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Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale
World

The popular musician who left everything behind to preserve village culture

Musician-cum-Chief Ben Michael Mankhamba, at Chingalire village, outside of Lilongwe, Malawi. © RFI/Charles Pensulo

The Malawian hit song, Moyo wa Mtawoni, meaning ‘the town life’, was released some 20 years ago by musician Ben Michael Mankhamba. It addressed the challenges of living in urban areas and praised the laissez-faire lifestyle of villages.

The song resonated with many - not strange in a country where the majority lives below the poverty line and where urban poverty is on an upward trajectory.

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