Sound engineer who took a gamble
HE quit his job as a bank teller at ZB Bank and pursued sound engineering.
The tough decision he made did not go down well with his peers and close associates.
Friends, relatives and former workmates, who had known him in the banking sector, were gutted.
Counting money and balancing cash books was his responsibility.
Sadly, he has just decided to call it quits at a time when he qualified for life-changing loans from his employer.
His employers begged him to rescind his decision, but he would not take any of it.
Some of his peers were quick to conclude he had made a “suicidal” decision while others cut ties with him. But, for David Mwale alias Diva, he was simply following his passion.
“Professionally I'm a banker, having worked at ZB for 13 years before trading for sound.
“It's a decision I made after realising that I was failing to balance my schedules. Prior to that I earned a living as a sound engineer and club DJ but I decided to pursue my dream,” he said.
Diva saluted sound engineer, Mbaki Nleya, for compiling his documentary launched at Alliance Francaise early this week.
“It still hasn't sunk in and it's almost like it's a dream or hasn't happened.
“Mbaki said to me ‘mukoma i'm trying to write our own narrative celebrating our own since the category is not on the NAMA or ZIMA awards', so I just went along not knowing that he would actually go through it."
“I have hung my boots from actively mixing live sound, except
when the need arises that's when I assist the young ones.
“I would love to impact as many of the young generation as possible and if it comes to pass I want to have a sound engineering college.”
Diva, who has been in the game for over three decades, said can't recall when his calling came.
“I grew up with a passion for music from an early age as my dad bought me my first vinyl single by Whitney Houston (I Wanna Dance With Somebody) and he used to collect vinyl a lot, so it nurtured my passion.
“My breakthrough, if you mean my biggest gig, was with ZTA, when they brought Joe Thomas. I have done over 100 international artists, and each came with a different experience, so to pinpoint which was the best is difficult.
“I can recall one show at the Borrowdale Racecourse where after set-up, just before sound check, the company that provided generator power connected the wires viceversa and everything went up in smoke in less than a minute.”
But, who is Diva after all?
“I was born in Chiweshe to a Malawian mummy and dad.
“I grew up in Tafara and went to Tashinga Primary School and later on went to Churchill Boys.
“Growing up was not easy as my dad was a security guard and looking after us, with the salary he was earning, wasn't enough but he had side jobs (kutengesa huni, brick making ) in between shifts.”