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How Jehovah’s Witness Members were Sentenced to Poverty in Malawi
The history of the Jehovah’s Witness in Malawi is not often talked about. The organization has operated freely since 1993 when Malawi voted for a multiparty system instead of the one-party rule that had existed from 1964 till 1992. It was only in 1993 that the ban on the Jehova’s Witness Organization was lifted. However, with the actions that had taken place from 1972, one tends to wonder if Jehovah’s Witnesses were sentenced to poverty by the first president of the country, Dr. Kamuzu Banda. It could be misunderstood how members of an organization could have been sentenced to a long life of poverty by one man and his system…
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Initiation Ceremonies and the Evil Side of Them
As we are approaching August and schools nearing close, elders in different districts are preparing for initiation ceremonies for the year. Known as chinamwali in Chichewa, these are ceremonies that ‘initiate’ one from being a child to an adult. This is a practice done by most cultures, but most common in the southern region of Malawi. As I am in the quest of learning more about the different cultures in Malawi, I wanted to share this piece. Although widely covered, I still wanted to share the evil side of initiation ceremonies even though they remain practiced. From a young age, I knew about the existence of initiation ceremonies. As a…
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10 Common Malawian Stereotypes
Malawians are a people known for many things. Ask anyone about Malawians, and they will have something interesting to say. We are a small country, squeezed together by Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia. But, we definitely have an intriguing culture. As interesting as we are, Malawians have some pretty interesting stereotypes too. These are mostly funny, or straight up ridiculous. Therefore, my aim with this write up is to share 10 common Malawian stereotypes and debunk them as much as I can. 10 common Malawian stereotypes We are warm hearted people I get where this comes from, we are known as the Warm Heart of Africa. It is known that as…
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3 Rare Malawian Traditions I’ve Learned
Over the past few days, I made it a point to learn about some rare Malawian traditions I might not know. These Malawian traditions are very rare to me, mostly because I’ve never seen them in play. However, during the course of me learning them, I realized that most urban people might not know them too. There are so many traditions that Malawi enjoys. But as I write this, one can’t help that notice that as a country, we are becoming too westernized to care about them. Thus, we do not care to know our mother tongue, in favor of English. We ridicule traditional medicine, in favor of modern medicine…
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Things We See in Blantyre: Money in Underwear
Hello, I know it’s been a while, I’m sorry for leaving you hanging. But, I recently had writer’s block which literally had me feeling done. However, after reading Onyinye Udeh’s “Things We See in Lagos,” I figured that I could write my own. Only this time, I want to share with you the Things We See in Blantyre. This will be a series of posts shared about some of the best and ridiculous things you will see in the city I was born in. Before I start sharing with you, let’s make one thing clear. The Blantyre I talk of is the commercial city of Malawi, and not the town…
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9 Hangout Spots in Blantyre
Blantyre is a small city. Most times, it feels like it is closing you in. It always feels like you are going to the same places, and meeting the same people. And that, can get frustrating. Sometimes, you just want to go to a place that’s chilled and relaxing. Places that are perfect to hangout, do a bit of work and more. So, I wanted to share some of the 10 hangout spots in Blantyre. 1. KwaHaraba Art Gallery & Cafe This is my go to place. Located right in the centre of Blantyre, by Phekani House. I probably spend too much of my free time here. It is a…
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Malawian Cultures: The Long Forgotten Ndali Tribe
by Godfrey Malongo The Ndali Tribe is one of the many small tribes found in the northern part of Malawi. It is found in Karonga and Chitipa districts to be specific. It is often mistaken and generalized together with the Ngonde tribe. There is very little literature which makes it close to nonexistent. Being half-Ndali (from my mother’s side), I wanted to share with you about this small Malawian tribe. Origin and Language It is very important to know that this tribe originated from Tanzania and after some years, it settled in Chitipa, Misuku Hills. Due to some reasons like inadequate space for farming, poor transport system in the hills,…
a little bit of everything
