With the country facing acute fuel shortage, organisers of the Urban Music People (UMP), have said that they have a plan to limit the impact of the fuel shortage revealing that they have a public shuttle among others.
Some fun lovers have come out on social media to say that they will have problems to attend the three-day festival at Cape Maclear in Mangochi due to fuel shortage.
The festival starts Friday and ends on Sunday.
“We are also comforted by the official announcement by the government of more fuel on the way,” the festival director Ken Zizwa Limwame said.
Minister of Information Moses Kunkuyu assured the country of enough fuel yesterday during a presser saying the government has secured 21.5 million US dollars for the purchase of the commodity and that this will cater for 26.9 million litres of fuel.
UMP Festival dubbed The Evolution spearheaded by Chitoliro Productionz has since commenced its activities ahead of the main festival this weekend with a two-day conference for cultural and creative industries, which started yesterday at Amaryllis Hotel in Blantyre and will end today.
Limwame described the first day of the conference which attracted several players in the creative sector as a great platform for wonderful insights and deep conversations.
‘We are proud to be associated with this innovative event, a perfect backdrop for the festival. The programme continues and will be joined by additional international speakers, who will join online and we will come up with a forward looking conference statement that will endeavor to capture the gist of the event,” he said.
Renowned poet Q Malewezi, who is also special advisor to President Lazarus Chakwera on
creative industries, described the conference as an important platform for conversations to grow the creative industry.
Hosted by Times Group presenter Yankho Seunda, the conference, saw some players, make presentations and they included Anganile Nthakomwa from the Ministry of Local Government, Unity and Culture, who spoke on regulatory matters.
Nthakomwa said the country deserves policy and regulations and that there was need for awareness for people to consume right information in this digital era.
“The digital era has brought up a lot of challenges in terms of accessing harmful content but regulating this industry is for the safety and also measuring the value of public entertainment,” she said.
Nthakomwa said it is the wish of the government that the creative sector flourishes within the creative legal framework for a better Malawi.
Over 50 international artists and 60 local artists from different disciplines such as poetry, music, fashion, visual art, film and theatre are expected to star at the festival.
Some of the musicians set to feature include Nigerian afro-beat star Magixx, who is expected to arrive in the country today ahead of his performance on Saturday.
Another Nigerian musician Anesi jetted into the country yesterday through Chileka International Airport in Blantyre alongside Chisenga from Australia.
Local acts performing at the UMP Festival include Onesimus, Gibo Pearson, Temwah, Tuno, Mario Bros, Ethel Kamwendo Banda, Black Missionaries, Theresa Phondo and Sean Morgan.
The festival, which began as Urban Music Party in 2009 in Blantyre, is this year also bringing back UMP Awards to be held in December.
