Tumbukas commemorate Gonapamuhanya
The Tumbuka ethnic group in Rumphi last weekend held their annual cultural festival, Gonapamuhanya, to commemorate the first Chikulamayembe.
Speaking at the event, Paramount Chief Chikulamayembe, who is the twelfth, said culture is important for social development of the nation.
“No matter how one is educated, we still need culture. I am referring to humanity. Humanity coupled with intelligence, you forge very well in life,” said the chief.
He however said culture prospers very well when people are educated.
He said as such all children who dropped out of school, especially girls, should be sent back.
“We need boarding facilities for our girls. Here in Rumphi we have already started sending them back to school. Education is important for our children to prosper in life,” he said.
Speaking about the origin of the name Chikulamayembe, the Paramount chief said “it is a corruption” of the Swahili words ‘chukuwa jembe’ (take a hoe).
“The name came from farming. The Tumbuka in the area were farming without hoes. But we said chukuwa jembe. We were Swahili speaking from Timbuktu. But the Tumbuka could not understand us. They thought we said ‘I am chikulamayembe.’
“Chikulamayembe is a corruption of chukuwa jembe. But we are the ones who came with hoes. That’s why we say our chieftaincy came on a silver platter. The Tumbuka gave us the chieftaincy because we came with hoes, soap and jewels. We never killed anyone,” he said.
Gonapamuhanya was the first Chikulamayembe to settle at Bolero where the Chikulamayembe chieftaincy is today.
The present Chikulamayembe Walter Gondwe took over the throne in 1969 as an acting chief after Chikulamayembe the eleventh (John Hardy Gondwe also known as Ziwange) was sick.
In 1977, Walter was installed as Chikulamayembe the twelfth.
In 2002, Chikulamayembe was elevated to senior chief. And in 2007, he was made Paramount Chief. In 2012, his son Mtima Gondwe was unveiled as acting Chikulamayembe at a similar event.
Gonapamuhanya is commemorated through recounting of the history, lineage as well as traditional dances such as mchoma, mitungo, vimbuza, chioda as well as Mulhakho wa Alhomwe’s musekere.
