I HOPE, I’m not too late to the party, but like they say, better late than never.
About two weeks back, social media was set ablaze with Macky 2’s latest track, Dear Dad, a song that might have fathers questioning all their life choices.
In this masterpiece, retired but not tired musician and JC Kalinks take us down a road some Zambians know too well which is the pain of absent fathers and the silent strength of single mothers.
Instead of the usual “Happy Father’s Day” message, Mack 2 flips the script, giving the shout out to a mother instead.
“Happy Father’s Day to my mother” hits like a ton of bricks because, for some families across Zambia, that’s the reality.
Mothers have been the ones to step up, do the heavy lifting and raise entire families on their own while fathers disappear, chasing after Gen-Zs.
Dear Dad isn’t your typical sing along track. In the song, the artiste talks about an irresponsible father who abandoned his family to impress strangers and chase after younger women.
Mark 2 sings, “You left us mu nsala, you ran nga muzala (you left us in poverty, you ran like Muzala).
“My mum still loves you, ati I should forgive you, vengeance is for the Lord, second chance I should give you. She is too good for her own good that is why she don’t deserve you, I wish she could stay back instead of trying to save you,” Macky raps in verse two.
“Do you even know what that woman had to go through? nobody to run to? Seen her in the rain, in the cold, in the sun too. I couldn’t sit there, had to make a plan, I had to be the man in the house.”
These lines are direct, painful and too real for a country that has been hearing stories of dads who bolted, leaving their wives and kids to fend for themselves.
Macky 2’s fans have reacted to the song stating that this is the reality of most households.
One listener commented, “Macky 2, sir this is heart opening, inspiring, uplifting, calming and re-connecting us with our inner wisdom. This is called conscious music. I will forgive my father cause nobody is perfect. Guys as we are young, let’s stick to music which can help us grow and this is one of them songs.”
Another fan posted, “Happy Father’s Day to my mother. This is my story, thanks Mark 2 for speaking for some of us.”
Macky 2’s words remind men that their children are watching and the way they act will shape their kids’ futures.
The song sends a powerful message that family should come first, because while the girls will leave when the money is gone, your family will stay by your side.
In this song the father who abandoned his wife and children to play with young girls is back after he gets sick and his wife takes up the mantle of nursing him despite his mistakes.
By Catherine Pule
Kalemba, October 5, 2024
