Burning Youth was formed in 1982 in Zambia and was one of the country's biggest reggae acts. The band gained popularity through live performances before releasing their debut single "Kwatu" in 1987. Some of their most well-known songs were "Nkhopa" and "Condom". In the 1990s, the band recorded their first full-length album in London and toured the UK. While the band has been less active in recent years, relying more on nostalgia, they are still considered Zambia's biggest reggae act and continue to perform occasionally.

1. X Post Lifestyle, Sunday April 6, 2014
By Hope Mkunte
I
WAS only three years
old when Burning
Youth, one of Zam-
bia’s biggest reggae acts,
released their debut com-
mercial single Kwatu in
1987. Like most of my
generation, I grew up
on songs like Nkhopa
and Condom, two of the
band’s timeless hits from
its enormous catalogue.
The band was formed
on the Copperbelt in
1982 by Jack and Allan
Tembo, with the help of
their late friend Michael
Kumwenda, who became
the group’s lead vocalist
with Jack on bass and
backing vocals, and Al-
lan on guitar. Prior to the
release of Kwatu, Burn-
ing Youth had gained a
large following on the
Copperbelt because of
their live performances.
After a string of perfor-
mances over a period of
five years, the band relo-
cated to Lusaka where it
began its official music
career and added eight
more members to com-
plete the ensemble.
This was the start of
a long musical career for
the band, the highlight
of which was record-
ing their debut album in
London, touring a num-
ber of cities in the UK
and Ireland and winning
over four music awards.
This may sound like a
different era to someone
who was born in the
90s, but those of us who
remember the band for
their hit HIV aware-
ness song Sebenzesani
Ma Condom know how
relevant Burning Youth
were and their place in
Zambian music.
In 1994, the band was
booked by Oxfam to
perform at Oxfam’s 50th
anniversary in London.
This performance
resulted in the band’s
first tour, with stops at
Aberystwyth Art Centre,
Shrewsbury, Herford and
Cambridge University,
Keele, Manchester City
town Hall and Africa
Centre where they were
greeted with cheers by
Zambians living in the
UK.
The band also record-
Will BurningYouth rise again?ed their first full length
album Sadness at the
BBC studios in London,
a feat no Zambian music
act has achieved since.
Burning Youth was
able to invest in some
music equipment, which
it used to stage talent
search shows and groom
upcoming Zambian
musicians.
One of the groups
who benefited from this
gesture were the Sakala
Brothers. The Matero
duo would tag along for
rehearsals at New Londe
Motel where Burning
Youth were resident
performers.
Like all reggae bands,
their music is conscious,
touching on issues af-
fecting the common
man. They also tried to
help the less privileged.
For example in 1994,
they went on an Oxfam-
sponsored tour of Ma-
lawi. Proceeds from the
shows were used to build
flats and schools for the
physically challenged.
There is very little docu-
mentation of the Burning
Youth’s musical exploits,
but in the course of their
career, the band has re-
leased only five albums,
with most of their time
in between albums spent
performing on stage.
After Sadness they
released Still Burning,
Usamuseke, Reloaded
and their Greatest Hits
compilation courtesy of
Digital Networks Inter-
national.
The CD is composed
of songs such as Cho-
lasa, Nyamudinga, Nk-
hopa, Chiuta, Mulenga,
Sembe Ndimwe, Sadness
and Condom.
Since winning their
first award for best band
of the year in 1995,
Burning Youth have won
4 awards and other in-
ternational accolades to
date, the latest of which
came in 2011 when they
won Most Consistent
Band/Best Artiste. Other
awards include Best
Stage Act, all in recogni-
tion of the band’s hard
work.
Burning Youth often
performs on weekends
in local pubs and guest
houses, capitalising on
their notoriety and well-
deserved respect from
die-hard fans. People
still go to their shows in
large numbers and the
band always gives fiery
live performances, often
jamming renditions of
Bob Marley’s and Peter
Tosh’s songs, two of their
biggest role models. The
band is still active, but
less so as it relies on nos-
talgia to attract people to
its shows, most of whom
are looking to relive old
memories of Zambia’s
biggest reggae act.
Hope Mkunte, aka Dj
Wolf,is a Zambian music
enthusiast, follow his
blog on www.wapya-
munzi.com
Burning Youth on stage
Burning Youth’s Jack Tembo with friends