On Stage
Obelisk Arena
Friday
W.I.T.C.H. (We Intend To Cause Havoc) were the biggest rock band in Zambia
in the 1970s and spearheaded a new genre dubbed Zamrock, fusing influences that
ranged from the Rolling Stones to Black Sabbath and James Brown and mixing them
with traditional African rhythms and bush village songs. At t the peak of their
popularity, the band often needed police to keep fans at bay while their lead singer
Jagari – whose name is an Africanisation of Mick Jagger’s – riled up crowds by stage
diving from balconies and dancing manically as the WITCH’s blend of psychedelic
rock and African rhythms permeated the surrounding atmosphere.