Culture

By Manasse Nyirenda: Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Halima Daudi has disclosed that President Lazarus Chakwera is expected install new Paramount Chief Chikulamayembe on April 30, 2022. Daudi was speaking Monday during a meeting which she held with clan heads of the Chikulamayembe royal family at Rumphi District Council offices. “We wanted learn from the royal family members what had transpired since the president approved the name of Joseph Bongololo Gondwe as an heir to the Chikulamayembe Chieftaincy following recommendation by the commission of enquiry on the issue. “Eleven out of twelve royal family clan heads and senior are in agreement with the decision and   I will report to the president so that the installation proceed as planned,” said Daudi...

By Madalitso Kateta: One sunny afternoon, Dzoole village in central Malawi is disturbed by three dancers. These masquerades’ faces are covered with wooden masks carved in the imitation of wild animals. They run around startling women, men and children. Their movements are frenzied, both feet digging into sand in quick succession and throwing up clouds of it. At intervals, they somersault onto the sand, all the while moving in unison then dart in different directions. Eventually they return to the ring of spectators that has formed since their arrival. Oftentimes, one of the masquerades breaks away to climb up a tree at great speed. To the (literally) uninitiated, this is the Gule Wamkulu (“Big Dance”), an important cultural expression among the Chewa people of Malawi, Zambia and Moza...

By Hastings Yobe: The Special Law Commission, constituted by Malawi Law Commission (MLC), says it has finalised its review of the Witchcraft Act and has come up with proposed amendments which will decrease cases of mob justice if adopted by Parliament. This was revealed on Tuesday in Lilongwe during a press briefing organised by the commission to present findings on the review on myths surrounding witchcraft in the country. Chairperson for MLC, Justice Robert Chinangwa, said in the past, cases of mob justice have been increasing since the law was not recognising existence witchcraft. Chinangwa said the new law should recognise that witchcraft exists and that the practice should now be considered as a criminal act. “Malawians throughout the country believe that witchcraf...

By Mada Ziba: Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Wildlife intends to implement National Tourism Investment Master Plan which will facilitate implementation of about 103 projects in the tourism sector in the country. This was disclosed during the National Tourism Investment Master Plan dissemination workshop for Ministry officials that was held at Sun 'n' Sand Holiday Resort in Mangochi on Thursday. Minister of Tourism, Culture and Wildlife, Michael Usi urged the officials in the Ministry to be creative enough to develop strategies that should create job in the tourism sector. He called on the participants to the workshop to internalize the master plan, adding “You need to familiarize yourself with the master plan and identify the role you can play to ensure that the master plan i...

By James Mwale: Lack of legal knowledge, retrogressive social norms, and weaknesses in the law enforcement and legal system have been labeled as among leading causes of Gender Based Violence (GBV) in the country. This was brought to light during a Malawi Irish Consortium on Gender Based Violence (MICGBV) panel discussion which was held in Lilongwe Thursday as part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence campaign. Guest of honour at the event, Minister of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare, Patricia Kaliati, who was among the panelists challenged that unless every woman and girl, especially those in rural areas are educated on the law and legal procedure that follows gender related abuses, the fight against GBV will never be won. She said; “We need ...

By Martin Chiwanda & Haneeph Maulana: Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Agnes Nkusankhoma, has called for collaborative efforts amongst chiefs, civil societies and human rights bodies in Machinga District to fight Gender Based Violence. Nkusankhoma made the call Tuesday during the district’s commemoration of this year’s 16 Days of Activism at Chikala Primary School in Traditional Authority Chamba in the district where she was guest of honour. The deputy minister’s call follows a report presented by Eastern Region Police which indicated that between January and November, this year (2021), the district had recorded over 116 sexual offences to which children aged between 10 and 13 were victims. “As a country, we have to be worried that if these are the cases that have been repo...

By Maxwell Kudzala: Acting Principal Secretary for Tourism, Culture and Wildlife, George Masinga on Sunday said government was working in partnership with Fort Mangochi Heritage Trust (FMHT) to turn Fort Mangochi Cultural Heritage site into an established world class tourist’s destination. Masinga said this during a tour of Fort Mangochi, a historical slave trade passage, saying that the Ministry of Tourism initially started with renovating road networks that leads to the historical site. “The district of Mangochi has its origins here; this is where the British defeated the Yao Chief Jalasi and British built the fort here”. “We intend to develop the cultural heritage by renovating and reinforcing the wall, building tourists facilities and most of all making the road to the...

By Pauline Kaude: An 18-year-old boy has been arrested in Ntchisi District for allegedly sodomising a ten-year-old boy at a Gule Wamkulu initiation camp within the district, Malawi News Agency (MANA) has learnt. Ntchisi Police Spokesperson, Sergeant Yohane Tasowana said the suspect, who he identified as Brino Daniel, is accused of sodomising the boy in August this year at the initiation camp at Chindewe Village in the district. The boy did not disclose the ordeal to anyone as the suspect threatened to kill him if he did. “It is alleged that Daniel took the boy from a place he was playing with a friend within the camp to a hidden place where he had carnal knowledge of him and promised to give him K200, which he did not,” said Tasowana. He said the victim’s step father, u...