Impakt Events Management director Lucius Banda has hinted at a more African event as the Sand Music Festival enters its 12th year.

He was speaking on the sidelines of the unveiling of a K16 million sponsorship from Castel Malawi at the company’s headquarters in Blantyre on Wednesday afternoon.

Banda (L) hand over the dummy cheque to Lucius Banda

Banda said as the festival is growing, it should seek to cement an African experience and identity.

“Traditionally, we have had artists from Jamaica as headliners of the event. But this time around our focus is within Africa. We want to bring in a number of artists from Africa who will [perform at] the event. Very soon we will be making the announcements,” he said.

Banda said the move is in line with their plans to reposition the event to be more of a regional festival than just a Malawian event. He said they are pleased that past experience has shown that the festival has already started making inroads in countries within the region.

Castel Malawi has doubled their support for the festival from K8 million last year to K16 million.

On the partnership with Castel Malawi, Banda saluted the company for the consistency they have shown in supporting the event throughout its 12 years of existence.

He said: “We are excited with the history that we share. SandFest is not a commercial thing and when corporates come in such as this, it fulfils the spirit of giving back to the society. The fact that they have increased the amount shows that they understand what it takes to organise such an event.”

Castel Malawi head of national sales Nelson Banda said they are always excited to offer a platform to promote the spirit of Malawi, its artists and exposing them on a regional platform.

“We maintain this partnership because we believe in their cause. SandFest is not just a show, but a tourism driver. For us that is a big thing. We will make sure that we keep a constant supply of our products throughout the event,” he said.

This year’s festival runs from September 30 to October 1 at Kambiri Beach in Salima.

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