Malawi Prisoners Receive A Surprise Grammy Nomination

The Zomba prison is a maximum security detention center in the city of Zomba, Malawi. Several inmates in this prison are serving life sentences for crimes such as murder or theft. A group of male and female inmates in the prison formed a band called Zomba Prison Band that was nominated for a Grammy award. This is a first for Malawian musicians.

A great achievement

The Zomba Prison Band was nominated for the best world music category. They are going to compete with four of world music’s biggest stars: Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Angelique Kidjo, Gilberto Gil and Anoushka Shankar. The producer who is behind the Zomba Prison Band’s album, Ian Brennan, expressed his delight:

“I was shocked. Absolutely shocked… The other four nominated artists all have roots that go back decades, so to see this group of completely unknown people from what is really a lesser known country get recognised is really humbling.”

Brenner is  an American Grammy-winning producer who is well-known for his commitment to providing exposure to international musicians who are ignored by the mainstream industry. The Grammy-winning album titled I Have No Everything Here is a collection of 20 songs, 18 of which were written by the inmates.

The recording experience

According to Brennan, about 70 prisoners were involved in the recording project. He recalls being mostly challenged with gaining access to the maximum security establishment as well as finding a proper recording space.

“The room is next to a car and welding shop where they do a lot of work for the prison. There’s a carpentry workshop too. Part of the challenge is that we had to record next to these shops, and there was a competition for sound,” he said.

The inmates were men and women aged from their early 20s to 70s. Although the project was not financially sustainable, the group has raised funds that could help some of them pay for their get legal representation. It is not clear whether or not, the group is aware of the historic nomination because all communications with prisoners must go through the commissioner or a local NGO. One thing is certain, the musicians will not be able to attend the Grammy’s ceremony.