Just like it did last year, Malawi has once again failed to make strides in the Fair Play Global Music Video competition which saw a group from Egypt scooping first prize.

In 2010, the country fared well with Lilongwe-based Mafilika emerging victorious.

According to its website www.anticoruptionmusic.org, 75 videos from 35 countries were submitted to the third edition of the Fair Play Global Music Video Competition for original songs by young bands on the anti-corruption theme.

This competition is presented by the JMI Foundation, the Global Youth Anti-Corruption Network and the World Bank Institute.

Music Crossroads Malawi Director Mathews Mfune called for bands in the country to participate soon after the competition was announced.

Mfune said yesterday that only two bands from the country submitted music videos, including Body, Mind and Soul.

“This year we didn’t make it just like last year. We tried to advertise for bands to enter the competition but most of the bands were not prepared,” he said.

He noted that the biggest challenge is that artists in the country do not have enough money to produce good music videos.

This indeed seems to be the biggest challenge which needs to be worked out as it has also made it difficult for artists in the country to fail to have their music featured on top channels such as Channel O and MTV

“We need enough money for bands to produce good music videos. The other thing is that bands in the country need to know this is an annual competition where the rules are clearly spelt out and you actually just need to go to the site to enter because you have a chance of performing in Europe,” said Mfune.

Youssra El Hawary’s ‘El Soor’ (The Wall) from Cairo, Egypt got the first position.

The website says El Hawary’s music video is a must watch as his humoristic style approach exemplifies the strength of young revolutionaries in Egypt and around the world, who refuse to be intimidated and defeated by obstacles placed in their paths.

The other winners are Simponi from Jakarta, Indonesia, who came second and Goma from DRC who was third.

As winners, Youssra El Hawary, Simponi and S3 joined 1,500 plus anti-corruption activists from around the globe as participants of the 3rd Voices Against Corruption Forum which was held from Nov 5 -6 organised by the Global Youth Anti-Corruption Network.

They will also attend the 15th International Anti-Corruption Conference starting today through to Saturday organised by Transparency International, and will perform on Saturday at the Ulysses Guimarães Convention Centre (CCUG) in Brasilia, Brazil.