KuNgoni Newsletter

Inside this Issue:

Open Day at KuNgoni

List of the Traditional Dances for the Open Day

A Day of Rememberance for our Ancestors

Mua and KuNgoni Centre celebrate in August the Rememberance Day of the Ancestors as they recall the name of Chamare (Jean-Baptist Champmartin) as the prototype of the ancestors of the mission station and, similarly, of all the ancestors of the villages within the circumspection of Mua Parish.

This Rememberance Day starts with a commemoration mass focused on the importance of maintaining continuity between the Old and the New Testament, meaning between culture and the advent of the Kingdom of God. The liturgy is purposely expressed in local cultural forms compatible with the gospel message. Following the prayer, a variety of traditional dances coming from the Chewa, the Yao, the Ngoni and the Matengo background are performed.

The first Rememberance Day occurred in 2001. A

dozen dances were presented to the public. In 2004, the dances increased to 23. This year, the number reached 30 and the number of performers landed at 554. In this way, the local community is exposed to the cultural dances that are seldom performed in our days.

The nine groups responsible for revealing the dances have definitely taken their role seriously,

remembering and rehearsing the dances of their ancestors and presenting them to the public. The KuNgoni Centre took advantage of their rehearsals for videoing and recording these dances and songs to be archived and kept at the Kafukufuku Research Centre.

The composition of each group varied from place to place. Some groups incorporated young people and taught them their dances. Other groups tended to be exclusive and did not allow new blood to interact with them.

Groups performing various dances are sometimes more concerned about protecting their personal knowledge rather than passing on the skill of dancing to younger generations. Exclusivity tends to kill the future of our cultural dances.

KuNgoni Centre feels that such a day of rememberance should be multiplied in order to give to the youth more exposure to their cultural heritage. Some of these dances will be available soon on video in the hope of stimulating younger generations in keeping the tradition or developing new forms of dances influenced by them. Cultures are dynamic. Very often, the origin of many dances is to be identified with a particular tribal group. But today, this identity is to be shared between

Chewa, Yao, Ngoni and Matengo.

In the analysis of the songs collected, a striking discovery was made; most of the songs deliver messages connected with behaviour and moral values. They act as a caricature criticising mosconduct and showing the right path. The themes are of great actuality. They spell out individual and social values. They stress the importance of the traditional culture of politeness and good manners, the necessity of hygiene, cleanliness and of being self reliant.

Other songs advocate the respect of the authority and are critical towards leaders who do not participate in development. With regard to the extended family group, many songs stress the importance of respect of the neighbour's property and emphasise the supremacy of sharing, harmony and honesty.

At the end of the day, promises were renewed to meet again next year for a similar event. Meanwhile this waiting period gives time to the dancers to remember other forgotten traditional dances or create their own in order to boost cultural expression in their own areas.

The value of the Rememberance Day has to be ultimately measured against the wave of changes affecting our lives today. As we have less and less exposure to our dances and traditions, the voice of the ancestors grows fainter and may well disappear. We are caught up in the noise of modernity and foreignness. We forget our own identity and sometimes our sense of purpose. This is particularly true for the youth who are under the spell and magic of the outside world. All that comes from outside is seen as good! How do we develop a critical spirit towards foreigh influence? The new generation of parents tends to give up their responsibility as leaders.

As a result, the youth, by far the most numerous in the country, are pushed into leading positions with tlittle experience and a poor sense of direction. That is why we need to reinvent our traditions and use any possible means possible to bring back the voice and wisdom of the ancestors to our lives. They alone can lead us to live, not only as they have lived, as their true sons and daughters who have been fed by their wisdom and also enlighten by the contact with the rest of the world.