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Ben Michael falls in love with prisoners
By
Our Reporter - 30-09-2002 |
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It seems two-time winner (last year and this year) of Malawi Gin Music Awards Ben Michael has fallen in love with Chichiri Prison as he led his group, The Zigzaggers in entertaining inmates in a marathon dance on Friday afternoon.
This is hardly four months since the artist performed for the prisoners at the institution, all courtesy of Banja La Mtsogolo (BLM), a reproductive healthcare non-governme-ntal organisation, which is implementing a health in prisons project, whose one component is entertaining the inmates through drama and music.
Also in attendance was Malawi’s ragga star San B.
But the proceedings were started by Sally Nyundo with Ras Amadya Nzimbe. Things were made easy for Nyundo because of the crystal clear sound from the robust equipment. The artist deftly went through the lyrics, making inmates and warders to mingle freely on the dance floor with only one aim: to enjoy them-selves.
Then it was the turn of the man himself, San B, who made patrons to cry for more when he did Amake Junior, in his trademark husky voice.
Ben Michael wrapped things with Kambaanga-mwala, a track that propelled him to fame three years ago. The patrons also went crazy with Moyo wa M’tauni, a song that lampoons at some of the idiosyncrasies of town life while contradicting it with village life.
In an interview, Michael compared prison life to being in a hospital hence the need to entertain the inmates now and then.
“The prisoners listen to
the radio. They follow entertainment. I get letters from all prisons in the country asking me to send them my posters. I, therefore, have to entertain them,” he said.
Michael said BLM’s medical treatment to the prisoners has reduced diseases such as scabies.
Said he: “Before the BLM project, we were afraid of greeting prisoners whenever we came here because we were afraid of contracting scabies. This is no longer the case now.”
Station officer for the prison Bridget Nkhoma said before BLM came, the inmates were only entertained at Christmas.
She said entertainment is important to prisoners because it makes them forget their problems.
“It is as if they are outside. Entertainment is part of reformation, which BLM is assisting through these dances,” said Nkhoma.
The officer then asked BLM to also invite gospel music artists, saying re-formation requires spiritual growth.
At the end of the performance, BLM also donated 18 balls to the prisoners to be used for netball and football.
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