By Blackson Mkupatira, MANA
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Mulanje South, Santigo Phiri on Wednesday launched a gospel music competition in his area worth K1 million.
Speaking during the launch, he said the trophy aims at spreading God’s love among the youth who are currently engaged in malpractices because they do not have productive things to do in communities.
“A lot of young people are just staying in their homes without anything to do, so this trophy comes as one of many interventions we are doing to give them something to concentrate on so that at the end of the day they benefit a little something, while spreading the gospel to their peers,” Phiri said.
He advised the participants not to use the competition as a way to engage in sexual behavior.
“I don’t want to hear that someone has been impregnated because of this trophy,” said Phiri
He asked the organizing committee of the trophy to refrain from corruption saying: ‘the best choir should win.’
Representative of Mulanje Pastors Fraternal, Rev. Peter Kasito thanked the parliamentarian for launching the gospel competition, saying it was the first time such an event has taken place in the constituency.
“As religious, we are often sidelined as many people prefer sponsoring football or netball trophies,” he pointed out.
Kasito asked Phiri to establish the competition as an annual event as it is a good development and brings various religious faiths together and helps in spreading the word of God through music.
Chairperson for the Organizing Committee, Emmanuel Chidule said 58 choirs from five zones in the constituency have registered in four categories.
“We have women’s category, youth traditional acapella, youth traditional with instruments and classical category.
Winners from each category will receive a grand prize of K150, 000, those who will come second will receive K70, 000 and third prize is K40, 000 which brings the total to K1, 040, 000,” he explained.
On corruption, Chidule disclosed that the committee has set measures that would ensure only true winners of the competition emerge victorious, citing the change of judges at each of the three stages of the competition as an example.
The trophy has been slated to begin on March 14, 2020 in Likole Zone and is expected to run for not more than four months.
The launch was spiced up by gospel artists such as Allan Chirwa, King James Phiri and Ndirande Anglican Voices among others.
Notable people present were Mulanje Parliamentarians for Mulanje South-East and Mulanje North, Naomi Kilekwa and Lyna Tambala, respectively and Secretary for DPP in the Southern Region, Pharaoh Phiri.
Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, Kondwani Nankhumwa, who is also MP for Mulanje Central, pledged in absentia, to support the gospel trophy with another K1 million.
