JB boosts Blacks for Miss Malawi Ireland show
President Joyce Banda on Monday met members of Malawi’s popular reggae band, Black Missionaries, at Sanjika Palace in Blantyre where she gave air tickets to enable the band travel to Ireland and perform, according to State House.
Black Missionaries band – commonly referred as ‘Ma Blacks’ – is expected to perform at the Miss Malawi Ireland beauty contest on August 17.
” The President handed over air tickets to the band for their Travel to Ireland,” State House press officer Brian Banda said.
The band’s lead vocalist Anjiru Fumulani said in a telephone interview that they were grateful to President Banda for the support.
“We are very grateful to President Joyce Banda for her support and promotion of musicians,” said Fumulani.
“We will give Malawians a very powerful performance in Ireland,” he added.
Black Missionaries, known for hard core reggae rhythm have just released an album Kuyimba 9.
It was a band formed by celebrated reggae star late Evison Matafale.
Organisers of Miss Malawi Ireland however claimed they bought the tickets for Black Missionaries for the second edition since it was launched last year in Dublin.
Lucius Banda performed at the maiden Miss Malawi Ireland won by Tina Maunde.
One of the pageant directors, Grace Matsuka who said the show will be celebrating Malawi, its life and culture, said the tickets did not come from State House.
“We raised money. The organisers did put money together and paid for the Black Missionaries tickets,” she said.
She told Nyasa Times the Malawian community is growing in Ireland because of many coming to study and that the pageant and cultural shows is intended to instill a sense of pride and providing a positive image with which to identify Malawian people
She said such events would give Malawi young ladies “a sense of pride and identity” with their culture.
The organisers said the Miss Malawi Ireland pageant aims to inspire its participants to become involved in fundraising for their communities rather than it just being a platform for launching modelling careers.
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