Attires made from African prints (Chitenje) — ranging from dresses, shirts, shorts to trousers— were on display at Amaryllis Hotel in Blantyre on Friday night at the maiden African Print Party.
Although some patrons did not adhere to the African Print Party dress code, a good number sported traditional outfits at the event that saw the meeting of music and culture. Those who showed up early were greeted tumultuously with a traditional welcome song ‘Alendo Takulandirani’ served by Dikamawoko Arts.
Some, fascinated with Dikamawoko Arts’ traditional garbs, took time out to take photographs with them.
Inside the venue, the background was cool and flashy, with DJs on the decks warming up the event with tunes before Fadah Moti of the ‘Kutali’ fame took over the stage.
Once Fadah Moti, who bypassed the dress code, was introduced by host Super DT, people moved closer to the stage. However, his set was interrupted twice due to power hitches. This notwithstanding, he raised the bar of the event. Fun lovers sang along to most of the artist’s songs. He then paved the way for Dikamawoko Arts.
Before Dikamawoko Arts conquered the audience with traditional dances, there were best dressed contests for both male and female.
While the male tussle produced one winner, the female battle rewarded two winners. The prize for each was a one-night accommodation at Amaryllis Hotel.
Other artists that kept the stage sparkling at the event were Tuno and Kell Kay, with Teddy Makadi coming in as a surprise artist. Teddy, who served the romantic track ‘Mmalele’, has been trending on social media with German friend Nana. In matching attire, he jumped on stage with her, attracting the attention of the audience. The artist said their friendship started on Tik Tok.
“I am happy to perform at such a show that celebrated the best of culture. We need more of these,” he said.
Nana, who also participated in the best dressed outfit, said she loves everything about Malawi. Amaryllis Hotel General Manager Ramy Waheed described the event as a success.
“We have been working on this for some time. Malawi has a rich culture; the outfits were amazing,” Waheed said.
He said they were looking forward to having the event regularly as part of promoting and preserving culture.
“We want to encourage people to go back to their culture,” he said.
The event, which went all the way to midnight, was graced by Miss Heritage Malawi princesses who, alongside Super DT, were involved in selecting the best dressed (male and female).
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