As a baby, Lucius Chiccio Banda had little curiosity in music – he spent his days enjoying soccer as a substitute.
However Banda’s older brother coaxed him to hitch a church band, setting him on a path to change into a Malawian musical legend, political activist and “soldier” for the poor.
Banda, who died in South Africa on Sunday night time after battling a kidney-related sickness for shut to 5 years, loved large recognition throughout Malawi.
Tributes for the 53-year-old have poured in from all sectors of Malawi society. Following his demise he has been honoured by artists, politicians, spiritual leaders and outstanding sportspeople.
President Lazarus Chakwera stated: “It’s with deep sorrow that the First Girl and I mourn the passing of Hon Lucius Banda, who was the Presidential Advisor on Youth and Arts.
“His political activism by music that captured our hopes and goals, particularly through the battle for democracy has profoundly formed our nation, giving voice to the unvoiced and difficult injustices.”
Banda hailed from the Malawian city of Balaka, positioned round 200 km (124 miles) south-east of the capital, Lilongwe.
Essentially the most notable characteristic of this city is a large, influential Catholic church, one of many largest in the entire of Southern Africa.
Banda’s mom, Maria Jeremiah, was simply 14 when she bought married. She bought divorced in her mid-twenties after having seven youngsters, two of whom died.
In interviews Banda typically spoke about how he didn’t have any recollection of his father as he was very younger when his mother and father bought divorced.
His mom raised the kids alone and the household lived in dire poverty. Banda walked to highschool barefoot, wore torn garments and slept in a leaky, grass-thatched hut.
“I first had a pair of footwear on the age of 16,” Banda as soon as stated. When he travelled to the city centre, he would carry his footwear in a plastic bag and solely put them on as soon as he had nearly arrived.
“I didn’t know when subsequent I used to be going to have one other pair of footwear, so I must take care them in order that I may have them for a very long time,” he defined.
Banda’s elder brother, Paul, was a pacesetter of a church group known as Alleluya Band. He persuaded Banda to desert soccer for music and taught his seven-year-old brother the right way to play the keyboard.
By the age of 13 Banda joined Alleluya Band and two years later he was on stage for the primary time, acting at a marriage.
For the church, Alleluya Band was a approach of maintaining younger boys busy and out of hassle. For Banda, it helped him fall in love with music and pushed his musical skills to the fore.
Within the early Nineteen Nineties, when Malawi was transitioning from single-party authoritarian rule to a multi-party democracy, Banda determined to stop Alleluya and go solo.
He discovered singing within the band limiting, as virtually all its songs have been about faith.
He wished to make music that held highly effective messages about freedom and the battle towards social injustice.
As a solo artist, he recorded his first album titled Son of a Poor Man in 1993. It grew to become an prompt hit.
One of the vital standard songs on the album was Mabala, which suggests “wounds” within the Chichewa language.
Mabala criticised the poor human rights file of the president on the time, Hastings Banda (no relation) – a dangerous transfer. Nonetheless, the musician did not obtain a lot blowback from the authorities, probably as a result of by that time the president was underneath strain from all sides and was months away from being voted out.
Banda went on to launch a number of extra albums, turning into one of many largest musicians within the nation. In Malawi, he’s greatest recognized by the moniker “soldier” after he known as himself “a soldier for the poor”.
He additionally grew to become an ally of President Bakili Muluzi, who deafeated Hastings Banda within the nation’s historic 1994 elections. The “soldier” sang political songs praising Mr Muluzi’s management and his political celebration, the UDF.
In 2010, after Mr Muluzi left energy, the state-owned Malawi Broadcasting Company (MBC) banned a few of Banda’s music on its two radio stations.
It’s thought the music, which criticised the administration of then-president Bingu wa Mutharika, was prohibited for political causes.
However the ban solely elevated the musician’s fame and gross sales of his data soared.
Past music, Banda served as a MP for the UDF between 2004 and 2006 and 2014 and 2019.
His first stint in parliament didn’t finish in glory. He was arrested and later convicted for faking his educational credentials. On the time, Banda told the BBC the federal government was “punishing” him for placing ahead a movement proposing procedures to question the president.
He misplaced his parliamentary seat after a Justice of the Peace’s Courtroom discovered him responsible and sentenced him to 21 months in jail.
The episode broken his political profession however did little or no to dampen his musical one. He continued to compose and play music, placing on reveals that drew large crowds.
In 2018, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement accolade by an area music charity, the City Music Individuals (UMP).
UMP known as Banda “the epitome of music in Malawi and doubtless the most important musical act Malawi has ever produced”.
Banda returned to politics in 2014, and managed to reclaim his parliamentary seat.
In 2019 he misplaced the seat once more. He joined the opposition UTM Celebration, headed by the late Vice-President Saulos Chilima, who died in a plane crash last month.
He didn’t change into an MP once more whereas with the UTM, however along with his celebration going into authorities as coalition companions with President Chakwera’s Malawi Congress Celebration (MCP), Banda was given a place of advisor to the president on youth and humanities, a place he held till his demise.
Banda is survived by his spouse, Sunganani and three youngsters.
