Reinstated king of the Chewa in Malawi, Kalonga Sosola IX, has asked his chiefs and subjects not to travel to Mkaika in Zambia for the Kulamba Ceremony, saying it is retrogressive to this country’s development.
In a letter on Sunday and signed by his spokesperson,Portifer Banda, the Kalonga said all chiefs should refrain from collecting money from their subjects for the ceremony.
He said: “Let us the Chewa here in our country have our own days of celebrating our culture. If you go into history, we are elders to Gawa Undi alongside Lundu and Kaphwiti in present day Chapananga. Even in terms of numbers of chiefs, we have 138 here in Malawi, 40 in Mozambique and 36 in Zambia. So take it: no one should take our people to Zambia. We are one, but we should also respect ourselves.”
“I know that our chiefs will not welcome this positively, as they were collecting money in the name of taking it to Gawa Undi. Who knows how much they have collected, how much they have given our beloved brother Gawa Undi, and how much they have put in their pockets? Every single penny needs to be transacted with openness and transparency, hence stop stealing from my poor people.”
Senior Chief Kaomba of Kasungu described it as a new dawn for the tribe, which he said has been without a true and visionary leader since 1866.
He said there is need to have a leader like Kalonga Sosola IX who has united the Chewa from up north down to south, as the country has a population of over 14 million people.
On his part, Senior Chief Mwansambo of Nkhotakota District welcomed the development, saying it will unite the Chewa in the country while preserving the country’s finances.
Concurring with Mwansambo, Sub-Traditional Authority of Mangochi District said going to Mkaika in Zambia was like slavery.
He said: “From the year our chiefs went to Zambia with uncounted wealth, what did we gain in return? Nothing. This has made the country to remain poor. We need a mindset change and to move with time. Our beloved Kalonga Sosola IX is right: there is no need for us to go to Zambia. We have our country and we will do ours here.
“What pains me is that, despite all the things we take to Zambia, when we face disasters like floods and dry spells, no one comes to our aid. Meanwhile our government and its stakeholders shoulder the responsibility, hence the need to hold hands and preserve money in the country.”
When asked about the development, Chewa Heritage Foundation in Malawi (Chefo) director of publicity Mayankho Sande Bango said has never heard or seen the communication.
She said: “Chefo holds cultural ceremonies here in Malawi annually. Initially we held the ceremonies at Civo Stadium in Lilongwe but now we have a dedicated cultural ground at Msampha Village in Traditional Authority Chadza in Lilongwe. This ceremony is called Chizangala.”
“The Chewa chiefs or indeed the Chewa people have not and cannot be barred from going to Mkaika in Zambia, except Chirombo Mwini meaning Gawa Undi. This is an event that happens every year and it’s attended by Chewa people from Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia and shortly Zimbabwe and Tanzania will join us.
“Kulamba ceremony didn’t start years ago or will it end with a mere ideology. This is simply daft to even come from someone who has no powers whatsoever according the laws of Malawi as enshrined in the Chief’s Act.”
