Young artists from Malawi, Kenya and Norway on Saturday put up a scintillating performance during the Forde Traditional and World Music Festival gala.
The young artists collaborated in a performance following workshops they have been attending under Talent 2016 spearheaded by Ivan Mazuze and Unni Lovlid.
It was the first time for most of the young artists to share the stage with well known acts.
However, the artists did well and were faultless.
Being a platform for traditional music and traditional instruments, young artists from Norway teamed up with their African counterparts, playing, fiddle, their famous traditional instrument.
Malawi and Kenyan artists also came out armed with African traditional instruments, which included traditional drums and visekese.
The African representatives also did well in terms of dressing.
The three artists carrying the Malawian flag are Asante Maulidi, Patrick Chimbewa and Thokozani Mdoko.
Unlike their main performance at the gala, which was short-lived as several artists were lined up, the young artists had a one-hour performance earlier on performing in another theatre hall at the same venue which acted as a warm up.
They performed in front of an impressive audience that gave them a prolonged standing ovation before they were decorated with bouquets of flowers by the organisers of the festival, led by artistic and managing director, Hilde Bjorkum.
“I watched them doing rehearsals and I thought they were not at their best but, once they got onto the main stage, they killed it. They were on point and these are collaborations that people would like to see— young talents from different countries working in unity,” said Basil, a Norway-based artist from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
After their performance during the gala, the young artists were embraced by the audience with, many encouraging them to continue.
“It was nice performing before a huge audience. This is historic for me,” said Chimbewa.
Maulidi said he was happy that they had represented Malawi and Africa at a top festival.
“It is also exciting that young artists worked together and learned a lot form each other,” he said.
Kenyan artists also said they were happy to work with Malawian artists and that they were hoping for the best to continue.
Unni said the Talent 2016 was unique in that artists from Malawi, Kenya and Norway worked as a team.
“They are an amazing group. I have enjoyed working with them. It was exciting to see them do well during the gala. While most of them performed on the big stage for the first time, they did well,” she said.
The Malawi trio made it to the Talent 2016 through Music Crossroads Malawi which in February through to March held a Pakhonde Music Camp in Ntchisi.
The Pakhonde Music Camp brought together artists from Malawi and other countries including Norway, and they shard expriences on traditional instruments which are slowly losing space.
According to the organisers, this year`s theme focused on the cultural richness and diversities of countries associated with war, conflict, poverty and distress.
The organisers further said that the festival revealed the beauty of cultures and music from different countries and serve as a reminder that migration has constantly influenced “our societies and cultures since the dawn of time.”
Apart from the gala on Saturday as well as several other performances, artists from different countries including Malawi participated in a street parade.
The talent project, which gathers talented musicians from across the world, is supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Forde Traditional and World Music Festival is the largest festival for traditional and world music in Scandinavia, presenting about 100 acts and 300 artists from all over the world.
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