Seasoned actor and playwright Manasseh Chisiza, who is based in Germany, has said they are set to re-release dancehall musician Dr Lizard’s songs as part of efforts to celebrate and preserve his legacy.
Chisiza said on Wednesday that Dr Lizard, real name Malumbo Chisiza, was a powerful voice in Malawi’s reggae dancehall and traditional sounds and that “we believe it still has a place in today’s industry”.
“The goal is not just to re release his songs but to re introduce his artistry to a new generation while honouring his contribution to music,” he said.
Chisiza, who has worked with lots of musicians including Tiwonge Hango and Bafipa Band as well as Karonga-based Lusubilo Band, said the project had delayed because they wanted to give people a well-packaged project.
“It has been a journey of preparation and finding the right way to do justice to his work. Remastering the songs, organising the releases and ensuring his music reaches the right audience required careful planning,” he said.
Chisiza said with the right support and vision, they were confident that this was the perfect time to bring Dr Lizard’s music back to life.
“At first, we did not think about it but there was demand from people. It was not easy finding his music because it was released when cassettes were in fashion but we got some of them and again we had to digitise it,” he said.
Dr Lizard came to the limelight in the 1990s, when he released songs such as ‘Mama’. He collaborated with a number of artists and they include Teargas, Matumbi and San B. Annie Dr Lizard died on April 6 2003.
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