By JOWIT SALUSEKI –

Acclaimed vocal artiste, pastor, motivational speaker and education activist, Wintley Phipps, last Friday wowed masses at Lusaka’s Cathedral of the Holy cross when he unleashed some of his best tunes.
Among the tracks that awe-struck the crowd were Swing Low, Get on Board, Down The River’s Side and I Believe.
In between, Phipps could engage his fans in an inspirational talk before taking the microphone to offload other songs.
“Many religious people in America used to talk that people of colour (black people) were cursed and will never go to heaven, but after Rev Martin Luther King’s renunciation of segregation, everything has changed because we are all God’s people”, said Phipps, before singing the song, he has got the whole world.
He ministered that his music has a spiritual under-tone with a secular meaning because of the spirit of being liberated from slavery.
With his booming baritone voice, it is no wonder  Wintley has received numerous service awards, among them The Excellence in Mentoring for Programme Leaderships, the Oprah Winfrey Angel Network Use Your Life Award and the Philanthropist of the Year Award for the National Centre for Black Philanthropy.
For over 30 years, he has travelled the world delivering messages of hope, advocacy and equality to multitudes.
The two-time Grammy Award nominee who was accompanied by his wife Lindah, has twice performed at US President Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony.
Other notable listeners to his speeches and performances have included former US Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush Sr, Bill Clinton, George Bush Jr and Former South African President Nelson Mandela, among others.
Meanwhile, local talents in the likes of the  Heritage Brothers, ARTBEATS, CHORD 14 and Nathan Nyirenda also enthralled the crowd with their music performances.
The Heritage Brothers performed Kumbalume, a wildlife song, while ARTBEATS  which comprised of five vulnerable children sung, Amen.
An ensemble calling itself CHORD 14, offloaded a atrack entitled, Am lifted up, with gospel sensational Nathan Nyirenda singing Mwemakufi.
US embassy Charge De affairs, David Young said: “When we were at the USA Embassy looking at Zambia’s 50 years of jubilee celebrations, we reflected back at the Afro-Americans who fought for civil rights like Dr Martin Luther King, while in Zambia, we had Dr Kenneth Kaunda and Mama Kankasa hence we thought of bringing in Dr Phipps who has sung before six USA Presidents. Music has always played a major part in freedom songs that gives a fortitude about human rights for all”.
Victor Makashi, Director of Arts and Culture at Ministry of Tourism and Arts, said his ministry had the mandate of promoting music, because freedom fighters in the country used music to promote their ideologies.
The concert was organised by the US Embassy, National Arts Council, Zambia @ 50 and Zambia Daily Mail.