The abandoned Flames! Can Malawi beat Guinea?

Mar 29, 2016 Entertainment 162
Advertisement
Malawi the Flames

Today, Tuesday, March 29, 2016, the Malawi National Football Team, affectionately known as The Flames by its supporters, will be playing Guinea’s Syli Nationale in the 2017 Gabon Africa Cup of Nations qualifications at the Kamuzu Stadium, Malawi’s football Mecca. It has not been a good campaign for the Flames. They are in the third position in the four member group with two points, trailing Zimbabwe and Swaziland with three points.

Malawi the Flames
The abandoned Flames

With three games played now, it tells of how difficult the task is on us to qualify for the finals. But this has largely been the story with the Flames. They may have lacked a full financial support from government and other stakeholders, but when it comes to people supporting it whenever there is a match, it has always been overwhelming. Unfortunately, they have been abandoned by one of the most important areas of supporting football: Music.

There have been tens of songs on football in Malawi. It goes back to as far as 1970s when the Flames used to be one of the football powerhouses in Africa. We were once at the African Cup on Nations in 1982. We have won the East and Central Africa challenge cup twice, when we used to be members of this football block before going the Confederation of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA). We have reached the finals of the latter’s competition twice.

Recently, we qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola (2010) where we did not fare satisfactorily. But these are isolated achievements in a period of forty years. It exposes our team as minnows as far as regional and continental football is concerned.

Still, who says a team has to be supported only when it is doing well? But the dismal performance of our team has greatly affected the morale of musicians making songs for the Flames. We cannot underrate the importance of music when it comes to supporting a football team.

Everywhere in the world, music is taken as an important part in raising the morale. Every World Cup, for example, has a theme song. Some football clubs and national teams even contract musicians to make songs for their teams. Music acts as the center of all the love and the energy people have towards the club or country they support.

The notable songs for the Flames in Malawi are Bubu Lazy’s 1998 ‘Goletsa Malawi’, Mr. A.K and General KC’s blockbuster, ‘Bola Kunthazi’ in 1999, Saul Chembezi and his anthemic ‘Azisiya’ in 2000. If one looks at the period of these songs, it was when the regional COSAFA competition was well organized and took place every year without fail. The Flames were active in football then.

In addition, that was the time of some of most famous footballers in Malawi, the likes of the current Flames coach, Ernest ‘Wire’ Mtawali, John Maduka, Patrick Mabedi, Chancy ‘Vinny’ Gondwe and Albert ‘Kika’ Mpinganjira, just to mention a few. Their on field skills made most people to fall in love with football.

The musicians saw the energy coming from the people, realized the gap of music and came in to give something to the supporters as they will be in the stands dancing and singing for their teams.

For a decade, there was no notable song for the Flames until Blessings Kamchopwa in 2010 came up with the now famous ‘Idodo Dadada’. This is the song one is likely to hear on the radio stations when the Flames have won a game.

But having a song which was recorded six years ago as the theme song shows how music has abandoned the Flames. There is no love for the team from music. But looking at how important music is to the game of football, perhaps this could be one of the reasons the players have no morale on the ground.

All the songs, before ‘Idodo Dadada’, mentioned the players and it surely made them feel recognized and worked hard for the nation. According to the lifespan of a national team football career, it means a generation of players came and went without even a song being made for them.

There can be money to the players and all the benefits needed for their welfare, but if music is not around, our players are half defeated. We need songs for the Flames, the kind of music the supporters can easily sing along at the matches to give the players an idea of the load they are carrying for the whole nation.

Winning a game is more than what happens on the field. Football unites a nation. If the Flames can qualify, we are guaranteed that for a time we will forget the miseries we are going through and be happy that we have made mark on the continent.

Musicians, we need you!

*Wonderful Mkhutche is an author, a political scientist and a manuscript editor and developer

Advertisement

162 Comments

  3. Kodi Malawi yose iyi ilibe wosewela mpila koposa awa aFleames. Tatopa ife ndikuluza every time.

  5. [READ MY STORY. ON HOW I GOT MY HIV CURED].
    Truthfully, i was tested HIV + positive for the past 8 years. I keep on managing the drugs i usually purchase from the health care agency to keep me healthy and strengthen, i tried all i can to make this disease leave me alone, but unfortunately, it keep on eating up my life, this is what i caused myself, for allowing my fiance make sex to me unsecured without protection, although i never knew he is HIV positive. So last Two Months i came in contact with a lively article on the internet on how this Powerful Herb Healer get her well and healed. So as a patient i knew this will took my life one day, and i need to live with other friends and relatives too. So i copied out the Dr Collins the traditional healer’s contact and I contacted him immediately, in a little while he mail me back that i was welcome to his Herbal Home whereby all what i seek for are granted. I was please at that time. And i continue with him, he took some few details from me and told me that he shall get back to me as soon as he is through with my work. I was very happy as heard that from him, as i was just coming from my friends house, Dr Collins called me to go for checkup in the hospital and see his marvelous work that it is now HIV negative, i was very glad to hear that from him, so quickly rush down to the nearest hospital to found out, only to hear from my hospital doctor called Browning Lewis that i am now HIV NEGATIVE. I jump up at him with the a test note, he ask me how does it happen and i reside to him all i went through with Dr Collins. I am now glad, so i am a gentle type of person that need to share this testimonies to everyone who seek for healing, because once you get calm and quiet, so the disease get to finish your life off. So i will advice you contact him today for your healing at the above details: Email ID: [email protected] or you can also add him up on whataspp +2349036950737. CONTACT HIM NOW TO SAVE YOUR LIFE AND DOCTOR ALSO CURE ALL KIND OF DISEASE AND SICKNESS: [email protected] AS HE IS SO POWERFUL AND HELPFUL TO ALL THAT HAVE THIS SICKNESS..

  6. [READ MY STORY. ON HOW I GOT MY HIV CURED].
    Truthfully, i was tested HIV + positive for the past 8 years. I keep on managing the drugs i usually purchase from the health care agency to keep me healthy and strengthen, i tried all i can to make this disease leave me alone, but unfortunately, it keep on eating up my life, this is what i caused myself, for allowing my fiance make sex to me unsecured without protection, although i never knew he is HIV positive. So last Two Months i came in contact with a lively article on the internet on how this Powerful Herb Healer get her well and healed. So as a patient i knew this will took my life one day, and i need to live with other friends and relatives too. So i copied out the Dr Collins the traditional healer’s contact and I contacted him immediately, in a little while he mail me back that i was welcome to his Herbal Home whereby all what i seek for are granted. I was please at that time. And i continue with him, he took some few details from me and told me that he shall get back to me as soon as he is through with my work. I was very happy as heard that from him, as i was just coming from my friends house, Dr Collins called me to go for checkup in the hospital and see his marvelous work that it is now HIV negative, i was very glad to hear that from him, so quickly rush down to the nearest hospital to found out, only to hear from my hospital doctor called Browning Lewis that i am now HIV NEGATIVE. I jump up at him with the a test note, he ask me how does it happen and i reside to him all i went through with Dr Collins. I am now glad, so i am a gentle type of person that need to share this testimonies to everyone who seek for healing, because once you get calm and quiet, so the disease get to finish your life off. So i will advice you contact him today for your healing at the above details: Email ID: [email protected] or you can also add him up on whataspp +2349036950737. CONTACT HIM NOW TO SAVE YOUR LIFE AND DOCTOR ALSO CURE ALL KIND OF DISEASE AND SICKNESS: [email protected] AS HE IS SO POWERFUL AND HELPFUL TO ALL THAT HAVE THIS SICKNESS..

  16. We will compose soccer songs if it will be reform in soccer, but racist,tribism,regionism.fish has rot from head up to tail.

  17. We will compose soccer songs if it will be reform in soccer, but racist,tribism,regionism.fish has rot from head up to tail.

  51. Music industry abandoned Flames because most artists don’t have medical insurance,In case someone can collapse cos of heart attack it can become a problem.Flames is good at loosing,we just wish them for the sake of loving the country.

  53. Am not surprised with us black pple,timakonda kusapota ma team akunja oti amawina every match which is barbaric lyf,even team yathu italuza koma pena tizionesa chikondi not kumangolemba ma comments ogwesa mpwayi ku team,yemwe ali ndi mafuno abwino azakopa nyimbo ya frame asafuna akhale malawi ndi malawi sazakhalapo asenal o man u,kuluza chisakhale chiphinjo zimangovuta poti amkumana ndi ma team ophunzisidwa bwino kwawo not team everyda ground basi,shame kwaomwe amafuna azioneka ngati iwo angamenye bwino mpira atakhala mu ground

  63. So you are a bit asking artist to compose a song for the Flames wen all along wat they showcased is a total disgrace? People became tired of being associated with this team.. We wish them good luck as they prepare to beat Guinea..But dont bank so much hope in them as they can become a source of heart attack or bp.

  72. Team Should Win For The Fans , Flames Dont Know How To Thank There Fans Atleast Kumapitako Ku Afcon Be A Regular There Is The Best They Can Do For Fans And They Wil Be Amazed How The Fan Wil React

  74. Malawi will carry the day by 2goalz to 0.malawi woye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ Christopher Mzungu Tiya Maganjira Hardwick Kanjeza Salatiel Jaredi Tya Kurupt Kapala MC Elias Yairo Raph Mndara Salatiel Sinjeni Jaredi Jhudy Zhulu Lydia Wa Kamisa

  93. Aaaaaa kusapota malawi ndikulimba mtima ndikuidziwa bho team ya mw imayamba bho kugoletsa ungoiwona kumapeto yachinyitsa ndikuipatsaso chimodzi hahahaha mw imakhumudwitsa ngat mayeso a jce

  98. NDAWERENGA MA COMMENTS ONSEWA MMALO MOWALIMBIKITSA OSEWERA ANTHU ENA KUNYOZA BASI NDE SIZODABWITSA KU MALAWI TAPULUKIRA UDYO TANGOWONANI MU M’BOMA KU CHURCH NDINGOTI PENA PALIPONSE MIKANGANO YOKHAYOKHA KODI TIKULOWERA KUTI TIDZIKHALIRA KUKOKERANA PANSI CHONCHI AMANGWETU TIYENI TISINTHE MACHITIDWE ANTHU GO! GO! GO! FLAMES DESTROY THEM.

  133. Two zero malawi wamoto we will win even without song. Kkkkkkkkk song doest change any thing ok.

Comments are closed.