Today, August 15th, Mississippi Records has released a new compilation album, “ALICK NKHATA – RADIO LUSAKA,” bringing long-overdue attention to a pivotal figure in Zambia’s freedom movement. This album marks the first-ever vinyl compilation of his work, revealing the legacy of a man whose music and voice were deeply connected to his country’s journey towards independence. Alick Nkhata (1922-1978) was a multifaceted artist—a gifted singer, a scholar of African musical traditions, a freedom fighter, and the daily voice of a nation’s aspirations on Radio Lusaka. The album comes with a booklet featuring lyric translations by Zambian author Ellen Banda-Aaku and in-depth notes by scholar Jamal Khadar, which were used in this overview.
Nkhata’s life mirrored the dramatic transformations of this period, which saw the rise of the Zambian copper industry and British colonial rule. Born in Kasama to a Bemba mother and Tonga father, he came from a musical family. He was a gifted storyteller and was fluent in several languages, including Bemba, Nyanja, Tonga, and English. This passion for storytelling and deep pride in traditional culture shaped his identity.
His musical foundation was laid with Bemba traditions, but it was enriched during his youth by a vibrant mix of influences, from mission school choirs to South African jazz and even American country & western music that was accessible through imported records.
The Second World War was a pivotal period for Nkhata. While serving as a typist in the King’s African Rifles (KAR) during the Burma Campaign, his musical skills earned him a place in an entertainment unit, which allowed him to hone his guitar and banjo skills, as well as exchange songs with soldiers from across the region and Britain. This cross-cultural exchange was crucial, as he later synthesised these diverse styles—including cowboy songs, jazz, and military brass bands—with traditional Bemba idioms and emerging local guitar styles. The resulting fusion was nothing short of a soundtrack for Central Africa’s transition from colonial rule to independence.
Following the war, Nkhata sharpened his technical skills as a sound recording engineer under the guidance of musicologist Hugh Tracey. This experience deepened his interest in traditional music and gave rise to a “conservationist philosophy”. He emphasised the importance of cultural preservation, stating in a 1952 radio address, “Music is one of the most important things in the culture of a people… If you lose your culture… then you will be primitive”. However, he viewed traditions not as relics of the past but as fluid and ever-evolving, a perspective that would later shape his political beliefs.
In 1950, Nkhata joined the Central African Broadcasting Service (CABS) in Lusaka, a British-run station that had to balance colonial messaging with popular programming. Nkhata and his colleagues, many of whom were former teachers, used their knowledge of local folklore to subtly push boundaries within the colonial-controlled station.
During this period, Nkhata blended village songs with the music of urban dance bands, turning the radio into a platform for negotiating a new national identity. His wide-ranging influences are on full display in the work from this time. The album’s lead single, “Nafwaya Fwaya,” is a perfect example of his early sound, showcasing his “steel string country guitar mode” and “impossibly tight vocal harmonies”.
Nkhata’s songs often explored the experiences of everyday people, from the “lonesome laments” of urban migration to social commentary on the clash between tradition and modernity. His collaborations were equally diverse, from the vocal harmonies of Alick Nkhata’s Quartet, which drew inspiration from groups like the Manhattan Brothers and The Ink Spots, to the Lusaka Radio Band, which combined traditional village songs with the swing-infused piano of British engineer Dick “Sapper” Sapseid.
As political tensions rose in the mid-1950s, Nkhata became an explicit advocate for Zambian independence. When CABS started to serve as a mouthpiece for settler politics, he and other announcers used their positions to subtly promote African nationalism through radio plays and song requests. By the late 1950s, Nkhata’s political stance became more direct. He left CABS and formed the United National Independence Party (UNIP) band, touring the country to perform pro-independence songs at rallies.
Though a major thoroughfare in Lusaka is named after him, Nkhata’s music has largely faded from the memory of a younger generation. This new album is a crucial step in reintroducing his work to a broader audience. It reveals a rich and influential body of music that not only provided a soundtrack for a period of intense transformation but also helped ground a people in a disorienting time. Nkhata masterfully wove together swirling influences to create harmony from conflict, fostering the spirit of a budding nation.
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