I hope that after all the partying associated with the festive season, we are all back on our feet to take on the new year with renewed faith and energy.

If you are in a work environment, which allows you some days off during the period, unlike my job, the restart is always a challenge. A good part of you is still used to the resting and lazy days of the season. It requires quick re-organisation of the mind to focus on things that matter.

As is always the case, the traffic of entertainment activities during the festive season is always intense. One party here today, another there tomorrow. The speed is one which requires some strong will to keep up with.  The case was not different as we saw off 2022.

On the entertainment calendar, were a number of eye-catching events, which promised nothing, but pure fun and entertainment. The traditional White Party in Blantyre organised by Entertainers Promotions was among those A-list events, which one wouldn’t miss for no reason.

The Splash Rooftop Restaurant at Amaryllis Hotel in Blantyre was on New Year’s Eve  transformed into a white canopy by hundreds who turned up. The elegance that oozed from the patrons on the night talked of nothing but pure class. 

The other big event on the night was 350 kilometres away in Lilongwe where Umodzi Park had summoned four of the country’s leading urban music artists to a performance at Bingu International Conventional Centre. The names could not come bigger than Faith Mussa, Kell Kay, Lulu and Patience Namadingo.

Just on paper, this music cocktail was one to send tongues salivating. It is not every day that you see those four artists line up on the same stage. But December 31 presented a rare opportunity for music lovers.

One thing happened before the event, which I feel soured the good spirit of entertainment. The pre-event interviews which were done by Namadingo and Lulu created a platform of unwarranted banter.

Their innuendos silently made the event look like a Namadingo versus Lulu showdown. Not even in the spirit of brotherhood, but a real fight. From my experience, such kind of pre-event press engagements are mainly associated with boxing.

The tough talk they give is meant to raise the hype ahead of the bout. Boxing, being a sport that it is, this stunt passes perfectly as it adds to the entertainment that the competitive sport brings.

But I have never looked at music as a competitive indulgence. It is rather an art which needs to be enjoyed and expressed through a wide spectrum. Music as an art doesn’t have barriers and a defined mode and form that it should follow. Imagine having music which all sounded the same.

If it was by design, to market the event by such antics, then they got it all wrong. The shadow boxing that was engaged got into the minds of the people and they were forced to draw lines on who their preferred artist is.

It is with little wonder that there were reported booing from a section of patrons when the other artist got on stage. Music should never be taken as a competition between or among particular artists.

Music needs to be enjoyed in its wholesale form. I wonder if there is one person who claims to be a music fan and on his playlist has music from just one particular artist. That can be a weird way of appreciating art.

I implore artists to guard themselves on the references  they make to each other. Unknowingly of otherwise they maybe  fanning a fire which is not supposed to be there among their respective followership.

They need to be responsible enough to stand up against any elements that appear poised to divide the industry. From where they have both come from and to where they are now, one can only salute the gains they have made.

We can only hope that they can achieve even bigger things than where they are now. And to do that, they need a united front. What they can do, what they can become, can only be of benefit to the country. 

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