South Africa-based musician and producer Lawi is leaving no stone unturned in his quest to protect the environment.
Lawi’s songs are masterclass and he has proved over the
years that he is one of the best composers the country has ever produced.
The singer and guitarist, with albums such as Lawi in his
cabinet, has recently won hearts of many with his songs ‘Zitsulo’ and
‘Phukira’.
His songs are a symbol of a mature musician, who strives for quality.
The artist, has built a massive following over the years
and it is this trend and richness of his music that compelled Mulanje Mountain
Conservation Trust (MMCT) to reach out to him to be the Ambassador for Mulanje
Mountain.
MMCT has been busy speaking about Mulanje Mountain and calling
upon people to protect it because it is a treasure for the nation.
There have been changes through awareness made by MMCT
but there is still more to be done to protect the mountain which is the largest
in the country and is vital in tourism growth in the country.
Lawi attributes his quality music to a lot of things and
this includes the environment hence pulling all his resources together to fight
for the protection of Mulanje Mountain.
Mulanje Mountain faces many challenges including rapid
deforestation which has seen Mulanje Cedar for instance facing extinction.
“This is a special tree; we need to protect it. We want
to bring awareness to people about Mulanje Mountain because this is a treasure
for the nation. Nature needs us right now not because nature needs people but
because as humans we are responsible for the destruction of a lot of nature and
this has led to global warming. This is why we thought of hiking to Sapitwa.
The hike will run for three days up to Sapitwa Peak, the highest point,” Lawi
said.
While on the mountain, there will be bonfires,
storytelling, poetry and music.
The hike runs from August 27 to 29. The hike has since
received a boost with Minister of Tourism, Culture and Wildlife Michael Usi
announcing that he will be part of the hike.
Usi, who recently called on artists to be on their toes
and use their talents to market Malawi as it hosts Southern Africa Development
Community (Sadc) meet this month, said he is ready to go on this expedition and
that he has already started his preparations.
“This is for a good cause and it augurs well with my
ministry’s commitment of selling Malawi to the world and uplifting domestic
tourism among others which is key in the country’s development,” the minister
said.
He hailed Lawi for the move and called on other artists
to rise up and be part of change by initiating different programmes.
“I know for sure there are a lot of artists doing various
projects aimed at bringing change but we need not stop but continue. We are
there to offer entertainment but we are also a voice in tackling various
issues. Lawi has done well, this is for a good cause and I thought I should
join,” Usi said.
He said he was not afraid of the challenge to Sapitwa and
that as an artist, he was also calling upon various stakeholders to be part of
the hike.
Lawi said he was excited and honoured to be joined by the
minister.
“The support we are getting from government shows its
commitment to improve the conservation of our nature and protect our
environment,” the ‘Amaona Kuchedwa’ star, said.
He added: “We would like to encourage the private sector
to participate in nature, climate and environmental protection efforts. This is
not just government responsibility but it is citizen responsibility. If
government is on board it shows how important this issue is.”
Lawi said the hike will also be exciting in that there
will be music coming from both local and international acts.
“So far, we are concluding discussions with fellow
musicians from South Africa. We will announce the names of all performers soon
ahead of the hike but we are set and good to go,” he said.
Recently MMCT, a team of hikers including Paulendo and
Mervis Maigwa and Lawi group held a press conference at Mulanje Gold Club where
it assured people that all was set for the hike and called on stakeholders to
be part of the expedition.
“We want Chief Executive Officers, top managers and all
other players to be part of this hike. We realise that we have Covid and so we
are targeting a good number and this is why the fee is on the higher side. We
would have loved to have everyone be on this hike but with Covid, we also have to
play it safe,” Emmanuel Maliro of the Lawi Group, said.
He said that through the hike, they also want to raise
awareness that Mulanje Mountain is a treasure for Malawi and that Unesco has to
list it as a heritage site.
Director of Museums and Monuments in the Ministry of
Tourism, Culture and Wildlife Lovemore Mazibuko said recently that the
government once made submissions to Unesco twice for the listing of Mulanje
Mountain as a heritage site but it did not succeed.
He said having failed twice, they were looking at
engaging various stakeholders to beef up the submission.
Mazibuko said, for a site to be inscribed as a heritage
site, they look at outstanding universal values.
~Reporting by Sam Banda Junior, Times Group