Art and Storytelling in Malawi Culture

The tradition of story telling can be found in Malawi's history dating centuries back.   The Chongoni Rock in southeastern Malawi, for instance, holds stories from the past one thousand years that depict "women's initiation, rain-making ceremonies, and funerary rites" which are all present day traditions in the Chewa society of Malawi.[1]

https://malawimoments.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/rock_art.jpg

According to Malawi customs, some types of oral literature are not allowed to be performed outside certain social contexts or by certain types of people.  For instance, songs about circumcision are only to be sung when a circumcision is about to take place and although "proverbs are the exclusive property of adults, riddles are children's verbal plays".[2]  Proverbs have long been attributed to carrying wisdom and education across generations, as well as contributing to the shaping of individuals' values and attitudes.  Additionally, story telling in the form of tales and songs help form cultural and societal values, accepted social behaviors, and help in the forming of political authority.[3]  The history of story telling through songs and stories has allowed Malawians to express publicly what perhaps they would not know how to communicate in a one on one setting, thus providing emotional stress relief.  Moreover, age old themes such as the rise from rags to riches have continued to give hope to the poor.[4]  

Just as in Western cultures, the entertainment value of oral literature is a key element often involving the audience as is heard in the Malawian story, "The Orphan".  Audience members are encouraged to participate by repeating, "tiltonse", which means "we are together" in the Malawian language of Chichewa.[5]  The recording of "Mwana Wamasiye" ("The Orphan") is a useful way to hear first hand the way Malawi people communicate traditional stories to their people:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXGmlFMHUm4.[6]  The participation of those who are listening is evident and adds to the sense of community and culture.

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1 Chongoni Rock-Art Area-Malawi, accessed October 29, 2014, http://www.africanworldheritagesites.org/cultural-places/rock-art-pre-history/chongoni-rock-art-area.html, ¶ 2.
2 Elisabeth Hangartner-Everts, Tradition of African Story Telling: Oral Literature in the Homes and Schools (Pre-School/Kindergarten) of Northern Malawi, (2008), accessed October 28, 2014, http://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/cehs_student/3/, p. 9-10, ¶4, and 1.
3 Ibid.
4 Ibid.
5 Jonas Agerbaek Jeppesen, Malawian Storytelling Filmed, (2011), accessed October 29, 2014, http://www.nai.uu.se/news/articles/2011/11/14/092041/index.xml , ¶ 5.
6 An Orphan/Mwana Wamasiye, (2011), accessed October 30, 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXGmlFMHUm4

Geography of Malawi

Long to cast your eyes upon tranquil, teal lakes and experience a sub-tropical climate?  Come…travel with me across the Atlantic Ocean to the Warm Heart of Africa, Malawi.  Located in Southern Africa, east of Zambia and northwest of Mozambique, Malawi is situated at a latitude of 13 30 S and a longitude of 34 00 E.[1]  Approximately 17,377,468 people live in the 45,747 square miles that is Malawi.  Comparatively, the country is slightly smaller than Pennsylvania.[2] 

Although it is a landlocked country, Malawi is known for its beautiful lakes, including Lake Malawi which takes up nearly one third of the country and was once called the “Lake of the Stars” by David Livingstone, the famed Scottish explorer.[3]  The lake is 360 miles long and 52 miles wide, and is often called the "calendar lake”.[4]  The lake is bordered by plateaus with rolling plains, hills, and mountains such as the Milanje which boasts a 3,000 m summit.[5]

  

In colonial times, the territory was ruled by the British, and was known as British Central Africa.  Later it was called Nyasaland until the country achieved independence in 1964 when it came to be known as Malawi.[6]

Positioned in central Malawi, the nation’s capital, Lilongwe, is positioned at 13 58 S and longitude 33 46 E and boasts the title of the second largest city in the country.[7]  Blantyre, the largest city in Malawi is an ideally located commercial city which experiences some tourism through nearby Lake Malawi.[8] 

Some of Malawi’s top exports are tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, corn, potatoes, cassava, sorghum, pulses, groundnuts, and Macadamia Nut Cattle and have helped with the country’s short term growth.  The country has several natural resources such as hydropower, limestone, uranium deposits, bauxite, and coal.[9]  Unfortunately, rapid population growth, government corruption, and the spread of HIV/AIDS has posed significant problems for Malawi.[10] Additionally, Malawi has experienced a shortage of foreign exchange, which has damaged its ability to pay for imports, and fuel shortages that have begun to hinder transportation and productivity.[11]

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1  “Malawi”, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mi.html

2  “Malawi”, africa.com/malawifacts

3  “10 Fun Facts about Malawi”, http://www.10-facts-about.com/Malawi/id/872

4  “Malawi Facts and Information”, http://goafrica.about.com/od/malawi/a/Malawi-Facts-And-Information.htm

5  “Malawi”, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mi.html

6  “Malawi”,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Malawi

7  “Malawi”, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mi.html
8  “Malawi’s Top Attractions”, http://goafrica.about.com/od/malawi/tp/Malawis-Top-Attractions.htm
9  “Malawi”, http://www.africa.com/malawi/facts/
10  “Malawi”, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mi.html
11  “Malawi Facts and Information”, http://goafrica.about.com/od/malawi/a/Malawi-Facts-And-Information.htm