Umthetho Cultural Festival ends on high note

Beer, traditional dances and food ruled this year’s Umthetho Cultural Festival over the weekend at Hora Heritage Centre in Mzimba.

The festivities started with conferences involving men, women and the youth discussing how culture can be sustained while preserving the environment.

The climax of the event was on Saturday when members of Jere Ngonis converged at the foot of Hora Mountain to celebrate their culture and pay homage to Inkosi ya Makhosi M’mbelwa V.

Women dressed in the festival’s theme cloth and other Ngoni regalia danced alongside the male traditional dancers as the traditional leader made his way to the main stage for the ceremony.

 So many cultural activities were on display on Thursday and Friday, including music performances by the country’s famous reggae band, Black Missionaries in the evening.

This year’s festival was held under the theme: ‘Integrating Culture and the Environment to Mitigate Climate Change’.

The activities on Thursday started with a chiefs’ conference at Mzimba Boma officially opened by Inkosi ya Makhosi M’mbelwa V.

In an interview, on the sidelines of the festival, Mzimba Heritage Association (Mziha) Secretary general Kingsley Jere said this year’s festival has been one of the best.

“We paid homage to Inkosi ya Makhosi M’mbelwa I at his gravesite in Mzalangwe. Thereafter, Inkosi ya Makhosi M’mbelwa V led his people in a hike of Hora Mountain. It has been a great event,” he said.

Jere disclosed that they had met their budget of K53 million.

“So far so good. We are grateful that we got a very good response from the corporate world and we hit our budget of K53 million. 

“What is most exciting is that we had a big turnout of foreign dignitaries from various countries including Zambia, Tanzania, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Nairobi, Kenya among who have joined us. This should send a signal to the government to take the festival with a business perspective because the many foreign dignitaries that have come for the festival can provide the country with the needed forex,” he said.

One of the patrons at the festival Maria Mkandawore, who had travelled from Lilongwe for the ceremony said it is important for people to celebrate their heritage and traditions.

“We need to have more such events. I make it a point to attend this cultural festival because it connects me to my roots as a Jere Ngoni,” she said. 

Mziha, whose aim is to preserve and promote the heritage of the Ngoni people, was founded in the year 2000 and has been organising the Umthetho Cultural Festival at Hora since 2007.