Entertainment and Fashion

K14m raised for Sir Paul Banda

K14m raised for Sir Paul Banda

A fundraising drive initiated by renowned writer and social media influencer Stanley Onjezani Kenani for veteran musician Sir Paul Banda concluded Wednesday raising K14,345,950.

The money will be handed over to Sir Paul today.

Kenani moved in quickly with the fundraising initiative on social media for the legendary musician barely a week after his brother Lucius Banda was laid to rest in Balaka.

He has since hailed people for supporting the fundraising drive.

“We are deeply grateful to every single contributor no matter the amount,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

Just as he has done in the past years in successfully raising money for other causes, Kenani said Sir Paul needs care, having lost his brother, who was a pillar of the family.

He said there was a need to honour “our legends while they live”.

“Paul Banda’s impact on Malawi’s music is nothing short of phenomenal. He literally trail-blazed the entire explosion of talent from Balaka township, from the late 1970s when he formed Alleluya Banda, to the late 90s when he produced many bestselling albums to emanate from Balaka,” Kenani said.

He said his soothing voice used to reach “us through MBC in the late 80s and early 90s, when he released albums that took the country by storm.”

“It is not for nothing we fondly call him “Sir” Paul Banda,” Kenani said.

The fundraising enterprise has raised money to help Sir Paul, who currently undergoes dialysis twice a week at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) in Blantyre because of kidney problem.

Dialysis is the process of removing excess water, solutes, and toxins from the blood in people whose kidneys can no longer perform these functions naturally.

Sir Paul, who has contributed immensely to the growth of the creative industry, has been out of the stage for some time now due to his medical condition.

The ‘Zonse Nzabwino’ star said recently that he was grateful to Onjezani for fundraising for him.