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| Who is fit to play gospel music? |
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by
Peter Makossah, 06 February 2004
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13:57:25
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Music is the food of love so they say, but in the Malawian music circles it appears music is breeding hatred and enmity and is fast becoming a game of ‘who belongs where?’.
There seems to be a great rift between gospel musicians and those in secular music circles. The secular music players say gospel musicians are selfish while the other group claims that it sings for God and that people cannot walk together before striking an agreement.
Secular musicians complain that they are being segregated by the ‘men and women’ of God in music and are labelled as sinners while on the other hand gospel artists say that for one to be a gospel artist, one needs to be a born again.
But is being born again a prerequisite of playing gospel music?
Pioneer of Malawi’s contemporary gospel music Paul Banda, who announced his retirement from live music stage performance over 10 years ago, came out of his shell and revealed that he was forced to quit active music because the gospel music circles were getting out of hand.
“I don’t think I will play live music again. But all the same, I strive to give people good music which they can listen to peacefully in their homes while meditating about their spirituality. I cannot be playing music to drunkards and watch people talking rubbish and even some raping girls. The audiences today are so unruly.
“In the past the audiences were so faithful where gospel music was concerned, I don’t know if they were primitive or under civilised. These days people are cheeky, arrogant and very violent even some of the so called gospel artists do not represent the true image of somebody singing for the Lord,” said Banda.
He said there is a big problem within the gospel music industry because most of the artists think that for one to be a gospel artist, one has to be a born again Christian.
“Gospel musicians, just like any musician are in business. Nobody should claim that they are in music for the sole purpose of spreading the gospel of the Lord through music. Most of the gospel artists in the country have dented pasts and claim to have been born again and in the process sideline others who are not born-again,” lamented Banda.
The veteran musician added that it is high time people in the gospel music circles stopped taking things for granted, saying there are many people, including himself, that do not subscribe to the doctrines of being born again.
“Most of the gospel artists judge other musicians as sinners. Who are they to judge others? The gospel industry is just too dirty. I don’t believe in the ideologies of being born again and why should I be discriminated against for that?” asked Banda.
But on a lighter note, Banda commended most of the renowned gospel artists in the country for being united.
“I admire the so called gospel artists when they gather at one place in an evangelism fellowship. That kind of spirit should, however, spread to all musicians not only among themselves. Whether one is a born again or not, but as long as he preaches the word through music, he must be respected and accepted,” he said.
Renowned secular music stalwarts Ben Michael, Sally Nyundo, Wendy Harawa, Billy Kaunda, Overton Chimombo and Lucius Banda all agree with Banda that there is a great problem in the gospel industry, arguing that gospel artists in the country are somehow selfish and treat those that are not born agains as outcasts.
“For me, gospel music is any music that propagates the good. I regard myself as a gospel artist for what I sing advises people to be good and not otherwise. But I don’t have to be a born again to qualify as a bonafide gospel artist,” said Michael.
Lucius said these days gospel music shows have become the next best place for people to find girlfriends and boyfriends, adding such things are threatening the credibility of the shows and contributing towards the escalation of HIV/Aids cases because the people pretend to be saints when they are not.
“I fail to understand why we should work in isolation. It does not matter whether one is a gospel artist or not. We all belong to one family of music. What I have seen these days is that most of the gospel music shows are like rendezvous for people desperate for love,” said Lucius.
Nyundo also pointed out the problem of attitude between secular and gospel musicians.
Dance hall queen Harawa accused gospel artists of selfishness because they segregate secular artists and regard them as sinners when they themselves lead questionable lives, “probably worse than those of the people they condemn”.
“There are times we need to play with them [gospel artists] but they do not allow us for they regard us as failures before God. To me, that’s nonsense because if one looks at some secular artists, they are more gospel in their behaviours than the so-called gospel artists,” said Harawa.
Kaunda of the Mwataya Chipangano fame said it pains to see gospel artists ignoring him in their shows because he is not born again.
“Music is music. It is one thing and being born again is just another. We all sing for money regardless of what type of music we play, whether gospel or secular. If they sing as a way of preaching the gospel of the Lord, then they should stop selling their music. My music is gospel because I sing about issues of life,” said Kaunda, who has just opened a studio in Kanjedza.
On his part, veteran musician Chimombo agreed that there are problems between secular and gospel artists but added that this is normal because the two groups have different goals to achieve in the music industry.
But chairperson for the Gospel Musicians Association in Malawi Reverend Chimwemwe Mhango, who is also head of Loudon Mission of the Livingstonia Synod of the CCAP in an interview told Nation Online that it is a prerequisite for gospel artists to be born again.
He said this is important because when one has received Jesus Christ as a personal saviour, he understands better the teachings of the Lord. He added that it is biblical for Christians to be born again as written in John 3 : 3.
Said the Reverend: “I don’t think it is true that gospel artists segregate other musicians. But it is important for a gospel artist to be born again because that is a way of renewing one’s faith with the Lord. Look at Ethel Kamwendo-Banda, she is a testimony of how gospel artists should be.
“I am referring to her because I knew her before she turned to God and today she is a changed person. As a born again gospel artist, I feel proud to see what I am today compared to those old, old days before I turned to God,” he said.
However, Reverend Mhango said that born again gospel artists are not supposed to be segregating other musicians but “we have to make sure that we are exemplary in our lives before God and man”.
“As gospel artists, our major role is not getting money but evangelisation. Our aim is not entertainment. Entertainment only comes in because we have to rejoice in the presence of the Lord as in Psalms 150. We do not segregate, we only do what we as gospel artists are supposed to do.
“There are some things that are universal to all musicians but others are exclusive to either gospel or secular artists. This is not segregation. Everyone can be a gospel artist any time and no one can stop anyone. We cannot judge but God can,” said Reverend Mhango.
A leading born-again gospel artist Ethel Kamwendo-Banda brushed aside claims that gospel artists are selfish, saying there is no way two groups advancing different agendas and interests can move together.
She quoted the Bible in Amos 3 : 3 (Do two people start travelling together without arranging to meet) and 1 Corithians 3 : 16-17 (Surely you know that you are God’s temple and that God’s spirit lives in you! So if anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you, yourselves are his temple).
“Those who want to play gospel music must be born again because they preach the gospel of the Lord through music. There are some things that as a gospel musician, I cannot do like I cannot perform in a bar. But that does not mean I can judge anyone to be a sinner.
“The problem is that secular musicians think that there is too much money in gospel circles but there is no money it is only that there is God’s grace in the gospel music industry because it is backed by the Holy Spirit,” said Kamwendo-Banda.
She says before becoming a gospel artist she was a secular artist and nobody told her to go into gospel music it was her choice to serve the Lord. Because she had made an agreement her God.
“Nobody tells someone to be a gospel musician, it is a choice one has to make and there is no one who can stop anyone. It is not true that people are forcing themselves into gospel music. The truth is that it is God calling them. What I have seen is that people just want to cause confusion among gospel musicians,” she said.
Another renowned gospel artist Wycliff Chimwendo famed for his Afafaniza song said it is not true that the gospel music fraternity is segregative and selfish.
“It is not good to judge each other. Let God judge us. As for me, I have no problems. I am a friend to most, if not all secular musicians for I do not see the reason why I should not interact with my fellow musicians. Lucius Banda, Billy Kaunda, Ben Michael, Sally Nyundo, among others, are my good friends. We discuss music and issues pertaining to music,” said Chimwendo.
Malawi’s great gospel musician Wambali Mkandawire declined to delve much, saying he is not well versed with the Malawian music industry and it would be difficult for him to comment.
“I am not conversant with how music and musicians go about it in Malawi. I do things differently,” said Wambali.
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