KuNgoni Newsletter

On January 26 2005 the Princess of Norway, Her Royal Highness Mette-marit, came to KuNgoni to preside over the official opening of the Namalikhate Chalets and to enjoy a cultural extravagansa presented by the villagers of the area. Accompanying the Princess was the Norwegian Ambassador to Malawi, Mr. Gunnar Foreland, and over 20 journalists from Norway and Malawi. On her arrival, she was met by Fr. Claude Boucher the founder and director of KuNgoni Ventre. Some of the other visiting dignitaries included Mgr. Kansukanji from the Diocese of Dedza, Chief Kachindamoto, Hon. Chimuthu Banda who's Minister of Culture and Sport, Hon. Dzanjalimodzi MP, and Members of the society of the friends of KuNgoni.

Scheduled activities included a visit to the carving workshop to observe the relaxed and communal environment where the carvers create their intricate works of art. Their representative, Mr. Mizeck Samikwa, gave the princess a lovely carving of a chameleon standing on a globe, the chameleon bringing the message of eternal life.

The Princess' visit was part of a countrywide tour of health and cultural institutions. She has expressed many times before her concern about the impact of HIV/AIDS and with her visit wanted to emphasise the assistance and commitment her country is supplying to combat this problem.

The visit provided an opportunity for her to officially open the newly constructed Pa Ntondo Pa Namalikhate Chalets as well as the Conference and Research Centres of KuNgoni, which were partially funded by the Norwegian Government.

The KuNgoni Cultural Group treated Her Royal Highness to a very entertaining and meaningful Cultural performance. Through dance, song and choreography, Malawians are reminded of the teachings of the ancestors and to live a moral life as a deterrent to the spread of HIV/AIDS.

The Princess was then taken on a tour of the Chamare Museum in which the history and the culture of the Chewa, the Yao and Ngoni tribes was explained.

The Princess received several gifts, some of which reflected the Centre's concern for the preservation of the environment and the HIV/AIDS pandemic problem. In a procession led by the Ngoni dancers, she was taken to the chalets of Pa Ntondo ("at the Mortar") at Namalikhate premises where the Princess presided over the official opening.

The princess and her entourage left after lunch, which was delightfully prepared by the catering services of Club Makokola.

Among the gifts presented to the Princess of Norway on the occasion of her visit to KuNgoni was a canvas painting titled "Mother of Cry" by Fr. Boucher and Joseph Kadzombe Gama.

The frame surrounding the painting consists of a series of large black triangles representing the fertility of the womb. Within these triangles are two smaller ones which symbolise the feeding breasts. The colours alternate between white and red, representing health and sickness respectively.

This symbolism summarises the traditional wisdom of Africa, which sees life flourishing from the womb abd the two breasts nourishing this new life.

The artists introduce the red colour of sickness to emphasise today's reality in Africa, and Malawi in particular, where meningitis, malaria, malnutrition and HIV are the leading causes of child mortality.

The background of the painting consists of figures in dark purple, depicting the plight of countless mothers and children in Africa. The mourning of these mothers is a daily reality in Malawi village life.

The central image is that of a woman holding a dead baby. Her uncovered breasts, which is a sign of grief, speaks for all mothers and pleads their case.

Her tortured mouth throws a silent cry into the orb of

light calling us to look beyond our own human needs. She calls out;

"Who is going to heal my pain and help me to prepare for a better tomorrow?"
"Who is going to empower me so that my tears of weeping can be transformed into tears of joy?"

The official inauguration of the Hostel by Her Royal Highness the Princess of Norway is a gesture of great significance. It represents the critical support KuNgoni is receiving from Embassies and other organisations, which appreciate the positive values inherent in Malawian's Culture.

KuNgoni is a small Cultural Centre. Chamare is a regional Museum dealing with three cultural identities: the Chewa, the Ngoni and the Yao. In order to make the resources available to more people, KuNgoni has set up a library, which will facilitate cultural research. Some researchers have already expressed their willingness to take advantage of the resources available at KuNgoni. It is with this hope that KuNgoni sees more Malawians also make use of the tremendous amount of information available in the Museum, the library and using the hostel for their accommodation.

We cannot express every aspect of a culture. Each stage of growth in the culture incolves initiation and therefore secrecy. Respect of the MalawianCulture is such that KuNgoni feels it necessary to give some

preliminary teaching to young Malawians before allowing them to visit the Museum.

KuNgoni is offering Cultural Courses to international groups or organisations that wish to train their members for a better understanding to Malawian Culture.

Culture is a living thing. Contrary to some beliefs, the Museum is also a living thing, which needs to be nourished. This is why the new development of the library and the hostel will hopefully contribute to keep the living experience of Malawian Culture alive. So much still needs to be done to rediscover the wisdom of our ancestors in order to better face the challenge of today.

Mr. Stewart, a lifetime friend of Malawi originally from the United States of America, who spends most of his life in Blantyre wrote recently to the director Fr. Claude Houcher Chisale saying that "It is both linely and frightening to believe in the vitality, creativity and perception of the people and cultures of Malawi not be extensively and accurately documented. It is a great relilef to witness the work at KuNgoni

and what a valuable resource they make available to the public."

As any culture in the world, Malawian culture has its strength and weakness. Now, the time has come for Malaians themselves to rediscover their traditional wisdom and cherish it. Malawian culture has something to offer the world. It is up to Malawians to take the opportunity to do so. Malawians need to believe that they too can be proud of their cutlure and heritage.

May the recognition of Her Royal Highness the Princess of Norway contribute to a new vision of hope for Malawians! How is it that people are travelling from far distant countries to see the cultural beauties of Malawi while Malawians are blind to thier own cultural richness? Let us not forget the common ground between the living and the dead, which makes life fully meaningful.