Zambia mourns award winning musician Marsha Moyo

She was 47.

Marsha passed away on Saturday, 5 November after an illness.

Information obtained from the internet says the musician collapsed and got into a coma before she was taken to a local hospital in Lusaka. When American professional boxer and activist, Mohamed Ali passed on, Marsha wrote on Twitter, 'Musicians should die more of natural illness not from drugs, we need to learn from The Greatest.'

Marsha, a  founder of The Pamodzi Foundation, joined the music scene in 2002 following the release of her debut album titled Dark Child. Dark Child was well-received in her home country and the surrounding regions. It earned her a nomination at the South African Music Awards (SAMA) in the Best African Artist category. The album also saw her nominated twice at the Kora All Africa Music Awards in the Revelation of the Year and Best Female Artist-Southern Africa categories.

The album was followed with the release of a single called ‘Women Celebrated’. The song earned her two more Kora award nominations namely Best Female African Artist-Southern Africa and Best African Video categories. Since then, her music career was on rise prompting her to release another album titled The Fine Print. The album did well and saw her nominated in the Best Vocal Recording category at the Ngoma Music Awards. In 2013, she released another album called Vested in Love.

Marsha became one of the most sought after artists in Zambia. She performed at various places and countries thus spreading her name in other countries.

Apart from music, she was a writer and gender activist. She wrote a publication titled ‘Women Celebrated’ (2001, 2011 UNFPA), a publication that focuses on the positive achievements and community contributions made by most Zambian women.

In 2009, she penned another publication titled ‘Wheels of Change: Champions in the SADC Gender Agenda’ (UNECA, SADC). The publication was biased towards celebrating people who made big contributions on gender equality and equity in SADC.

Her achievements didn't go unnoticed. In 2008, United Nations appointed her to promote the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In 2011, the Zambian government chose her to become a lifetime Tourism Ambassador.