There are so many examples of people I would love to use as role models for this article, but however, I have chosen this one particular individual because I am sure that many of us can relate to his life and upbringing on what it’s like to be a Malawian millennial, not only has he played the role of an artist, be he has also played a role as one of the fewest young Malawian influencers who had a rough childhood but chose to prioritise their dreams and also knew the importance of education and the need to go to School.

He is one of the fewest young individuals who is more interested in social issues, the less privileged and all matters that tackle with the youth. If you are looking for a legit role model whom you can relate your life to, then FREDOKISS PENJANI KALUA IS YOUR MAN!!!!!!!

Yup, Fredokiss is not a new name to most Malawians that follow urban music in Malawi, and even to some who don’t follow music but got to know him through his works. Many people do not know who fredokiss is on the other side of his life, most of us just know him as the Ghetto king Kong….you know I’m right…. but who is fredokiss really? Why should he be preferred as a role model for my fellow youths? What can we relate and learn from him as someone who is a young Malawian?

Penjani Fred Kalua AKA Fredokiss was born on March 28 1986 in Lilongwe, and has a twin sister. His mother was a civil servant and his father was jobless at that time. Later, his father decided to move to South Africa, the circumstances that followed led to penjani being raised in an extended family comprising his grandmother uncle, aunt, sister, brother and cousins. They lived in a small house in chirimba and life was not easy. Fredokiss did his primary school education at chirimba primary school.
As a young boy, Fredo never saw himself as an artist, but his older brothers influenced him into rap music, they regularly loved to listen to the likes of 2pac’s music, and according to Fredo, he felt connected to the lyrics, this developed so much passion and interest he had towards music.

Living in an era where most music artists concentrate on the lifestyle and fantasies that they see on TV, in a generation where most artists and youths choose to imitate Westerners and what they see on TV, Fredokiss choses to bring the truth about what he sees happening in MALAWI. Having to have had that approach, he chose to deliver his music to Malawians in a way that can make listeners relate to what he is saying and reach out to their souls in a way that most artists can’t.

Not only is he a musician, he is an individual who is more concerned about social matters and issues that involve the youth and those individuals that are less privileged. Fredokiss became the artist for the people after he made his name with songs such as ‘Basi’ and ‘Woza’ which became regular hits on free-to-air satellite television channels followed by his greatest hit ‘Amafila Fredo’

In a country where parents do not support music career as a path for their children, Fredokiss’ relatives became worried after they saw the passion he had for music, but surprisingly, Fredokiss was as passionate about his education as he was with music, he worked harder, he worked smarter and he worked towards his goals in both music and school because he knew his environment, he knew where he was coming from, he knew what he wanted to achieve and he was smart about it.

As a young individual, you have to look around your environment, does your environment give you the privilege to achieve your dreams? Is it a place you can be able to execute your dreams into reality? Think about it, in Malawi, I choose to believe that, in most cases, not all, but in most cases, dreams and school do not go without the other, one of these two does no go without the other…what do I mean? You can be the most smartest student in that classroom, you can religiously have faith in school thinking that it will drag you out of the mud one day, but if you do not have a dream, your education is as empty as that of someone who did not go to school at all, the same thing applies to the fact that if you have dreams, you have no privileges and you decide to not go to school, thinking that you might make it in life, you are wrong. The fact that our brains have been brainwashed into thinking you can become whatever you want in life is the reason most youths are not where they wanted to be today. Truth is, you can only become whatever you want if you discipline yourself to do the things you don’t want to do to become who you want to be, it all goes down to hard work.

The fact that you can have music privileges and even earn more money than a graduate in America does not make it the same case scenario for Malawi. The fact that you can have flexible and free education access in western countries, does not make it the same case for Malawi.
In Malawi, you have to have financial resources to go to school, you have to hustle to make that business grow, no matter where you are in Malawi, no matter where you are coming from,no matter who you are, you just have to hustle. Nowadays we all know that you have to be well connected to get a job no matter how smart or hard working you are. Sit down and think about it…. Unless if you had financial privilege for a start up, you won a lottery or something, you had the resources that helped you implement your dreams into reality, you were too creative, oh well… then cool, but every smart person, every Malawian born individual who started from the bottom knows too well that you cannot make it in life if you do not have a strategy on how you would implement your plans into reality, and you cannot achieve those plans without hardworking.

Not only was he successful in his music career, Fredo was selected to pursue his studies to Chancellor Collage, Education and the experience he had in collage moulded him into a better man. The experience he had in collage helped him in making choices as a young man and as an artist. He made it a goal in his life to be one of the biggest Malawian influencers through music because it was his passion, but he also knew he had to work extra hard to get where he wanted to be, according to his documentary, He says: “If people see where I was 10 years ago, they will be touched. I have reached that stage in my life where some people say I am not from the ghetto, but that is not the case. Every time someone says that, it is a reminder of how much I have changed’’, working hard paid off for him, but he also appreciated the beauty of education, he went on saying: ‘‘my education background has affected my music in terms of maybe concepts, it has helped me how to position myself in the music industry’’.

It does not matter where you come from, keyword is, know your environment, know your available resources and privilages,work hard, hustle, because in Malawi, that’s how we do, you can never reach your goals while just seated on the Sofa at your parents’ house, watching TV.

You have to know where you are coming from to be able to determine where you want to go….. “I know where I am coming from. If I was to stand somewhere and start describing how I grew up in Chirimba, many will dismiss my account. But this is my story, it is the truth and through it I want to reach out and inspire my fellow youths.” Fredo said.
Fredokiss is becoming the symbol that personifies a youth who has made it through hard work and has kept his firm belief in helping his peers by instilling a mindset that they can make it and create opportunities for themselves (Itai, 2018).

The musician says he believes in youths’ dream; hence, his devotion to creating a breakthrough for them and shaping a better future.
He says: “Many times we forget to put to good use the privilege and influence that life gives us. I am trying to utilise the power of music to effect social change. I want all youths who trace their origins from the ghetto to believe they can make it.”
Fredokiss should be an example to every youth out there striving to become someone someday, we need to dream big, we need not only to dream but to implement those dreams into reality, we need to be positive on what we want in life.

Fredo’s story should be a story to uplift every young soul out there who just lost hope, gave up on their dreams and to all those who think they can’t make it in life, as Simon Sinek said, one of the traits that millennials have is ‘impatience’, the attitude of ‘I want now, I get now’, the story of fredokiss should give us all a lesson as youths that, IT TAKES TIME TO ACHIEVE BIG GOALS, AND THAT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT USUALLY HAPPENS OVERNIGHT, we have to learn how to be bold and patient towards our dreams and goals in order to achieve them.

As young people, we should know that in fact we do have the resources, the skill, talent, manpower and the intelligence. So why should we remain one of the failed states in the world? Why not work on ourselves as the youths to make this country a better place?
We cannot do that by imitating the lives of other people from outside countries, the available resources they have are not the same as the ones we have here in malawi. Look for the gifts in everything, especially when you are facing what appears to be a negative situation. Everything that we attract causes us to grow, which means that ultimately everything is for our own good.

Adjusting to a new path and a new direction will require new qualities and strengths, and these qualities are always exactly what we need to acquire in order to accomplish the great things ahead in our life.

Furthermore, Fredokiss runs a not-profit making charity organisation called The Ghetto Shoulder initiative that targets to help homeless kids, less privileged and the youth in general, and under that organisation, Fredo also offers The Fredokiss Scholarships that give out an opportunity to many youths that need assistance and want to pursue their education.

Many of his music concerts are free, this is one way of his ways of spreading the message through his songs to everyone in Malawi without the struggle of having to pay for it. Fredokiss music career is still going and he continues to move and change souls through his passion in music.

PSI Malawi has partnered with Fredokiss to reach out to the youth because of the influence he has on them.

Not only did he get a national recognition in his desire to change Malawi, but also he got international recognition. UNICEF Malawi has partnered with him and he is the first Malawian champion for children and he is also the brand Ambassador for NBS bank, apart from everything, Fredokiss is also highly interested in wildlife, he believes that our wildlife has to be maintained and protected from any harm for it is what makes Malawi the warm heart of Africa.

Fredokiss’ music career has been fruitful for him, indeed hard work pays off. Fredokiss is NMAs best hip hop artist for 2017/2018, UMPs best hip hop 2017, best live act 2017, and artist of the year 2017.

Fredokiss Penjani Kalua will contest in Blantyre city south constituency in the upcoming 2019 elections and an independent candidate. His aim is to not associate himself with politics but rather to gain a seat that could give him more access to help the people and the country. He has so much love for the youth and all his Fans, he is hardworking and smart and yes! He deserves that seat, because Malawi needs much people like him.

Your life is in your hands, but you must learn to gain control of your thoughts. All of your problems of fear, failure, and doubts are because your MIND is ruling you, and you are the slave and victim of your uncontrolled negative thoughts. It is as simple as that. Take control of your mind and your thoughts. Every day, bit by bit, watch your thoughts. When a negative thought comes, stamp it out, and refuse to allow a negative thought to take root in you by thinking of something good instead. Work hard and smarter, use the available resources this country has, we have the potential to make Malawi a better place, May the story of of Fredokiss be of a huge influence in your life to want to do better.

#NTCHANA-FORALL#FREDOFORALL #MALAWIANROLEMODEL

By Misscy.

A millennial is someone born from the 1980s to early 2000s. Millennials are sometimes referred as the generation Y (gen Y). So if you were born between these years, you are probably in the right place.

Millennials have been characterized in a number of different ways, mostly on the negative side, they have been described as Lazy, narcissistic and have unrealistic expectations of working life, lack persistence, self-entitlement, lack empathy for others, arrogant, lack of respect for other people, expect immediate high earnings with little experience or effort, blame others for their shortcomings, need instant gratification and the list goes on. But perhaps, maybe, not everything they possess in their traits is actually their fault, perhaps, maybe what a millennial needs is a proper approach, to reach out to them in the best way that suits them.
Many youths have failed to make it in life even after being given the opportunity, can they be blamed? They say your surrounding is what makes you and that We attract to ourselves what we hold inside. Every circumstance, every Person, and every situation that we attract and experience is based on what is Inside of us. Your life is a reflection of what you hold inside you, and what you hold inside you is always under your control (Rhonda Byrne).

So maybe, what every millennial needs is motivation, the power their talents hold, positivity, exposure to real issues on how the world really operates out there, not just academic, to be able to expose them to Malawian role models, I mean. you cannot motivate someone from Malawi by using Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg as an example because the environment and the way of conducting things in Malawi is quite different from other countries.

“Many people have ideas that could make them rich beyond their wildest dreams, the problem is that most people have never been taught how to put a business structure inside their ideas, and so many of their ideas never take shape or stand on their own”.

Many people in our society have dreams but they don’t know how to reach them, many people in our society want to be somewhere but they can’t because of several factors that hinder them from be where they want to be. Now those people and you are what are referred to as the millennials, we are all in a journey looking for success and better life.

Yes the gen Y, you are the Millennial and this site is the road that’s going to change your life, you are on a journey that is about to change your life. How? Is that what you thinking? Well in many ways, are you an entrepreneur? A business person, a hustler or wanna be an entrepreneur, wanna be a business person? Wanna be a hustler? Well this is the right place for you because we are going to be discussing real issues, real matters that every person born in the 80s ,90s and 2000s need to know about life, love, health and success, yeah love also.

One of the negative Traits of this generation is failed marriages and Love. Believe it or not, but it can be applied in many ways, love has been the key reason for unhappiness and heartbreaks among many youths: you can’t be successful in what you are doing if you don’t love what you are doing, isn’t it? Also we all know that love is the thing that brings joy and happiness in our lives, trust me I work better and my mind focuses when am happy, when I know that I’ve got that person behind me who’s always there for me. That’s love. When you are pretty sure that you get love from your family, friends even that special someone you hold tight in your heart. They say its better being hungry for food than being unhappy. But I’m here to let you know that you can have the best of both worlds.

Health, this is the state of being well and free from illness. Ever thought why health is important during this journey? Well you can’t work while you are not in good health, you can’t work while you are sick. And we are here to remind you the importance of staying healthy.

We can all make Malawi a better place, and we can bring out the best individuals and the best business people the world has ever seen only if we first know our issues and how those issues can best be tackled with. In a world where everything is tech and fast, in a world where population rate keeps growing each day, not everyone can understand what it’s like being a millennial. Get exposed, get informed, and get motivated, welcome to the world of real advice for every Malawian Millennial.

By MISS Cy and Mussa

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton