Phinda Mzala: The Dialogue (Mayendo Abwino)

Every note is a vivid hue to what otherwise would have been an imageless field of hopelessness and stark confrontation with the uncertainties of life - the music is colour and hope. The music is something to hold on to.

Every artist plays as if life depended on it, and when the night comes to its inevitable sometimes abrupt end, the bureaucracies of life needing one’s attention, you realise true living is indeed in the music.

The beautiful art hanging on the walls, the eclectic souls walking in and out of the organised chaos, strangers on their path to lifelong friendships exchanging light pleasantries, and passing around zols, beers, cigarettes and love are all a prelude to the music.

Phinda Mzala is the chosen host for these sonic libations - a modest dining room setting that somehow rivals Noah’s Ark when it needs to contain lovers of song.

The black sliding gate with a Busi Mhlongo stencil welcomes you to the audiophile Mecca - a conspiracy of beauty, pain, time, space and beautiful people. A music field that requires no careful footing, every explosion is worth it.

Join the Phinda Mzala dialogue as Sizwe Nyanga details the events that led to the writing of his first book Mayendo Abwino (Safe Travels in Chichewa) - this is a book about uBuntu, determination and the beauty of the African continent. Travelling from Johannesburg to Malawi with only R1300 and collecting tales to last a lifetime Nyanga shares these stories accompanied by a live performance and a selection of music.

Detail