Zomba Mountain Festival makes its debut with a bang

A top Zomba Mountain,  a cool breeze and beautiful serene environment  welcomed music lovers to the first ever Zomba Mountain Music Festival.

From Friday to Sunday patrons to the fest held at the Trout Farm had an impressive line-up of musicians.

The music started with speeches and ended with fun and networking.

Speaking during the official opening, Zomba City mayor Benson Bullah said the festival was a welcome development as it also raised the profile of the beautiful Zomba plateau.

“This event will go a long way in raising the profile of our beautiful Zomba Mountain and its natural resources. In the end, people will be coming here to appreciate and tour our attractive places,” he said.

Bullah said there were obviously some patrons who had never visited the mountation and the festival opened up a whole new world to them.

He told the patrons that Emperor Haile Selassie once visited the mountain and the place he stood is marked as Emperor’s View.

The mayor also told the patrons about Williams Falls which many can find fascinating.

In his address, John Nthakomwa proprietor of Mibawa Television, organisers of the festival, said their aim is to promote arts as well as raise the profile of Zomba Mountain Forest.

“This is our small way of promoting the entertainment industry,” he said.

The event started with a bang as various artists took turns to perform with a clear and powerful sound output.

Ma Blacks performed for two hours while Piksy lasted about 45 minutes. Waliko Makhala also impressed during his set with his ‘bush music’.

Zomba Prison Band, which was nominated for Grammy Awards in 2016 for the Best World Music Album, was also there.

On Sunday, the day was filled with gospel perfomances  such as Faith Mussa, Ndirande Anglican Voices and Shammah Vocals.

Though the patronage was low, the ones that attended spoke highly of their experience.

Blantyre-based Gladys Chitera said the venue was conducive for an international festival.

“It is vast, safe with a beautiful surrounding,” she said.

Artist Physix, who attended the event, said the festival was well organised. He said: “This event is well organised. It is big enough, visible security and sound quality is topnotch. In two years time, this will become Malawi’s leading festival.”