Malawi is a country located on the continent of Africa whose size is comparable to Pennsylvania yet is home to approximately 17,377,468 people.[1] The small, landlocked country is known for its beautiful lakes, especially Lake Malawi, which takes up nearly one third of the country. Scottish explorer and missionary, David Livingstone, called it "the lake of the stars" due to "lights from the lanterns of the fishermen in Malawi on their boats, that resemble, from a distance, stars in the sky".[2] Dotted with several national parks and wildlife reserves, Malawi's lush land, hills, mountains, forests, and dramatic river valleys make it a growing tourist destination.
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| Lake Malawi: Lake of the Stars http://africageographic.com/blog/malawi-the-land-of-the-lake/ |
Malawi, as well as most of Africa, has a history that has been retold through story telling rather than documents. Songs and tales have been passed down through generations, helping Malawians learn cultural values and social behaviors, as well as how to communicate and behave in society.[3] Storytelling is a tradition that is still observed today and is a way to engage members of a family or audience in Malawian history. By listening to a recording of one of these stories, which is called, "The Orphan", one is able to identify with the ancient practice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXGmlFMHUm4.[4]
Additionally, pictographs, such as those found in the Chongoni Rock Art Area of Dezda, tell stories by "BaTwa hunter-gatherers who inhabited the area from the late Stone Age".[5] Many of the rock paintings that have been revealed tie in with themes involving women and, in the Chewa society, ceremonies on Chongono Rock Art are still part an active part of the culture.
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| Chongoni Rock Art http://www.malawitourism.com/pages/attractions/the_attraction.asp?AttractionsID=22 |
Historically, the Maravi Empire, which lasted for over two centuries, was established by the Bantu Chewa people in the 16th century.[6] Malawi is a nation that has experienced continual change throughout its history. In early colonial times, the territory was ruled by the British and was known as British Central Africa. In 1907 the British Central Africa Protectorate changed the name of the country to Nyasaland but once it gained its independence from Britain on July 6, 1964, it was renamed Malawi.[7] Although the small country underwent name and leadership changes, its people held tight to their traditions and culture. Malawi was introduced to a new constitution in 1960 which allowed the direct election of Africans to the Legislative Council. Hastings Banda was elected Prime Minister in 1963 and and Malawi officially joined the United Nations in 1964, soon joining the Commonwealth in 1966. When Parliament announced Banda as "Life President of the Republic", the Malawi Congress Party was formed.[8] This one-party form of government remained until 1994 when the need for political change became an issue. Malawi finally changed to a multi-party style of government which has remained in place to this day.
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| Malawi Constitution http://africanarguments.org/2012/11/08/malawi-reforming-constitution-and-law-by-hannah-gibson-africa-research-institute/ |
Portuguese soldiers were among the first non-Africans to venture into Malawi due to trade interests.[9] Once Arabs and Swahili traders moved in, however, the trade of ivory, gold, and later slaves became extensive. Additionally, with the introduction of rice crops came the introduction of Islam.[10] Malawi's rich, natural resources have helped the country maintain trade relations with other countries within Africa, as well as Canada and Belgium. Coal, beans, sorghum, and maize have been productive cash crops throughout Malawi's history, but early on, major trade resources were coffee, tea, and tobacco.[11]
David Livingstone's entry into the region in 1859 [12] ushered in Christianity and with it a new sense of freedom for many Malawians. Livingstone, who was horrified by the fact that annually 19,000 men, women, and children were being captured and sold as slaves, called this situation the "open sore of Africa".[13] Livingstone's love for the Lake Malawi region and his influence led Malawi into becoming a more educated country than its neighbors.[14] The freedom Malawians began to experience translated into the desire for liberation from British rule and in January 1915, a Millenarian pastor, John Chilembwe, "led an unsuccessful revolt known as the Chilembwe Uprising against British Rule".[15] Although the revolt was unsuccessful, it fueled the nation's fire for freedom and, in fact, Malawi saw many uprisings in the years leading up to 1967.
Although Malawi has experienced ongoing issues with unrest, liberty, and corrupt government throughout its history, its diverse religious history has remained. Christianity is the most popular religion with Islam following a not so distant second[16], however, many Malawians hold tight to their traditional beliefs. The Malawian secret society, the Gule Wamkulu, for instance, performs rites and rituals tied to ancient religious practices. The history and myths of the Gule Wamkulu that are encompassed by the dances were present as far back as the "Great Chewa Empire of the 17th century".[17] The Gule Wamkulu have long held high positions granted by the chief of the tribe who is the only person who knows their true identity. Because they are believed to be in an animal-type state when they are in full dress, passersby do not interact with them. The dread of being pulled into one of their ceremonies supersedes curiosity so "if one has the misfortune of passing a Gule on the road, traditional behavior consists of dropping a few coins for the Gule- never handing them the money directly for fear they will grab you and take you to the cemetery for ritual purposes. Generally, it is best to avoid Gule in informal situations. In their animal or ancestral state, they are unpredictable."[18]
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| Encounter with Gule Wamkulu on the Road http://www.flickr.com/photos/njanja2009/5089512292/ |
Although the indigenous beliefs of those who participate in the rituals are prevalent, Christianity simultaneously plays a large part in the lives of Malawians. History shows Christian missionaries have attempted to stamp out the ancient beliefs but those who continue to embrace both do so by "adopting some aspects of Christianity".[19]
Although Malawi strives to remain a self-sufficient country and "a government 2013 annual economic report shows that overall external trade indicates that exports and imports both increased in 2012",[20] it persists in being unsuccessful in meeting the expectations of Malawian citizens. Government corruption and scandal has created turmoil and unrest in the nation causing an uprise in citizens becoming more vocal in their "demands for respect for constitutions and active participation in constitutional change".[21]
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1. CIA World Factbook, "Malawi", https://cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mi.html, ¶ 12.
2. Ten Facts About, ”10 Fun Facts about Malawi", Ten Facts About, accessed December 12, 2014, http://www.10-facts-about.com/Malawi/id/872, ¶ 3.
3. Elisabeth Hangartner-Everts, "Tradition of African Story Telling: Oral Literature in the Homes and Schools (Pre-School/Kindergarten) of Northern Malawi", (2008), accessed December 11, 2014, http://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/cehs_students/3/, p. 9-10, ¶ 4, and 1.
4. Youtube.com, "An Orphan / Mwana Wamasiye", YouTube.com, accessed December 12, 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXGmlFMHUm4.
5. Malawi Tourism Guide, "Chongoni Rock Art", Malawi Tourism Guide, accessed December 12, 2014, http://www.malawitourism.com/pages/attractions/the_attraction.asp?AttractionsID=22, ¶ 1.
5. Malawi Tourism Guide, "Chongoni Rock Art", Malawi Tourism Guide, accessed December 12, 2014, http://www.malawitourism.com/pages/attractions/the_attraction.asp?AttractionsID=22, ¶ 1.
6. Wikipedia, “Maravi”, Wikipedia, last modified May 19, 2014, accessed December 9, 2014, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maravi, ¶ 1.
7. Wikipedia, "History of Malawi", Wikipedia, last modified November 3, 2014, accessed December 10, 2014, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Malawi, ¶ 1.
8. WawaMalawi, "Malawi History", WaWaMalawi, accessed December 12, 2014, http://www.wawamalawi.com/history.html, ¶ 5, and 6.
9. "History of Malawi", ¶ 5.
10. World Guides, "Malawi's History, Facts, and Timeline", World-Guides.com, last updated November 14, 2014, accessed December 11, 2014, http://www.world-guides.com/africa/south-east-africa/malawi/malawi_history.html, ¶ 3.
11. Wikipedia, "Agriculture in Malawi", Wikipedia, last modified September 29, 2014, accessed December 12, 2014, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture_in_Malawi, ¶ 1.
12. Jerry Cutter, "Malawi Early History," (1991), accessed December 11, 2014, http://www.newtestamentchurch.org/OPA/Articles/1991/06/OPA19910605.htm, ¶ 3.
13. Desmond Dudwa Phiri, "Why We Must Remember David Livingstone", http://mwnation.com/must-remember-david-livingstone/, ¶ 4.
14. Ibid, ¶ 7.
15. "History of Malawi", British Rule section ¶ 1.
16. CIA World Factbook, "Malawi", ¶ 12.
17. Unesco, “Gule Wamkulu”, Unesco, accessed December 11, 2014, http://www.unesco.org/culture/intangible-heritage/22afr_uk.htm, ¶ 3.
18. Ibid.
19. Ibid.
20. Dumbani Mzale, "Malawi Tobacco Exports Valued at $650m in 2012", mwnation.com, (August 29, 2013), accessed December 12, 2014, http://mwnation.com/malawi-tobacco-exports-valued-650m-2012/, ¶ 1.
21. Hannah Gibson, "Malawi: Constitutional and Law Reform Should Continue Under Banda", (November 8, 2012), accessed December 12, 2014, http://africanarguments.org/2012/11/08/malawi-reforming-constitution-and-law-by-hannah-gibson-africa-research-institute/, ¶ 8.
