By Anita Dangazele
Robert Phiri was only a small boy when he wound up living on the streets in Malawi with his mother and younger sister.
But that was when he discovered his musical ability – and in a very unusual way.
For Phiri, who is now a world-renowned pianist, honed his talent while hiding in the bushes and singing with the birds.
Born in the village of Zomba – then the Malawian capital – as the 14th of 15 children, Phiri learned quite early on about the harsh realities of life when his family was evicted from their home. The government needed the land to build a school and compensated those evicted, but Phiri said his father pocketed the money.
By that time, the older children had left for jobs and university, and only young Robert, his little sister and his parents were together.
But living on the streets proved to be the very beginning of his journey into becoming a specialist pianist, playing for the world’s elite.
“While living on the streets, I would go into the forest listening to the sounds of nature. I started singing in competition with the birds and then it became an everyday thing,” he said.
“I would sing to strengthen and encourage myself that everything would work out in the end.”
Phiri said the first time he saw a piano was at a church, and he was fascinated by the sounds it produced.
“I decided there and then that I wanted to play piano. I would walk eight hours a day just to be close to pianists and learn how to play,” he told Scrolla.Africa.
“My mother would beat me for wasting time with music. My father once smashed a guitar I had made for myself.”
Life took a turn for the better when at the age of 12 he went to stay with his elder brother and his wife who noticed his love for the piano and invested in his craft.
“My brother bought me my first piano book,” he said. “I started practising six hours a day to perfect my skills.”
Phiri went on to play for the Zambezi Evangelical Church and performed at various events around Malawi before immigrating to South Africa.
His move to South Africa saw him performing for world celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, many African heads of state and in 2013, at the Gupta family wedding.
Phiri, now a resident pianist at the Sun City Resort, also does special performances at some of Gauteng’s most affluent hotels, namely Gold Reef City, Radisson Blue, The Michelangelo, Montecasino and many others.
Pictured above: Richard Phiri doing what he does best, playing the piano.
Image source: Supplied
