Lucius Banda

Lucius Banda (born 17 August 1970) was one of the finest musicians to emerge out of Malawi.

Banda, whose music portrayed social, economic and cultural constraints, succumbed to kidney failure on 30 June.

He grew up in Sosola Village under headman Kapalamula. His music portrays the social, economic and cultural constraints faced by ordinary Malawians. His legacy dated back to 1983. At the age of 13, he was already showing signs of liking music. His maiden stage appearance was in 1985 when his brother Paul Banda made him a member of his Alleluya Band.

He left the band and began recording as a solo artist. He released his debut album ‘Son of a Poor Man’. The project was recorded at Shandel Music Studio. An Argentine called George Arigone assisted him to perfect his backing vocals.

He attended a school of music in South Africa. His dream of studying music was fulfilled in 1993 when he joined Dorkey House in Johannesburg where he spent a full year studying music. This was followed by the release of his song ‘Get Up Stand Up’. The track made him popular. This saw him doing collaborations with South African gospel musicians such as Nomhlanlha Nkhize and Debora Freser.

In 1997, he founded a band called Zembani. This was after the launch of his fourth album titled ‘Take Over’. In 2010 he released another album called ‘15-15- My Song’. The music project was banned by the state broadcaster due to its political content. In 2015, he released his 18th album called 'Thank You'.