The Jere Ngoni of Mzimba District have lined up fundraising events ahead of Umthetho Cultural Festival scheduled for August 5 to 8 2026 at the foot of Hora Mountain in the district.
The total budget for the festival is K337.5 million and will be held under the theme ‘Mzimba: United for land preservation and sustainable development’.
The first fundraising event is the Ingoma Sunset Soirée held last Saturday at K-View Boutique Lodge in Mzuzu targeting K25 million.
According to M’mbelwa Gala Night Committee chairperson Barnett Phiri, the event will feature Ingoma dances, shooting cultural videos and sale of Ngoni merchandise.
“Apart from dances and drinks, people are going to have a chance to participate in Ngoni songs and appear in videos clad in cultural regalia,” he said in an interview.
The second event is the King M’mbelwa Royal Golf at Lilongwe Golf Club where golfers are expected to compete with the Ngoni king tomorrow.
The activity is expected to rake in K60 million and will be followed by a Royal Umthetho Banquet on July 10 at Amaryllis Hotel in Blantyre.
Phiri said the Blantyre event was arranged to bring people in the Southern Region closer to Umthetho and rekindle their Ngoni culture.
“The theme for the banquet is Heritage at the table, Legacy in every toast, which targets to raise K50 million,” he added.
Later, the fundraising will return to Lilongwe at Capital Hotel on July 24 for a M’mbelwa Night: His Majesty’s Gala with a target of K50 million.
Phiri appealed to well-wishers, including corporate institutions to fund the festival to be held at Hora Heritage Site.
Ngonis have sent invitation to the Zulu Nation in South Africa, Inkosi Mpezeni in Zambia, Zulu Gama in Tanzania and their Ngoni counterparts in Eswatini and Zimbabwe.
Umthetho honours Ngoni heritage with traditional dances, local cuisine and tributes to the royal lineage.
Inkosi ya Makhosi M’Mbelwa V said earlier this month that the festival plays a direct role in boosting tourism by bringing international visitors to experience the culture first hand.
