage, kicking off the concert with mellow tunes, Sindidzakondanso Wina and Mumandikondera.
And, with only a few patrons moving their heads to the beat in appreciation of the music, the young artist soon changed the tempo with Ndili Ndekha, Timanjoya and Kusilira Zilizonse, sending the jam-packed Capital Hotel Marquee on its feet.
The dancing and applauding swayed Faith as he joined in the dance, something that you rarely see him do.
It was a terrific performance and the more he strummed his lead guitar, the more he danced along with the audience.
Then came Mkazi Wangwiro, a song appreciating a virtuous woman. The artist called his girlfriend Brenda on stage and, from then on, the performed the remaining songs together.
Nditumeni
was also on the menu and, in a typical saving the best for last style, the Desperate hit came, and the audience moved closer to stage to catch a good glimpse of the young man and ensure that they did not miss a piece of the action.
While others thought that was the end of the night for Faith, he pulled a surprise as he did Pamudzi Pano, a rendition which mixtures English and Lhomwe-accented Chichewa.
After an hour of a stellar performance, Faith bowed out, leaving people yearning for more.
Lawi was next on stage and he also started with mellow tunes dishing Asamala, Ambuye, Hallelujah and Let the Children.
Life is Beautiful
changed the rhythm as it set in motion a wave of dancers closer to the stage.
He then performed The Whistling Song, to which the audience gladly sang along, as well as Ifeyo composed to celebrate Malawi’s 50 years of Independence.
“Ndikudziwa mukuona kuchedwa,” he said, signalling the start of his hit of the moment.
Closer to the stage some moved while the majority turned the aisles into a dancefloor.
Even the Malawi Defence Force commander, General Henry Odillo, could not help but stand in awe, his eyes fixated on the young artist as he continuously shook his head in appreciation.
He then performed Zitsulo and Amati Andikawe, one of the songs that made the artist popular.
From there it was fun time all the way as he played one of the songs from way back, which children used to sing during play time, Tabwera Kutola Mtedza as well as Talowa M’bwalo, during which people danced until they dripped sweat.
Some of the patrons outwitted each other as they showed their danced moves with Lawi edging them on.
With the clock just a few minutes shy of midnight, the audience still yearned for more but Lawi and his Mango Band called it a day.
“Thank you for coming in large numbers. If we knew there is going to
be such a massive turnout, we would have held the event at BICC. So this is our promise to you, from our next show onward, that auditorium will be our venue,” said organiser Q Malewezi of Qoncept Creative.
“Entertainment will never be the same again in Malawi with the current crop of up and coming artists. It was a fantastic show and a brilliant night. I have enjoyed myself and of course, next time I will not hesitate to come again,” General Odillo summed up the show, a content smile playing on his lips.
