By Jimmy Chazama:
The seventh edition of the Mafunyeta Memorial show took place on Sunday at National War Memorial Tower Road in Lilongwe, attracting a massive audience.
The memorial lived up to its billing, with the audience, dominated by young people, savoring the performances from different artists who were celebrating the life of reggae dancehall musician Mafunyeta, real name Patrick Magalasi.
The memorial also turned out to be a perfect platform for raising awareness about mental and reproductive health and technology among young people.
Some of the artists that starred at the memorial show included Malinga Mafia, Blaze, Kellie Devine, Riffle Dynamic, Mellz Kumpanje, Provoice, Toriah, Lady Aika, Ace Jizzy and Gibo Lantos.
Malinga Mafia, famed for tracks such as ‘Arasi’, put up a lively performance that excited people despite jumping on stage with the aid of a walking stick.
The artist got injured on his leg recently before he got medical attention.
Hifi Electronics, one of the event’s sponsors, has since announced plans to bring an international artist next year.
“We are impressed with the turnout and next year we will bring a Jamaican artist,” the firm’s director of events, Blessed Adam, said.
Lilongwe City Mayor, Esther Sagawa, who was the the guest of honour, hailed organisers for keeping Mafunyeta’s legacy alive with the memorial show.
“The memorial is also being used in disseminating important messages to the youth,” Sagawa said.
One of the organisers, Yanja Chigamba, expressed satisfaction with this year’s event, saying it was a success.
“There is an improvement compared to the previous editions especially due to the fact that more partners came in to support,” Chigamba said.
Mafunyeta, who died on August 11 2013, contributed immensely to the growth of the creative sector and some of the songs that he dropped include ‘ Kangobwera’ and ‘Ndimakondwa’.
