Black Missionaries Band turned a routine Club 24/7 performance in Blantyre into a historic spectacle early Sunday after fans spotted gospel star Evance ‘Watsopano’ Meleka in the crowd and forced him to conduct an impromptu midnight show. Meleka had walked into the venue around 1am as a spectator, with no intention of performing.He was also not listed among the night’s headliners. However, as the Black Missionaries Band were deep into their set around 2:15am, band leader Anjiru Fumulani spotted Meleka at the far end of the dance floor.
The performance came to a sudden halt as Fumulani publicly acknowledged Meleka’s presence and invited him onto the stage simply to greet the audience. But the audience had other plans. In a thunderous chorus, they erupted: “Ayimbe!
Ayimbe, [Let him perform for us]” demanding him to perform. Within minutes, the atmosphere transformed. Keyboardist Chizondi Fumulani swiftly tuned his instrument and ushered Meleka into action, opening with the emotionalAdzakuiwala, which instantly swept the venue into a wave of praise and celebration.
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He followed it up withMawanga a Nkhangabefore performingAdakukana, a song released in the early 2000s alongside Zebron Kankhunda. Although he initially planned to stop there, relentless cheers pushed him to deliver more songs, turning what was meant to be a brief greeting into a midnight concert. Still visibly astonished after the performance, Meleka said he had simply stopped by after hearing the music while passing through the city.
“Sometimes it is good to just sit back and appreciate how others perform. I came as a spectator, but with the overwhelming love I have received from both the Black Missionaries Band and the fans, we definitely need to organise a special show in Blantyre,” he said. The night also attracted renowned soccer fanatic and musician Bwede who was travelling from Lilongwe when the band’s music pulled him into the venue.
In an interview, he said that as he was approaching Kameza Roundabout around midnight, he heard the music and couldn’t resist. Bwede said: “Black Missionaries is my favourite band. Even though I was exhausted from the long journey and not feeling well, I had to stop and witness their performance.
It was worth it.” In a separate interview, Anjiru Fumulani described the spontaneous presence of fellow artists as a strong symbol of unity within Malawi’s music industry. He said: “Black Missionaries Band is a permanent family made up of artists and fans from all walks of life. Their support is the reason we are where we are today, and we will continue giving them our best.”
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