WE always cut anniversary cakes with words of positive appreciation.
At 50, in Zambia’s jubilee year, the Christian music fraternity has firstly to be saluted for the raisins and sultanas in the cake, so here goes:
You can admire the lasting, in-depth touch that Adonai Pentecostal Singers produce in their worship songs; the clear diction and enunciation than the Mount Sinai Choir; the tight harmonic intricacy of the Northmead Sanctuary Choir; the innovative spirit of the Vessels of Praise group; the guitaresque folk league of veteran Emmanuel Ng’uni; the refined and polished Kalindula Gospel of Lumbani Madoda Band. And the class of vintage coloratura sopranos is so small that it is easy to mention off-hand Penjani Ng’uni, Rachael Nanyangwe Kabeba, Karen Kandongo and from earlier years the likes of Vivian Chitambala Zimba and Margaret Kaniki Siwale.
It harks back to the 1970s when indigenous choirs like Dr John Mwesa’s Heritage Singers ruled the spiritual decibels. In that time into the 1980s, singer-guitarist Pamela Ngoma’s mellow contral to moved many hearts during her husband Chris Ngoma’s numerous crusades for Christ. If she has two successors, they are the unsung prolific composers and singer-guitarists Loice Chipere and Mavis Bota.
Singer Musa Kasonka and guitarist Wonder Chulu, then based at Northmead Assembly of God Church in Lusaka, in that period laid the foundation for many musicians.
That period yielded contemporary Gospel music pioneers like Kennedy Mwansa and the Golden Voices who were followed by Sounds of Faith (there was Wylbur Simuusa, Aggrey Njungu, Gina Chiwela), Love Band (there was Ezekiel Shibemba and yours truly), Jesus Generation, Shalom (Wezi Kaonga, Mike Chelelwa, Charles Bota now CEO at Shoprite sang here), Signs and Wonders, The Sowers, The Word, The Paradise Singers and numerous others.
If you were there in those days, you cannot forget the amazing prowess of diverse bass guitarists Winston Chapa and Alex Fundafunda, whose brother Christian is a rare, classy rhythm guitarist; or the fiery artistry of lead guitarist Victor Kunda, erstwhile Victor Kasoma.
Think about phenomenal keyboardist Chala Tumelo who has studied music to Grade Six, the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree. What of incredible virtuosos like Sheba Chintu (bass) and Blessington Malenga (keyboards) who are more than enough proof that in Zambia, the best musical talents are in the Body of Christ?
From the 1980s till now Zambia has seen simply unbelievable vocal artistry in Joseph Ziwa, Aggrey Munsaka, Justin Muntanga, Billy Simpungwe, Chidongo Mukuma, Julie Chipaila, Mary Musongole, Portipher Mpundu and the full-blooded passion of BJ Ngosa.
Today, music producers like Sound Factory Entertainments proprietor Bezario Mwanza and his musical twin, keyboardist Mangala Hamoonga, are laying foundations for a whole new generation of musicians.  Before them, Annie Chimbuvu Chiluba pioneered television promotion of Gospel tunes with her A Date on Sunday programme; a pivotal platform in the 1970s and 1980s when video marketing was unknown.
At another level, the vocal excellence of New Apostolic Faith Church choirs has in the 2000s impacted the choirs of the United Church of Zambia who are now prized frontrunners in indigenous song. Father Joseph Mutalasha, a revelation among Catholic clergy, has produced songs, some of which are used in Pentecostal churches. While Catholic choirs have released recordings over the years, this musician is the first of his kind.
Some singers and musicians have clocked 35 years plus in the business of ministry, but they are few. That is where the tone of our discussion must change and burst a few anniversary balloons.
GENERATION GAP
All the deficiencies that Zambian Christian music is demonstrating at the moment point back to the gap between earlier generations and the present minstrels.
Bill Gaither and his Homecoming productions bring together at least 60 years of music ministry in the US: today his generation is making memories with their musical children and grandchildren. In Zambia we simply do not have that.
As a result, most of the present music ministers have no depth because they are exposed to very little about music. Most of them have no staying power because they have not sat at the feet of older ministers who have walked the talk decades on. Most of them are reproducing what others have done because they have not learned to dream their own dreams and implement their own imaginations.
The older generation of Gospel ministers grew up on a team spirit approach, hence the bands mentioned earlier on. In a band, five people represent five minds consistently working on a song or an album collection of songs from start to finish. This is not there now.
If the young minstrels of today want to get anywhere, they should pause, stand still and look around. They will see that there are musical mothers and fathers who can—and should—pour a wealth of insight and foresight into their spirits.
One has got to applaud everyone that was a part of Fountain of Praise in Kitwe, Tehillah Voice in Ndola and Oneness in Lusaka—such cross-church and cross-generational combinations always achieve breakthroughs.
LANGUAGE
Language in itself has become a pitfall and a snare to many singers. Wrong grammar must be avoided but is getting recorded and marketed publicly.
If you are singing for Jesus Christ it is time to get back to the basics: Learn the chosen language thoroughly well and present lyrics that make sense. Today, almost every album contains glaring language mistakes: wrong use of words, wrong pronunciation and use of slang terms.
A recorded song is a historical document, and as such it must be an honest and accurate depiction of the culture it represents.
The misuse of Zulu and Ndebele has increased among Zambian singers, and wrong meanings are being conveyed. We will take only two examples.
One lady has sung, “Sithethile Nkosi” in isiNdebele which she and her male backers have translated “Chetekela Yesu” in iciBemba, and in English “I do believe in Jesus.”
“Sithethile” actually means “we have spoken.” However, because “sithethisile” means “we have insulted,” there is a suggestion in the song that “we have insulted the Lord” or “we have told off the Lord.”
One man has sung, “Ng’izinekeza kuwe,” with the assumption that it means “I give myself to you.” The correct way to say that is “Ng’izinikela kuwe.” Responsible singers are supposed to avoid such basic blunders.
Such mistakes are plainly unforgivable when they occur in Zambian languages—will it require a bank loan for you to transport your lyrics to an elderly man or woman who is well-versed with the language you are trying to sing in?
It will be an added advantage for us who sing to buy ourselves Bibles and hymnbooks in local languages so that we can firm our grasp of word values and precise phrase meanings.
A group of young artists, trying to show that they are amazed at the love of Jesus, have used iciBemba slang words which do not show wonderment or amazement. The emphasis in the words they have chosen is that “I am insane.” Is that the result of the love of Jesus: insanity?
Those who dare sing in English are at greatest risk. Many years ago, a pastor now based in Kaniki area, Ndola, told me, “Zambians don’t know how to sing in English.”
As a singer, yours truly can hardly argue with that. Few Zambians come out well in English, and that is so evident that many observers believe that Zambians (nay Africans at large) should sing only in their mother or father tongues. Such views have been aired through the media in fact.
There are two things a singer can do about the English language. Firstly; test your English pronunciation in the ears of a truly competent speaker of the language. Or, secondly; learn to release your English composition to another vocalist with better English diction. That will even add to enriching your album or public performance.
Even in the 1970s which are often considered Zambian music’s golden years, the artists frequently ran into criticism because of poor English construction and enunciation.
COPYCATS
For some unknown reason, more and more Zambian Christian singers see the South African music market as a sort of stock exchange on which you can buy shares. They have become copycats.
South African songs are finding their way onto Zambian airwaves with only the words changed. If we know anything about copyright and intellectual property law, stealing other musicians’ tunes is theft and is a punishable crime.
Nigerian songs are also being repainted and placed on the shelf as our own creations. The same is happening to rock-flavoured worship songs from influential groups like Hillsongs of Australia.
Some recent Christian albums contain a number of tunes stolen from other Gospel artists within Zambia and in South Africa. Even songs that are sexually insulting have been taken and repackaged into Gospel music.
A musician with a vision to proclaim Jesus Christ for many years to come will not steal from other people’s creativity. Such theft is a shortcut to a name and is self-defeating.
STRUCTURE
Weak structural arrangements have ruined many good Christian songs.
Every song must have movement and give the listener a sense of travel or transition. Today, because it is that easy for me to record a whole album all alone in my bedroom without any second and third opinion, anything that sounds good makes the album.
Too many songs start and end with no high point; with no crescendo. As they start, so do they end; stanza and refrain follow each other non-stop until the end. In fact most albums consist of one song, with the rest being mere repeats of that song.
Where there is an instrumental break it is accidental—it sounds like a gap which the singer and sound technician in the studio both did not know what to do about. No lead instrument is even brought in to express its feelings about the theme.
Excellent songs have been ruined by the inability of the singer and even the sound technician to ‘read the game.’ Just as a football coach reads a performance by all the players on the pitch and decides at some point to change formats or substitute his players, the singer or music instructor or producer should sense what change needs to be made at what point in the song for it to ‘score.’
Some albums have been spoilt by the use of too many ideas, so that songs jerk and jumpstart with changes that do not connect and flow. Some songs end suddenly as if the recording was disrupted by Zesco load-shedding.
Consider voices. The use of one lead voice on an entire album is lame. One popular choir produces albums led entirely by one lead voice when the dictionary actually defines a choir as “a group of singers who perform together.”
Long-standing top international Christian artists like Andrae Crouch, Shirley Caesar, Richard Smallwood and younger ones like Fred Hammond, Marvin Sapp and yet younger ones like Kirk Franklin have not imposed their voices on each and every song in their albums all because “this is my album!”
Their albums have been strengthened by variegation, and two local Christian artists who have grasped this very well are Kings Mumbi and Matthew Ngosa.
Then there are those voices that should not do lead vocals.
Unmusical voices are easy to spot, and more albums are rolling onto the market with unschooled, untrained and incapable voices. In fact, some highly gifted instrumentalists have forced themselves to sing and ended up spoiling classy instrumentation with bad voicing—why not invite a capable vocalist to sing your song?
Unless you are Michael Jackson, you cannot spice the entire album with one voice.
PURPOSE
Why do you sing?
This one question separates the wheat from the chaff, both in Christian and worldly music. Many sing because someone else whom they like also sings. Many others sing because there is nothing else to do, even when they are not musicians at heart. Then there are those who do albums merely because some listeners praised that voice or that one song they sang.
Those who sing for Christ must have the witness in their hearts that singing is truly their gifting. Where there is a genuine gift, the listeners are blessed and their spirits are lifted up. Where there is a forced gift, listeners are burdened.
The meaning and purpose of our songs is not to outdo the next singer or dancer. It is not in being seen and applauded. Christian song proclaims salvation in the Saviour Jesus Christ. It proclaims hope and encouragement to believers experiencing all kinds of life conditions.
Where it is possible to learn from others, Zambian minstrels and psalmists should learn. What should not be done is to imitate a new trend where more women in South Africa stand to sing about Jesus in very high skirts. Such women must be told to choose between singing for Christ and singing for Satan: it is impossible to do both.
Collaborations between Christian and worldly singers in the West have poisoned Gospel music: many believers there have stopped mentioning the Name of Jesus Christ and everything He did on the Cross. They avoid telling sinners to repent and be saved from hellfire. Such collaborations promise a broader market for evangelistic outreach, but they strangle genuine spiritual ministry. This is a Satanic trap to flee from.
Today, many young Zambian Gospel artists sing about themselves and their achievements.  Many are busy celebrating the wealth they now have, allegedly because of turning to Christ. Some are always warning wizards and sorcerers to keep away. Some like telling off those who once looked down on them when they were suffering. Some enjoy boasting of their spiritual and moral strength.
Someone has even sung that he will slap whoever speaks ill of the Name of Jesus!
This kind of ‘Gospel’ now has imitators.     It is a distorted Gospel which focuses on all the small things in life.
Billy Graham said, “If you lose wealth, you have lost nothing. If you lose health, you have lost something. If you lose character, you have lost everything.” Christian music is defined by character: the sense of meaning and purpose, the strength of its sincerity, the strength of its truth, its trustworthiness (where integrity comes from) and the lasting grace in it.
If we understand Deuteronomy 32:2, the words of a song serve as three things on plants and vegetation: Rain, dew and showers. That is the purpose of all spiritual music in Christ.
Rain renews, rain revives and rain restores. Dew refreshes and showers reassure.
Now that organized Christian music in Zambia has turned 50, time is now to rethink and recast the whole purpose of it.