Musicians Union of Malawi (Mum) leader Vita Chirwa on Wednesday called upon musicians to be members of the body.
Chirwa, who is also the leader of Kalimba Band, said musicians needed not to work in isolation but, rather, move as a team.
“We cannot develop if we work in isolation. We need every musician across the country regardless of whether they are from—those in urban and rural areas, budding or established, popular or unpopular—to be members of Mum. Moving together as an army means lobbying for policies and other important issues together,” he said.
The Mum leader said this after observing that a lot of musicians were not joining the union.
“We, as a body, are there to uplift, protect and empower musicians. There are several benefits when musicians are part of the union and these include getting financial and moral support in times of need, networking and collaboration—where we connect members to industry professionals,” he said.
Chirwa said it was high time musicians started operating together with others.
“Some musicians have chosen to stand alone but we urge them to join us so that we speak with one voice. There are issues to do with contracts, grants, sponsorship and other international opportunities where we come in to assist,” he said.
Chirwa said the union wanted to ensure that musicians’ voices were heard and that their concerns were taken into consideration in policy making and industry regulations.
“For instance, as we are looking forward to the creation of the National Arts and Heritage Council, we need musicians to participate in activities,” he said.
