London, Glasgow to host Lake of Stars Fest

6 Mar 2018 - 16:34

Published under the Creative Commons Licence

Malawi’s Lake of Stars Festival is going to London and Glasgow on 10 and 11 March respectively. The events will feature live and electronic music, theatre, film, exhibitions and family activities.

Wezi is among the artists who will perform at Lake of Stars in London and Glasgow.

On the music line-up are rapper and poet M.anifest (Ghana), Faith Mussa (Malawi), Bongeziwe Mabandla (South Africa), Zathu (Malawi) and Wezi (Zambia) and Frightened Rabbit, while DJ Goldierocks (England) has been added to the London date only.

“The Lake of Stars project aims to create an annual event in the UK that champions contemporary sounds and art from Africa and the UK,” event organiser Fran Jameson told Music In Africa.

“Through Lake of Stars in London and Glasgow we want to increase awareness of Malawi and its artists, develop appreciation of the new sound of Africa and increase opportunities for international artistic collaboration.”

In addition, the organisers said the two events were designed to engage a wide local audience across multiple art forms and act as fundraisers for the main festival in Malawi later this year.

Gospel musician Faith Mussa is expected to perform his unique one-man band set-up, combining loop pedals with traditional Malawian instruments. The ‘Mdidi’ singer has come a long way from his roots playing handmade gallon guitars to international performances including the 2017 Glastonbury Festival and Scotland’s Celtic Connections festival.

Mabandla, whose voice has been described as one of the most unique to come out of South Africa in recent years, combines Xhosa lyrics, the acoustic guitar and electronic elements to create a modern form of South African folk music. He has played various festivals and venues around the world where he has received multiple standing ovations.

Lake of Stars Glasgow builds on the historic Scotland–Malawi connection, celebrating UK and African culture as well as promoting creative and trade connections between the two countries. Founded in 2004, the festival has hosted Freshlyground, Mafikizolo, Oliver Mtukudzi, Tay Grin, Noisettes, Zone Fam and many others.

The Malawi leg of Lake of Stars will be held from 28 to 30 September on Lake Malawi.

For more information, visit the Lake of Stars official website.