The 2026 Umthetho Cultural Festival activities are underway in Mzimba where organisers are expecting a successful celebration of Ngoni culture ahead of the main event tomorrow.
The annual festival started yesterday with the arrival of invited delegates marking the beginning of a series of activities leading to the main celebrations on 8th August.
Mzimba Heritage Association (Mziha) secretary general Khumbo Soko said that Thursday was dedicated to workshops involving different groups within the kingdom, including women, youth and people from the Amakhosi centres.
“The workshops will run throughout the day and provide an opportunity for different groups within the kingdom to engage on various issues,” he said.
Today, participants will visit the grave site of iNkosi ya Makhosi M’mbelwa I at Mzalaingwe for a traditional remembrance ceremony before returning to Hora for a hike at Hora Mountain.
Soko said the day’s programme will continue with traditional performances, including iNgoma and m’ganda dances, which will run into the night ahead of the main celebrations.
He further said the main event on Saturday will begin at the foot of Hora Mountain before speeches, cultural performances and the presentation of gifts to the King.
This year’s festival is being held under the theme, ‘Mzimba: United for land preservation and sustainable development’, reflecting the Kingdom’s commitment to preserving its land including its cultural heritage while promoting development.
Soko said all preparations were completed and resource mobilisation surpassed expectations, giving organisers confidence that the festival will be a success.
“The preparations are done. We have done very well in terms of resource mobilisation. We actually think we have exceeded our target. So let people begin to come and celebrate with us,” he said.
Speaking during the final gala dinner in Lilongwe when Inkosi ya Makhosi M’mbelwa V invited the public to join the Ngoni people of Mzimba in celebrating their culture on August 8.
The Ngoni leader further called on Malawians to embrace culture as a tool for promoting national unity, saying traditional festivals should bring people together rather than reinforce divisions.
“We must do away with the thinking that a cultural gathering isolates one culture from the rest. Instead, it should remind us that we can celebrate and appreciate each other’s cultures because we are all Malawians,” M’mbelwa said.
The Umthetho Cultural Festival is one of the country’s major cultural events, bringing together people from different parts of Malawi and beyond to celebrate Ngoni traditions while promoting cultural preservation, tourism and national unity.
Ngoni kings, traditional leaders from neighbouring countries and government officials are expected to attend the festival, alongside patrons from across Malawi and beyond.
