A dramatic Saturday dawn ritual in Salima saw Makewana, the spiritual custodian of Chewa traditions, crowning Raphael Nowa Phiri as Kalonga Sosola IX and declaring him the supreme leader of the Chewa in Malawi.
The ceremony went ahead despite a High Court injunction that Chewa Heritage Foundation (Chefo) obtained restraining Nowa, his agents and any affiliates from conducting any installation or elevation of anyone as Kalonga Sosola IX pending full judicial review.
The crowning occurred at 5am at Sosola Village in Traditional Authority Khombedza where Makewana of Msinja performed the ritual and handed the staff of authority to Nowa.
Festivities later moved to Thawale Primary School, spiced up with gule wamkulu, mganda, chisamba, chiwoda and contemporary music by Nduna ya Achewa.
Makewana’s spokesperson, group village head (GVH) Masula of Lilongwe, told the gathering that appointing a Chewa king “rests solely with Makewana as the mother of all Chewas”, describing the coronation as a fulfilment of repeated ancestral instructions.
The GVH added that the Chewa kingship predates its abolition following the killing of Kalonga Sosola VIII in 1863. He described Saturday’s ceremony as “the end of years of oppression”.
He said: “Our mother received dreams directing her to restore the Maravi Kingdom by crowning Nowa Phiri. This has nothing to do with government or any cultural grouping. Kingship comes from blood while positions like Paramount Chief come from the government.”
Family representative Rose Antonyo said the new Kalonga “is not seeking government payment” but is focused on unifying the Chewa nation.
In his acceptance speech, Sosola pledged to resolve long-standing chieftaincy disputes, noting that some communities have lacked recognised leaders for over two decades.
“My first duty is to restore peace where wrangles persist. We must prioritise development–agriculture, business, infrastructure and conservation. We cannot remain stuck in courtrooms,” he said.
Sosola also announced plans for Malawi to start hosting its own annual Chewa ceremony instead of depending on Zambia’s Kulamba, saying local celebrations would strengthen cultural identity and conserve foreign currency.
“Time has come for us to be self-dependent. Future generations must celebrate here, whether at Mankhamba, Msinja or the Mbona Shrine,” he said.
Sosola also revealed intentions to establish Chewa Development Holdings Limited to promote agricultural lending and social development initiatives.
Meanwhile, about 40 chiefs aligned with Chefo have strongly condemned the installation, insisting the injunction remains valid.
Senior Chief Lukwa, speaking for the group, warned that the coronation undermines recognised Chewa leadership structures and misrepresents the community.
He said: “We want to tell the nation, the Chewa in Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique, including His Majesty Kalonga Gawa Undi and President Arthur Peter Mutharika, that we are not part of those destabilising peace by supporting the so-called Kalonga Sosola.
“Village head Sosola has declared himself king, but we are not together with him.”
Lukwa stressed that Chefo respects Malawi’s laws, recognises Paramount Chief Lundu as the supreme Chewa chief locally and acknowledges Kalonga Gawa Undi as king of the entire Chewa.
“In Malawi we don’t have any king. Even historically, the original Sosola was not a genuine king but someone who rose by crooked means. What has happened today is outside our mandate,” he said.
Lukwa added that Sosola previously promised to stop the process.
“About five months ago we called Sosola and he said he would not move ahead, but look at what he has done today. It shows he doesn’t want to listen to anybody,” he said.
He further warned that the move contravenes the Chiefs Act, which provides no room for a king.
“What they are doing is making us look bad. People may do as they wish in a democracy, but this is clearly outside the law,” Lukwa said.
The Maravi Kingdom, whose royal seat was at Mankhamba, was once a powerful political and cultural force in southern Africa, uniting Nyanja, Mang’anja and Chewa communities. The title Kalonga belonged to the ruler of this kingdom.
