Ufulu Festival to celebrate Malawi’s independence with music

The Ufulu Festival is staged annually by Flood Church on Malawi’s Independence Day. According to the organisers, the free public event aims to give Malawian youth and families a platform to celebrate and reflect on Malawi’s freedom. It provides a fun and safe environment for Malawians to celebrate the strides their country has made over the years, as well as an opportunity for artists to showcase their talents and honor their country.

First staged in 2014, this year’s event will be the festival’s third edition. The festival will be hosted by media personality Joy Nathu, a popular radio DJ at the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC). It will be held at the Mbowe Filling Station in Lilongwe from 1pm.

The organisers claim to have spiced up this year’s celebration with an exciting line-up of artists. Performances are scheduled from DRC-born Menes La Plume; Theo Thomson; Sam Mjura Mkandawire, winner of the Malawian leg of the 2015 Airtel Trace Music Star contest; Joshua Matonga; Nyali Muzik; Suffix; DJ Khali, Q Malewezi; Ernest Ikwanga, frontman of the popular band Mafilika; and more.

Theo Thomson is one of the most popular RnB figures to emerge out of Malawi's urban music scene. He is a songwriter and owner of Matalala Records. He grew up in Malawi and the UK and first rose to fame in 2010 following the release of his debut album Gypsy. Since then, he has scored hits with songs like ‘So Amazing’, 'Kadona' ft. Piksy and 'Awake'.

Multilingual Congolese slam poet, hip-hop artist and writer Menes La Plume was forced to move to Malawi in 2008 and now lives in Dzaleka Refugee Camp. One of his main missions is to use the power of words, music and culture to promote unity and raise awareness about issues surrounding refugees. He set up the Dzaleka Cultural Association for various initiatives in the camp, such as creative writing classes and the annual Tumaini Festival. Following a successful crowd-funding campaign that was featured on Al Jazeera’s Witness series, Menes released his debut album, Far From Home, in late 2015 with a nationwide tour of Malawi to promote peace and understanding towards refugees.

For more details visit the Ufulu Festival Facebook page.