W.I.T.C.H.: The Rock of the Copperbelt

When, in 2011, a German collector discovered an unlabeled cassette at a market in Lusaka, he held in his hands a lost fragment of Zamrock¹.

Egon Alapatt, founder of the Now-Again Records label, triggered an unforeseen renaissance².

Forty years after their last studio album, WITCH is no longer a myth³.

In Brief

| Band Name | W.I.T.C.H. | | Genre | Zamrock, blues-rock, psychedelic rock | | Origin | Kitwe, Copperbelt, Zambia | | Active Period | 1972–1984, 2012–present | | Founding Member | Emmanuel « Jagari » Chanda (vocals) | | Landmark Albums | Introduction, Lazy Bones!!, Zango | | Awards | First commercially released Zambian album |

Key Dates

From the Copperbelt to the World

Emmanuel Chanda was born in Kasama and grew up in Kitwe, a mining city on the Copperbelt⁴.

As an adolescent, he listened to British radio and read Melody Maker. The Rolling Stones, Hendrix, and the Hollies permeated his imagination⁵.

In 1971, he joined a new lineup that became WITCH⁶.

The Zambian context was unique. After independence in 1964, President Kaunda mandated that 95% of radio airtime be dedicated to Zambian music⁷.

The copper boom offered unprecedented purchasing power. Albums were self-produced and printed in Nairobi⁸.

At concerts, the band held seven-hour marathons⁹.

The decline arrived in the 1970s when copper prices collapsed¹⁰.

Curfew made night concerts impossible¹¹.

Jagari left the group in 1977¹².

For decades, Zamrock sank into oblivion¹³.

In 2011, Now-Again launched an exhaustive reissue¹⁴.

In 2017, WITCH made its first world tour¹⁵.

Major Works

Legacy

WITCH remains the iconic figure of Zamrock¹⁶.

The original members — Chris « Kims » Mbewe, Gideon « Giddy King » Mulenga, Paul « Jones » Mumba, John « Music » Muma, and Boyd « Star MacBoyd » Sinkala — are all deceased, victims of AIDS¹⁷.

Jagari is the sole survivor¹⁸.

The group continues to tour¹⁹.

Sources and References