His Excellency President Peter Mutharika has sent a message of goodwill to all Muslims in Malawi as they join the global Muslim community in observing the Holy month of Ramadhan.
A statement signed by the Statehouse Press Secretary Mgeme Kalilani, says President Mutharika is asking all Muslims in Malawi to use this period to continue sharing good will and love to one another and strengthen their spiritual lives.
“The Holy Month of Ramadhan this year comes at a unique time when the world is struggling with the coronavirus pandemic, I therefore encourage Muslims in the country to continue praying for the end of Covid -19 and peace of the nation”. said the President in the statement.
The Malawi leader has also appealed to Muslims and all Malawians to continue complying with Covid -19 safety measures as they fast and pray in order to prevent the further spread of coronavirus to save lives.
As Covid-19 rages on, it is evident that all corners of life have been negatively affected.
The disease, which took the world by surprise, has left the whole world at a standstill as no scientifically proven cure is a currently available.
Despite being at a standstill, one thing is certain; together we stand, divided we fall. This is the message at the heart of the new song released on Tuesday by Afro artist Wikise titled ‘iwe ndi ine.’
A the song starts, Wikise takes the listener to a low sombre mood and paints the desolate picture COVID-19 has brought across the four corners of the world.
He sings: “Dziko lonse lafinyika (The whole world has been cornered)/ Mtendere wasowa (there is no peace)/ Each and every day anthu akungofa (Each and every day people are dying)/ each and every day ma case mbwe (numerous cases everyday)”.
This is reality in Malawi as the country has for far recorded 33 cases of the disease and still counting, with already three deaths.
Wikise
However as the song approaches the chorus, Wikise reveals that all is not lost, there was light at the end of the tunnel, all that needs to be done is join efforts if the battle is to be won.
Koma iwe ndi ine (But you and me)/ uyo ndi awo/mu umodzi muli mphamvu (in unity there is power)/titha kumponyera chibomba Corona (We can throw bombs at Corona) /tisambe m’manja /Let us wash hands/ chimphulikire corona (Let the bomb self-destruct upon Corona) /osaiwala riboshakata
“This is a song that is calling for unity in fighting this disease. This is a disease that requires a holistic approach in fighting it; that is it must be confronted from multiple fronts,” Wikise said in an interview Thursday in Lilongwe.
The Artist said as an effort to play a part in the fight against the disease, he decided to come up with the song that raises awareness of the pandemic amongst his fans and the rest of the country.
“As an artist who has many fans whom I can directly engage with, I decided to take part in the fight against the disease by coming up with this song so as to encourage people to follow all health regulations provided by officials.
“This includes washing hands frequently with soap, use of hand sanitizers, observing social distance all these with an aim of minimizing the risks of contracting the virus. If we can all stand together in this, we stand a better chance of winning,” he said.
Of course, “Osawalakonso ka shabalakata” he sings, referring to how prayers should also be used as a tool in fighting the disease.
The audio for the song has been produced by Mkadyman and Dj Langie. It has been made available for downloads at Malawi-music.com. The artist however said he would like to shoot a music video for the song.
“If anyone can come in to help me to shoot the music video for this song, I would be very thankful. This would also mean the message contained in the track would also reach a wider audience,” Wikise said.
Lilongwe-based up and coming artist, Ty Godwa whose real name is Godfrey Chilima is set to release a single titled ‘Young LT’ on May 2, 2020 which will be premiered on Timveni Radio inside ghetto rise show.
The Hip hop Gospel Artist in an interview from Lilongwe said that the aim of the single was to thank Young LT for the great help he has given him as an up and coming artist in the music industry.
“I am grateful and appreciative for Young LT for his support, he has been making beats for me and he is my producer who has helped me so much in the industry,’’ he said.
The song goes like this, Hey men..!! How is life….? it’s a long time we talked/ I hope you are doing fine, out here everything is alright/ Hey Mr Young LtI just wanna thank you for all things you have done for me/ I remember some years ago you introduced me to music industry/ I was 17 that time you featured in my Nje-nje-nje track Tida Case, Kasir Blanca was part of it/
Ty Gondwa
Godwa said that, the song was composed to congratulate the well-known artist Young LT for his conversion to Jesus Christ the Saviour.
He added that, people must not take the single as a beef but a song which is thanking God for the great and wonderful thing that God has done to Young LT by making him a born again Christian.
The single produced by Black tunes and jay beats magnifies and exalts God for his mighty power which turns all things around.
Young LT is a Lilongwe-based producer at Slaughter Music and Gospel artist and before he was born again he got famous with the songs like, Galu wadula chain and pakati pausiku.
Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) Governor Dalitso Kabambe says the central bank is still hoping to attain five percent inflation target by the first quarter of 2021 despite uncertainty caused by the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
Kabambe, speaking in Lilongwe on Tuesday, said although the central bank would have loved to remain in single digit, it will all depend on maize prices.
He, however, said the potential negative impacts of Covid-19 would come at a time when the country is enjoying macro-economic stability characterised by low inflation and interest rates, stable exchange rate and also high accumulation of a foreign exchange currency buffer Said Kabambe: “In the medium-term, our projection is still five percent and we are excited that we are now back to single-digit after three months.
“We would wish to continue with economic stability which we have achieved since 2017.But for now, we are concerned with greater uncertainty in the face of the pandemic.”
He said the bank is currently assessing the economic situation by using various economic models but hinted that the central bank expects the worst case, moderate case or mild scenario.
The country’s headline inflation decelerated by 1.2 percentage points in March 2020 to 9.8 percent, thanks to continued declining maize prices.
Maize, as part of the food component, impacts the country’s economy given that it constitutes 45.2 percent of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is an aggregate basket of goods and services for computing inflation.
For instance, the country’s staple grain’s production is projected to increase by 8.8 percent from 3 391 924 metric tonnes (MT) in 2018/2019 growing season to 3 691 866 (MT) in the 2019/2020 growing season due to favourable weather conditions and increased uptake of inputs by farmers.
Agriculture remains critically important to Malawi’s economy. The sector contributes about 30 percent to the gross domestic product (GDP) and the sector impacts growth in the other sectors by providing key inputs for the manufacturing sector and determining most household income levels, which drive demand in the service sectors
Agricultural analyst Tamani Nkhono-Mvula observed that inflation in Malawi is mostly a reflection of the food situation while the GDP figures are also a reflection of the performance of the agriculture sector and these, by extension, also affect such issues like interest and exchange rates.
A meeting called to resolve ownership wrangle over Super League relegated side Mlatho Mponela failed to take place on Wednesday after the club’s director Steve Chapola did not turn up.
The Central Region Football Association (CRFA) chairperson Austin Ajawa confirmed the postponement, saying the meeting has been rescheduled for Monday next week.
“We didn’t meet because Mr Chapola said he was tied up. We could not proceed to discuss the issue because the aim of the meeting was to hear from him and that he hears our side,” he said. Ajawa said his association was keen to resolve the problem.
“We hope that all parties will be supportive. We don’t want this issue to be unresolved by the time the league kicks off,” he said.
Chapola was summoned to a meeting at Civo Stadium in Lilongwe after earlier this week he wrote Football Association of Malawi (FAM) seeking its intervention in the planned sale of the club to Mchinji-based Simbi FC.
After its Super League relegation last year, MlathoMponela was supposed to play in the CRFA Premier League this season.
Mlatho Mponela
However, Gracias Chikoma, who is documented as Mlatho Mponela owner, said he was planning to swap the place with a Division One team because he cannot manage to bankroll the team in the top tier.
Part of Chapola’s letter to FAM reads: “I find this a bitter pill to swallow and hence coming to Fam to rescue the team from this situation. Mlatho Mponela FC is a limited company and no one is eligible to make transaction on behalf of the team without the knowledge of any of the Mlatho directors.”
Commenting on the meeting postponment, Chapola said the summoning came as a surprise as they were expecting FAM to hear their matter.
“We were taken unawares because we were not expecting CRFA to hear this case. Nonetheless, we are committed to meeting them because, we have learned, that it’s FAM which referred the matter to them,” he said.
Chapola said he would be available on the set date as “all we want is justice. We are against the idea of someone selling the club without the knowledge of the sponsors”.
Mponela was named Mlatho after Mlatho Technologies, which Chapola is a director, committed to be the sponsor.
However, Chikoma argues that he is selling it because “our past immediate sponsors Mlatho Technologies have shown no willingness to bankroll the team.”
