The 2026 uMhlangano Wa Maseko Ngoni Cultural Festival has kicked off in Ntcheu after changing from the traditional three-day programme to six days.
The festival will run from August 31 to September 5 with a line-up of activities, including engagements between Ngwenyama Inkosi ya Makhosi Gomani V, Ngoni chiefs and communities, cultural performances and discussions on social issues.
In an interview, Maseko Ngoni Heritage Trust secretary general iMpi Kandi Padambo Ndau said all is in place and the festival has started while final preparations for the final day are also done.
He said they extended the event to six days following a call by Inkosi Ya Makhosi Gomani V that Umhlangano should go beyond celebrations of food and traditional dances.
“Our king said that we should not just focus on the dances and food and then go back home. He said it was crucial that as Ngonis we should be able to use this platform to discuss issues that affect the Maseko Ngoni who come from different communities,” said Padambo Ndau.
The festival opened yesterday with briefings and community engagements by Ngwenyama while today’s focus will include inspecting dance troupes and a meeting between the Ngwenyama and amakhosi.
Tomorrow, Her Royal Majesty Khanyisa Rishaladza Gomani V will meet the wives of traditional leaders and visit Ntcheu District Hospital as well as donate sanitary pads to schools.
“We will use the platform to sensitise communities on issues such as girls’ education, gender-based violence, the protection of property belonging to orphans and other challenges affecting our communities,” said Padambo Ndau.
He said the trust has partnered non-governmental organisations which will conduct sensitisation sessions on issues including initiation ceremonies and early marriages.
The festival is expected to attract Ngoni delegates from Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe and eSwatini as well as paramount chiefs and other traditional leaders from across the country.
Cabinet ministers have also been invited.
Padambo Ndau added that they have reached substantially towards the K180 million budget and the committees are now doing final fine-tunes to ensure that the final celebration will be a full experience.
The festival will also feature music performances by musicians, including Zeze Kingston, Macelba, Joe Ikon and Johnny Zembani Band, as organisers also seek to showcase the talent within the Ngoni community alongside traditional cultural expressions.
This year’s festival is being held under the theme ‘Ubunye bunamandla’ which means ‘Unity is power’.
In his remarks during the Umhlangano fundraising dinner Gomani V emphasised that culture is the heartbeat that brings people together, saying it must be used as a tool for unity and not divisions.
During the uMhlangano golf tournament in Lilongwe, Gomani V also pointed out that it is crucial that people understand culture and what it means to community development.
“We want people to understand and know their culture. We want people to know the value that culture brings in relation to development in our communities,” he said.
The festival is taking place at Gomani Chikuse Memorial Grounds in Nkolimbo Village, iNkosi Kwataine, Ntcheu District.
