K'millian

If I could think of one song to sum up love in Malawi “No money, no love” by the Zambian superstar K’millian would win hands down. Officially called “Mundanifye” the song often blares out of my local bottle store two, three and sometimes even four times a night…. Repeating songs is very Malawi, and a night isn’t complete without a request to your local DJ to play your favourite song… again… and then again.

In any case, on this particular night, I look around as K’millian gets the all-male crowd (save the two or three working girls in trousers standing on the sidelines) onto the dance floor and clutching their hearts. True empathy seeps out of their bodies as they close their eyes, hold their palms up to the sky beseechingly and sing- a- long to the catchy tune. At these moments I like to pretend I speak chiNyanja (one of the many official languages in Zambia) and belt out my own particular version.

I sometimes ask “why is this song so popular?” The answer it seems lies in a common perception among men that Malawian women are only looking for money. This is reflected in a common saying about women in Malawi; that they’re looking for the “3 C’s” – that is the cash, the car and the cell phone.  Or, as K’millian sings: “No money, no love-uuuuuu! No Motorola, no love-uuuuuuu!”

Contrary to this widespread belief, I regularly ask women why they chose to marry their husband – sadly the response is often “because he asked me”. Malawian women are expected to refuse any “proposals” at least three times, therefore a man who persists often succeeds.  Others however, are more candid, and say things like “he was paying my sisters school fees”. One dear friend of mine replied “because at that time he was very handsome.” And now I asked her? “Now we’re used to each other”.

There’s no doubt that this song somehow responds to something in the male experience in Malawi. Men are expected to provide for their families and yet are often unable to do so. Their sing-a-long prayers late on Friday nights reminds me that all men, no matter what continent they reside, have soft spots and romantic ideals.

To find “Mundanifye” order K’millian’s most recent album “True Colors” from this website.

Recent documentary that examines Malawian music heritage.