To mark the country’s 60th Independence Anniversary celebrations on July 6, Chitoliro Productions on Saturday hosted the UMP pre-event evolution bash at Blues Bar in Blantyre.
The event was organised to celebrate the significance of freedom and independence through dance and music.
The pre-event bash served as a warm-up show for the main UMP Festival set for Cape Maclear, Mangochi, from October 25 to 28 2024. The UMP Festival aims to promote arts through music, dance, deejaying and film.
The event, hosted by Rina, kicked off at 7pm with a DJ competition where up-and-coming DJs had the opportunity to showcase their music skills to a larger audience. Seven contestants impressed the judges with DJ Clay emerging as the winner.
The Most Wanted Dance crew also added colour to the cheerful night, showcasing different dance styles on stage.
Headline performances included Pop Young, Teddy Makadi, Gibo Pearson and Crisp Mw who showed their distinctive styles and lyrics which resonated with the audience, capturing the spirit of independence.
The main headliner, Pop Young, started performing at 11:30pm. He lit the stage with his hit song Sorry. The audience enjoyed his performance all the way.
Teddy Makadi came with a different connection to the audience as he sung his hit-song M’malele in a cappella, to the delight of fans who moved closer to the stage.
He said he enjoyed the performance and the energy shown by his fans.
“I am so excited by the audience’s reaction. It was really nice and I’m looking forward to the main festival. I will be ready to share the same energy,” Teddy said in an interview.
Next it was Gibo Pearson who amplified the stage with his energetic performance and one could hear the audience sing along word for word to all his songs.
Crispy Mw brought the show to a close with his hyped up energy that made fan jive up to 3am.
In an interview after the event, Chitoliro Productions spokesperson Marie Thom described the event as a success and inspiring for the forthcoming festival.
“This pre-event show was a taste of what people should expect at the main festival and the turnout today was great, considering that is was a public holiday. Many people like to stay home with their families, but they came to the show,” she said.
One of the fans who attended the show, Paul Matius, described the event as an excellent Independence Day celebration. He said shows such as this one are amazing as they bring people together to celebrate freedom. The UMP bash did not just entertain, but also educated patrons on the essence of independence by showcasing the rich culture of Malawi.
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