Madalitso Band is a fascinating duo from Malawi that performs traditional music with unconventional musical instruments. The artists use a 4-string acoustic guitar and foot drum, and a long, home-made, one-string instrument called babatone, along with vocals.
Initially, Madalitso Band earned a living playing on the streets of their home-town Lilongwe for ten years until they were discovered by a local producer. The duo recorded its first album in 2009. Word-of-mouth eventually secured them a performance at Zanzibar’s famous Sauti Za Busara festival in 2017. Six months later, the musicians boarded an airplane for the first time in their lives, heading for their first European tour.
Madalitso Band released their second album, Wasalala, for Bongo Joe Records and performed extensively in Europe, playing at top world music festivals and the influential WOMEX showcase in 2020.
Yosefe Kalekeni plays the guitar and bass drum and has a job as a watchman. Yobu Malingwa plays babatone and works as a gardener.
In 2022, Madalitso Band released Musakayike.
The success of the band’s international tours have meant the pair have been able to buy some land and build their own homes. However, they remain largely unknown throughout Malawi, only occasionally recognized from when they were playing on the streets of Lilongwe. Yobu Malinga is perhaps better known locally as a pastor, regularly receiving worshipers to his home.
Discography:
Fungo La Nyemba (Sterling Records Malawi, 2014)
Wasalala (Les Disques Bongo Joe, 2019)
Musakayike (Les Disques Bongo Joe, 2022)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.