Masankho Banda is a musician, storyteller, and percussionist from Malawi,
Africa .As a child, he grew up dancing under the moonlit sky alongside
the elders in his village. In their company, he spent many long days and
nights listening to stories and dancing to music that captivated his mind,
nourished his soul, and strengthened his spirit. He believed that one day
he would grow up to fulfill the destiny that his grandmother envisioned
for him to bring peace and healing through his talents as a dancer, singer and storyteller. Mark Dinets from Rhythm & Greens had the chance to spend some time with Masankho.
INTERVIEW
Q: How were you first able to get people to start listening to your
message?
A: There was a Combination of 2 things- being from Africa and immigrating to the US, people are interested to know and understand how life is somewhere else and once they are drawn in from that point on it’s a matter of providing them with information in a story form that entertains them. The combination of being from Africa and using dance,
music, and story was the catalyst for people to listen.
In his most formidable years his life was extremely difficult. His father, Honorable Aleke K. Banda, was imprisoned in 1980 for his efforts to maintain democracy and economic stability in Malawi by the President who reigned over Malawi in a brutal dictatorship for thirty years. In the seventh year of his father’s twelve-year detention, twenty-five year old Masankho was forced to leave Malawi. “I was a refugee ¯ scared, angry, and unsure of my future.â€
Q: When did you realize you wanted to perform?
A: “As a performing artist I could make a difference in teaching what was going on around the world and not just in Africa. Hence I used my experience as a child who loved music, in conjunction with the education that I received in the States and saw that young people everywhere love music and dance and are moved by it just the way I am. I am most passionate about people knowing their history and being proud of it. I believe I am always building bridges with dance, story and drums.
Masankho Banda will be performing at Rhythm & Greens on July 19th, 2009 at
Crestwood Hills Park @ 1000 Hanley Ave., Los Angeles Ca 90049 at 5 p.m. Please
bring a picnic and walk to the park. Www.rhythmandgreens.com
