Malawi remembers first lady

The year is 2008. It is on the crack of afternoon in the bustling commercial city of Blantyre. With crisp and fresh air breezing, setting up a mood of time with wits end when people will break loose from closed up life and rub shoulders with rookies from the noisy populous townships of Bangwe, Misesa, Chigumula, Ndirande, Chilobwe and Machinjiri.

The place is Country Club Limbe (CCL). A small place with robust reputation of hosting great exposition.

The place where international artists of repute have once ever had their turn churning out the worst best of their performance.

This time, it is no other occasion than Ethel Mutharika Memorial Show where Malawi artists will correct their wrong lessons right after watching how their international counterparts best handle a microphone in front of a crowd difficult to satisfy elsewhere in Ibadan in Nigeria or Midland in South Africa.

When the first lady Ethel Mutharika died it was a moment of tears, across the nation.It was time to mourn her death. But this time, it is not time to commemorate her death as it is a by gone. It is time to commemorate her life, her love her charisma.

It is time to reflect with a ray of hope that here was a great woman who lived great life in her great world with full great inspiration. Her death only seperated the body from a strong soul. Her spirit is back in Malawi's echelons to instil spirit of oneness and equalness when every jim patronizes the memorial show and see who the popular Nigerian Two Face is. The kind of equalness which would make Malawi community live healthier together.

Nigerian Two face is not coming to Malawi as a tourist but rather as an entertainer and Blantyre enthusiastic fans are aware of this fact. 2face is breezing to prove that he is not popular even in Europe and America in vain, he has the character.

With the show pegged only at K500 not even enough to purchase Thomas Chibade's
music CD, or Jozi DVD, it promises to sweep the corners of the city famished of meaningful family a well as public entertainment.

Blantyre is such a place where it is difficult to draw out between the upper class, middle, working and lower classes when it comes to entertainment. When fun overdozes them they find fun to be equal.

With the mood already getting fiercely electric, Ethel Mutharika promises to be similar.

The mood is already signalling that both the lower class and upper middle class would yet again have a serious intermingling while having their fun watching local and international music geniuses getting busy.

The line up of artists itself is enough to explain the size of the occasion smacks of exclusive variety. K'millan of Zambia of the man of Nikukonda fame, Nameless, South Africa's Jozi, DJ Ready D, G-Force, Heartbits, Nigerian 2Face, Malawi's Dan Lufani and Taygrin are no small fishes.

In an exclusive interview inBlantyre Dan Lufani who has just launched his album where he has featured comedian Winiko in Wazimenya double kick song he said he loves standing shoulders with international artists.

He said what EMF through its Executive Director Tapiwa Mutharika have done to organize the show is amazing because it satisfies his desires.

"We are nothing if we play our music amongst ourselves as locals, I discovered long ago that it is a great idea to hold shows in the presence of fellow musicians of international repute, you learn one or two tricks," he said.

"I have performed alongside several Zambian musicians including the popular The Third guys and it is my character to represent Malawians when the atmosphere becomes international," he said.

One DJ from Blantyre George Adams who is currently attached to CFC radio and resides in Nkolokosa said he was happy that there are also international DJ's at the event.

"I think, the special think is that, the show is affordable, and the presence of international DJ's makes it sophisticated, we are interested to see them," he said.