Pick of the Week - Keturah & Gidess Chalamanda (Malawi)

A rising star teams up with a grand old man of Malawian music.

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“Keturah: A New Voice From Malawi,” an article at the Afropop Worldwide site, notes that "Malawi has been scarce on the international music scene." Which is probably true. They are the heavy hitters in this game and would know better than I.

But in the short time that Music of Africa has been in business, I've noticed that Malawi has a great deal of great music to offer, as does another "overlooked" African country - Botswana. If you need proof, check out our new YouTube playlist that focuses on all things Malawi.

As the AWW article notes:

Keturah, now 27 years-old, came to the attention of the Jacaranda Foundation, a Malawian school for AIDS orphans and its cultural center, and she was instantly recognized as a unique talent. Fast forward to July, 2022, when Keturah found herself outside Malawi for the first time in her life, in California, working with members of the global music collective Playing for Change led by Mark Johnson.

Her co-star on this song and video is Gidess Chalamanda (whom I share a birthday with). He was about 90 years at the time this video rolled out, in 2021, and is apparently still going strong.

I've been meaning to get around to Chalamanda and I will at some point. But for now, have a look at this recent article that tells how his brush with TikTok fame brought him to the attention of his country's president.

Here's Keturah's Bandcamp page.