Comedian ‘Anyoni’ dies: ‘Pamajiga’ star hailed as brightest talent

One of Malawi’s veteran comedians Elson Soko famously called ‘Anyoni’ has died with tributes pouring in that Malawi has been  robbed of one of the brightest talents  and a national treasure.

Soko, who was diagonised with a heart problems, breathed his last at the Blantyre Adventists Hospital on Saturday.

The man who brought entertainment to homes of millions for so many decades also had urinal and eating problems.

He played the role of Anyoni in Pamajiga radio soap opera that is aired on Malawi Broadcasting Station (MBC) and Kapalepale, a radio play that was aired on MBC on Saturday evening,.

Soko  started acting in Pamajiga when he joined MBC in the late 1970s  and continued to excite listeners every working day from 5:45 to 6:00 in the morning.

His death comes few days after Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) staff on visited and cheered him at his home in Machinjiri, Blantyre.

During the visit, MBC Director General Aubrey Sumbuleta described Soko as someone who had played an important role in educating, informing and entertaining the nation in as far as MBC’s broadcasting business was concerned.

On his part, Soko said: “I have been part of MBC for a very long time and it has uplifted my life to this far. My journey with MBC had been interesting such that over the years, I became a household name and thus, regard MBC as part of me”.

Pamajiga  has been  a 15-minute play full of controversy, humour and fun.

In Pamajiga, there is no room for building conflict. It just starts. It does not follow the conventional way of story development as time is of the essence.

Soko playing Anyoni was the protagonist.  Well known as a confusionist who stands for people in the villages who have a stubborn attitude.

The current producer of Pamajiga, Hope Chisanu says that the radio play continues to target rural masses and yearns to correct bad morals.

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