Paramount Chief Kyungu reacts to British envoy’s tweet

Paramount Chief Kyungu of Karonga and Chitipa has asked British High Commissioner, Holly Tett to stop interfering in Malawian culture, saying every country has its own cultural values.

Kyungu’s reaction followed a twitter message that Tett wrote on her page on Thursday after seeing, in The Nation a picture of a woman lying prostrate at the feet of Vice-President Saulos Chilima, thanking him for the relief items he had brought her and other flood victims in Karonga.

“This way of saying thanks “the traditional way” just doesn’t sit right with me. What’s wrong with the traditional way of just saying “thanks” and throwing in a smile for good measure?” reads Tett’s tweet with a screenshot of the picture.

The tweet immediately attracted reactions from some Malawians who condemned the message,  as disrespectful to Malawi’s Ngonde culture.

But Kyungu said: “The woman was simply expressing gratitude and she did it the traditional way. That is the Ngonde traditional way of saying “thank you”. There is nothing wrong with that. We, as Ngondes, are proud of our tradition and culture and will continue with it for the rest of our lives and pass it on to generations after us.” Kyungu said.

The British High Commissioner could not be reached to comment on Kyungu and other Malawians’ reaction to her tweet.