In 2015, Grammy-winning producer Ian Brennan visited the maximum security prison in Zomba, Malawi and recorded I Have No Everything Here, a collection of songs written with the prisoners there. Some of the prisoners, living in difficult, overcrowded conditions, were serious criminals, but some were imprisoned after dubious trials, or after being accused of “crimes” like homosexuality or witchcraft. That album, credited to the Zomba Prison Project, received an unexpected amount of attention, including the first-ever Grammy nomination for the nation of Malawi. Brennan returned this year, and has now released a Zomba Prison Project followup calledI Will Not Stop Singing. There are songs with titles like “I Am Done With Evil,” and “Men Must Repent.” But the standout track is this heartbreaking lament written, performed and recorded on the spot during one of Brennan’s workshops. It’s by a guard named Thomas Binamo, and it’s called “I Will Never Stop Grieving For You, My Wife.” It’s a simple but affecting piece of music from a particularly dark place.
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