WHEN you hear 24-year-old Katende Chenga sing, you will surely ascertain that indeed, dynamite comes in small packages.
But can you imagine that her vocal prowess was tucked away, hidden in a cocoon of her fears due to the negativity that was attached to her living with albinism.
However, God always has the final say, making her blossoming into a beautiful butterfly with her talent so bold that no one could afford to ignore.
Growing up Katende was full of questions she never voiced but carried with her every day as she would look at her older sister, cousins, aunties and uncles and wonder why she looked so different from them.
Katende shared that she once met an adult who exclaimed, “so these people even walk at night!” which left her in disbelief that an adult could utter such in public.
For years, Chenga walked with her head down with her hair falling over her face like a curtain because she didn’t want to be noticed or people to see her.
Katende told Kalemba that she had always loved singing but self doubt kept her from embracing it fully until a couple on the Copperbelt discovered her talent.
“They took me in and helped me nurture my gift and that’s when I realised that music could be my way of telling stories,” said Katende.
Born with albinism, Katende grew up in an extended family where love was never lacking as her parents treated her just like her siblings and never made her feel out of place.
But even in the warmth of home, she struggled with silent confusion as the world wasn’t always as kind.
She shared with Kalemba one of her biggest struggles back in high school.
“I had the problem of eye sight. I got glasses when I was in grade eight and nine. I struggled with [my] eye sight throughout high school. I would go in front just to see what’s written on the board and that affected my confidence because I used to feel that I was inconveniencing my class mates,” she said.
“And I remember… the first term of high school was the most difficult because I was very shy and introverted and I remember that there were stories going round the school.”
In grade 10 and 11, Katende met friends who didn’t see her as different and looked at her with pity or curiosity and that’s how she began to accept herself.
“The turning point started in high school with my friends who could brush my hair and get me lip gloss and that’s how I got confident,” she added.
Now, she dreams of making music that speaks to people’s emotions, whether it’s about faith, heartbreak or life’s struggles.
She added that she will never view abinism as an identity as she takes it as a normal skin colour of one who lacks melanin.
Katende Chenga hopes to one day collaborate with Chef 187 whom she inspires her way of thinking when it comes to word play.
In one of her earlier interviews, she aimed to be different from female music artistes who are explicit and often more vulgar by bringing a touch of class to the industry.
By Catherine Pule
Kalemba, February 5, 2025
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Cheers