Lazarus Tembo

From Chalo Chatu, Zambia online encyclopedia

Lazarus Tembo was one of Zambia's most popular singers. He was the first visually challenged Member of Parliament and Minister of State under the Ministry of Labor and Social Services.

Early life

He was born in the Eastern Province of Zambia in 1945. He went blind at the age of eight while attending a mission school. The faculty encouraged him to take up music, and he spent his time learning to play and compose on various instruments. He passed the Cambridge Music exams, but put his musical career on hold when he was appointed Zambia's Junior Minister of Culture by the Zambian Government under President Kaunda.[1]

Selected Songs

  1. Mtandezeni
  2. Baby Feeding Song
  3. Ulwimbo Lwakulisho Mwana
  4. Nyimbo Ya Podwetsa Mwana
  5. Malambo

Legacy

A Zambian folk music award was named after him. He also supported the work of the Lusaka Nutrition Group, an organisation which was a precursor to the work of Makeni Centre, before 1971. [2]

References