The purpose built undergound cinema centre at Chichiri Shopping Mall is back to life, thanks to the newly introduced Kabula Diaries.
Though the venue remains unchanged, its usage will now no longer be restricted to movie screening.
On Sunday afternoon, the venue reopened its doors for its debut under Kabula Diaries banner when it hosted a poetry recital by Q Malewezi.
Speaking at the event, Kabula Diaries manager Prince Chikweba said the venue reopened after two years of negotiations and planning to bring something different on the entertainment scene in Blantyre.
“We want this venue to be able to offer entertainment that not only excites patrons, but creates memories to last a lifetime in people of all age groups,” he said.
Chikweba said they settled for poetry for the first performance and next will be music then theatre as well as movie screening.
“The music will be acoustic to make sure that we do not go too far from the main purpose of the venue,” he said.
During the event, Q Malewezi, supported by musicians Maggie Kadrum, Paul Kachala and Titus Mizaya, proved that experience is a good teacher as he put up a splendid performance.
Opening his set, he recited about the strength of a woman before switching to his popular poem Of Things I Know.
Maggie Kadrum and Paul Kachala added their melodies as well as guitar and keyboard rhythms as Q Malewezi recited, creating a synergy that was just out of this world.
Then he performed When a Black Man Fails taken from his album People. In the poem, the persona talks of all challenges that black men face and how heavily they pay for such.
“I know some men of other ethnicities face similar challenges and even women. But I can only tell from my perspective and experiences as a black man,” said Malewezi after reciting the poem.
Other poems that resonated with patrons included The Good Wife which talks about ‘characters’ of a good wife.
In essence the poem reminds society about the expectations from married women which basically border on abuse. With the folksong Kalipire Unka Iweko, done by Kadrum, the poem evoked emotions among the audience.
Paul Kachala proved that he was golden when he ‘buttered’ Malewezi’s poem What I miss about you and Let’s Pretend. The audience went wild such that Kachala had to ask to start again as the cheers from the audience distracted him.
On a personal note, Malewezi recited Father and Son, a poem about his late father, former vice-president Justin Malewezi as well as Monica Secret, a poem he wrote about his late adopted sister.
After one hour and 43 minutes, Q Malewezi and crew took a bow, much to the satisfaction of patrons who sat still in their seats showing signs of reluctance to leave.
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