Fadhili Williams died 25 years ago on February 11, 2002, but his most famous song, Malaika, is still going strong. It is easily one of the most redone songs in Kenya, covered by everyone from star artists to school choirs.
In musical schools’ competitions, its popularity ranks high, along with the original Lingala composition of Ndaya song by Mpongo Love, originally released in the mid-70s.
Them Mushrooms Band is one of the musical outfits that have redone the copy in different beats.
Band leader John Katana Harrison says they re-did it in a reggae format, which he said is well-received by fans in live performances.
“All what we did was to ask for permission from Fadhili William to allow us to re-work it as a reggae beat, which he readily agreed to,” Katana tells The Sunday Standard.
Before recording the new Malaika reggae version, Katana says, they planned to bring on board Fadhili William in their recording. He, unfortunately, died before they could do this.
“We were forced to proceed with the recording without him (Fadhili),” he says.
Katana involved five top Swahili artistes, the likes of John Nzenze and Daudi Kabaka, in the process.
Sentiville Melodies, a Nakuru-based musical group, also loves it, and the song is part of their repertoire.
Group leader Kevin Ndumo says the song is relatable across generations.
“Again, the song is easily sung in different dialects. Their stanzas are easy to comprehend and translatable into many different languages,” says Ndumo, who has led the group for the last nine years.
Orchestra Safari Sounds is another musical outfit, which also featured Malaika in a reggae format just like Them Mushrooms.
Band leader Juma Mzingo says the fame of the song is the reason behind their association with it.
“We came up with our version of the song because it was a famous beat. And we like playing it whenever we perform,” he says.
The band performs in hotels in Mombasa city and the coastal region.
Veteran music teacher Thomas Mokaya is among music teachers who love the song.
“If it’s liked by millions of our people, who are we not to give them what they like most? That’s why we play the song in most of our events,” he says.