In mid-March, an unprecedented natural phenomenon struck Malawi cruelly. Freddy , one of the longest-lasting cyclones in history and with the longest track (emerged on February 4 in Australia and crossed the Indian Ocean to reach Africa), made landfall on March 12 in Malawi and over five days caused 670,000 storms. displaced and left at least 676 dead, which, according to the authorities, will soon officially exceed 1,000: after almost a month of searching, there is no hope of finding the 537 missing people alive. The coordinator of the United Nations in Malawi, Rebecca Adda Dontoh, highlighted the seriousness of what happened. “Freddy's passing has caused death, destruction, displacement and devastation on a horrifying scale at a time when Malawians were already facing high levels of food insecurity and an outbreak of cholera.”
This catastrophic scenario is what the Catalan musician and composer Moisès Sala, director of choirs such as The Gospel Viu Choir, will soon find himself in, who will travel to Malawi on April 17 to give a gospel workshop in a rural community of Kapiri, to 150 kilometers southeast of the capital, Lilongwe. For Sala, who decided to take the action before the cyclone struck, canceling the trip was not an option. On the contrary. For this 51-year-old pianist, originally from Palafolls, it will be an opportunity to take advantage of the therapeutic value of rhythms. “Music, not just gospel, does not want to replace material and emergency aid, which right now is very important and necessary. But I think that in such a hard time, when many people have lost their loved ones, their houses and their crops, a hug can be good too. Music does not replace, but complements, because it is life, and gospel is an infallible therapy because emotions emerge and it connects with joy and vitality in the community”, he explains to this newspaper.
If at the beginning of the year Malawi was already facing the deadliest cholera outbreak in its history, with more than 56,000 cases and 1,700 deaths, the passage of Typhoon Freddy has broken the fragile balance of this nation of 19 million inhabitants. The country needs urgent help. The United Nations has requested some 65 million euros to provide vital assistance to the more than 1.1 million people affected.
Sala, who in the 20 years of his Gospel Without Borders project has visited countries such as Madagascar, Gambia, Peru or India, believes that music (“universal Esperanto”) can generate benefits in a land so tied to rhythms and sounds in your day to day. “When they are happy, they sing; when they relax, they sing... we seek to awaken some smiles and give hugs and company in a time of disaster. Let them know that they are not alone. We want to use gospel as medicine for the soul."
With on-the-ground support from the NGO Africa Active, Sala plans to work with up to 200 women from the local community church choir and three other groups of vulnerable women, using artistic expression as a tool for social reintegration. “It is not just about choosing a few songs and singing, but about adding a collective song with synergistic effects. The feeling of belonging to a group is magical. Unknown people end up singing and crying together, jumping or laughing; tremendous energy is created. It's not just about learning to sing; the power of music is total and utter.”
And Malawi needs encouragement. For its president, Lazarus Chakwera, Cyclone Freddy, which has also left 165 dead in Mozambique and 17 in Madagascar, is a stark and direct consequence of global warming. “Climate change is real and what we are going to see is more devastation. In thirteen months we have suffered three terrible cyclones. We are trying to do the best we can to get ahead with our own efforts.” According to experts, the climate crisis causes the warming of the oceans and the heat emanating from the sea surface is causing increasingly powerful weather events, such as storms or typhoons.
