Malawians residing in the USA converged in the sanctuary city of SouthBend, Indiana from July 1 to 3 to witness the first of its kind Malawi Independence Festival.

 The event, headlined by Malawi’s music greats such as Lucius Banda and Mlaka Maliro, was attended by the entire Malawian Embassy Chancery in the USA  from Washington DC. Her Excellency Justice Esme Chombo was the guest of honour.

Fans attempt to get a grab of his performance: Lucius Banda

The three-day event started with a dinner and dance dubbed ‘Malawi Night’ at the Holiday Inn where Malawian cuisines were prepared and served to salivating Malawians.

So good was the food that Deputy Malawi Ambassador Martin Banda joked that the Embassy should just be moved to SouthBend, Indiana.

On Saturday, the day’s events started with prayers as Malawians from across the United States diaspora converged in the gothic cathedral of the First Presbyterian Church. Apostle Stanley Ndovi of the Living Waters Church in Malawi, who happened to be in the United States for a visit, led the service.

“Do not forget where you are coming from. Do not forget Malawi. People easily forget where they come from when they are far away from home,” he preached.

On the menu was also a soccer match between Flames USA against a formidable Lansing, a Michigan soccer team which added to the fun. But this seemingly exciting match turned into disillusionment as the Flames were roasted and taken to the cleaners by the youthful Michigan side.

The disappointment from the soccer match, however, did not dampen the spirit of what was to follow next. A music concert featuring the two legendary artists, Wendy Harawa, Lungu Vibes and Ben Flavour.

Apatsa Kwilimbe manned the bass, Jack Kamwendo was on the lead guitar, Trevor Kanjoka on the acoustics, Jay Stranger on the keyboard, Kondwani Khonje and Twali Ngosi on the drums and Esther Kambwinda provided the backing vocals.

Youthful Lungu Vibes, all the way from Columbus Ohio, opened the show with scintillating reggae hits that made the show hit the ground running. When Ben Flavour followed to sing a rendition of Kalimba’s Sometimes I Wonder, oldies couldn’t help but shake their weary bodies.

Next Mlaka emerged on stage and proved he was a master of the stage. He captivated the audience with hits like Kamandidutsadutsa, Dzanja Lalemba and hit of the moment Vinyo. It was sing along time as the audience reveled in the lyrics.

Now this day coincided with Mlaka’s birthday. And the audience showed some love for the man of God as they offered him some dollars as a birthday gift.

“We are very grateful for everyone who came here to support the show. Not only did we have Malawians but we also had Americans and people from other nationalities who came to hear our sound and they were impressed,” said Mlaka.

When Soldier Lucius Banda appeared on the stage, everyone was already in the mood. He opened with the anthem Nthawi which is one of the songs that is extremely impressive lyrically and musically. Soldier, despite coming back from an illness, did not show any signs of slowing down.

He dished songs from different albums and different generations. He invited Wendy on stage for the song Tina and the songstress did not disappoint. And then it was time to introduce Mr Zembani Johny, his son.

They sang together emotionally in a pass the baton mode.

Former Big Brother Africa Fatima Nkata, who was director of ceremonies, said: “It was so emotional for me when they sang together that I could not help but shed a tear.”

The festival wound up with a family day at the Day Road Park where a barbecue took place and the community interacted and reconnected while listening to spinning hits from DJ Edmund ‘E-Dub’ Chiphwanya.

As Ambassador Chombo bid farewell to the Malawian community at the park, she reiterated her desire to make the Malawi Embassy a one-stop centre for trade, investment, tourism and business connects.

“We will work with all Malawians here in the USA by connecting you with people who will provide solutions if we don’t have the solutions ourselves. We want you to build Malawi by mobilising yourselves into groups and working together”, she said.

One of the organisers, Yobe Chisambi, was all thankful to the ambassador for honouring the invitationt.

“We will come back with a big bang next year because the success of this festival has buoyed our energy, ‘’ he said on the sidelines of the family day.

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