Malawi's Culture

Malawi’s greatest asset is its people. They are wonderfully friendly and warmly welcoming. All visitors are met with smiles and a truly genuine and long-lasting welcome. With a population of over 18 million, Malawi is one of the more densely populated countries of this part of Africa. Most of the population is rural, living largely in fascinating traditional villages.

Tribes

Many of today’s Malawians are descendants of the Bantu people who moved across Africa and into Malawi for hundreds of years up to the fifteenth century. There is a rich cultural mix in Malawi with the Chewa being the most numerous tribe, at 34% of the population according to the 2018 census. Others include the Lomwe (19%), Yao (13%), Ngoni (10%) and Tumbuka (9%). Each tribe has contributed to the modern Malawi scene, whether it be in dress or dance or language. Masks are commonly used in various dances and ceremonies and these are usually tribe-specific, the best known being the Gule Wamkulu, performed by the Nyau of the Chewa. Traditional (African) doctors still attract many people and the two main ‘modern’ religions, Christianity and Islam, frequently exhibit a continuing adherence to traditional beliefs.

Cultural Activities

All travel in Malawi will include some element of cultural experience and that often becomes the highlight of any visit. This is not so much colourful singing and dancing performances (though there is some of that), but more about natural interaction with local people that allow visitors to learn about daily life in Africa, and to make friends across continents. A visit to a local village can easily be arranged at most lodges or hotels all around the country, whether they are in a town, forest reserve, National Park or on the lakeshore. These are always real villages, whose residents have an established relationship with the lodge in question, and who welcome the interest from visitors in their daily life.

African markets are known for their colourful vibrancy and Malawi is no exception. The larger towns and cities have bustling markets that can be easily visited, and even clusters of roadside stalls in the rural areas offer a taste of the liveliness and friendly banter that come from  making a purchase. As well as markets selling all manner of food and homeware items for the local market, there are also a few craft markets around the country that offer some of the high quality products produced in Malawi. Wood carving is a speciality and Malawi is know for its ‘Chiefs Chairs’ .

Although not yet major country attractions, Malawi has a few sites of historical interest as well as a few museums that give greater insights into the country’s history and history. And an opportunity for a ‘flavour’ of colonial times comes from the tea tasting on offer at some of the estates.

As a developing country in Africa, Malawi has a high proportion of its population that are in need of extra assistance in order to have opportunities in life that others around the world take for granted. As such, there are plenty of opportunities for its visitors to make a genuine, positive difference by getting involved in community volunteer projects.

Performances of Malawi’s traditional music and dance are offered to their guests by many lodges around the country, giving local performers the chance to showcase their energetic skills. But the country is also witnessing a growth in modern-day music and the arts. The big cities, especially Lilongwe are the places to catch the latest groups and performers, including some Malawian musicians who have now carved themselves international reputations.

Cultural Places to Visit

Village visits and day-today cultural interaction are available across the whole of the country and can be arranged by almost all lodges and hotels. Some which have established particularly strong links with their local communities include lodges in places that are visited primarily for reasons (lake beaches, highland scenery, wildlife safaris), but the cultural interactions still become the highlight. These include Viphya Plateau, Chintheche, Ntchisi Forest Reserve and Liwonde National Park. Similarly, community volunteer projects can be found around the country and can be organised through the local tours & safari companies, but there are particularly good opportunities at Viphya Plateau, Chintheche, Dzalanyama and Fisherman’s Rest just outside Blantyre.

Malawi has a few places of specific cultural and historical interest, including original mission stations and centres of excellence for handicrafts. Of its modern-day larger towns, Blantyre, Zomba and Mangochi have a number of historical buildings, monuments and museums. Lilongwe and Mzuzu are of interest for their markets and in the case of the latter, to see the division between the Old Town and modern Capital City as well as its growing music scene. If visiting Blantyre, take the time to visit The Society of Malawi. Situated in the historic Mandala House, the society protects a true treasure trove of the country’s history. With thousands of books and resources safely stored away, it provides an opportunity to find out a bit more about Malawi that perhaps many tourists don’t ever discover.

Along the Lakeshore, Monkey Bay and Nkhata Bay are bustling ports, whilst Nkhotakota is of historical significance and now has a renowned pottery. To the north, Karonga is the site of an interesting historical and archaeological museum.  The link between missionaries and the Lake is strong, with sites of the Livingstonia Mission marked by graves at Cape Maclear and Bandawe, near Chintheche, before it reached its final and current location near Chitimba in the north. Across the Lake, Likoma Island is a wonderful place to interact with local people, and also see its magnificent missionary-built Cathedral – the same size as Winchester’s! Even further east, the Manda Wilderness Reserve on the Mozambique shore has been set up with the full involvement of, and for the benefit of, local communities and so is a great place to learn about and interact with those local communities.

Artistic skills, old and new are on show in and around Dedza. North of the town is the Chongoni Rock Art area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the densest cluster of stone age rock art found in central Africa. And at the edge of the town is the Dedza Pottery, where today’s artists and craftsmen can be viewed producing a variety of items then found all round Malawi or sold for export. Artistic skill is also on display at Mua Mission, almost directly down the escarpment from Dedza. Mua is a mission station whose students create the finest wood carvings in the country, if not the whole of Africa, and is also home to a fascinating cultural museum.

The large agricultural estates, sugar at Dwangwa and the Lower Shire Valley and tea at Thyolo are interesting places to visit also. As well as being able to see the daily workings, the tea estates in particular have fascinating colonial histories.