Late Lingison Belekanyama Memorial Choir Competition Rewards Seven Talented Choirs

Malawi: Francis Belekanyama, Member of Parliament for Msinja South Constituency, disbursed K3 million to seven choirs that won his recent choir competition named after his late father, Lingison Belekanyama, writes Bridget Mwanoka.

The competition was held at the Myasei ground and attracted various choirs from across the region.

"The family thought of honouring my father because he was a man of peace who was promoting unity, and he was a patron of various choirs of different denominations," Belekanyama said.

The choirs were judged by Lilongwe-based judges from the music industry, who chose the winners based on melody.

One of the judges, Vice Chairperson for the Musicians Union of Malawi, Anthony Dumba, commented on the high level of talent in the competition.

"The choirs were divided into two zones based on the size of the constituency, but looking at how competitive it was, there were so many talented choirs that it was difficult to select the best seven," Dumba said.

The competition was a tribute to the late Lingison Belekanyama and demonstrated the importance of promoting arts in rural areas.

The ceremony was attended by well-known gospel artists, including Favoured Martha, Carlo Kadzuwa, and Kondwani Chirwa.

The festival will be conducted annually in honour of the late Lingison Belekanyama.