Travel to Zambia and Malawi to attend major annual ceremonies such as the Likumbi Lya Mize.
Trip to Zambia and Malawi in which we will attend the great traditional ceremonies of the Luvale people in Zambia, and the Ngoni people of Malawi. On the Malawi or Malawi side we will make a cultural exploration where we will find celebrations and ceremonies with dozens and dozens of impressive masks and spectacular dances.
What we will see in Zambia
Likumbi Lya Mize Ceremonie
We can assure that these traditional ceremonies that take place every August in Zambia are, without a doubt, one of the most important cultural events in the African continent. The Likumbi Lya Mize involves dozens and dozens of masks with thousands of attendees.
The Likumbi Lya Mize ceremony is a series of ceremonies of the Luvale people of northern Zambia in honor of King Ndungu, the main traditional authority, marking the end of the “mukanda” (initiation of children).
The Likumbi Lya Mize displays the impressive makishi masks, which are very special and artistic, making the ceremonies of the Luvale people so interesting and visually powerful.
The Makishi “masquerade
The masked makishi originate from male circumcision rituals (mukanda) and are considered by the Luvale people to be ancestors who manifest themselves in the form of masked dancers. It is known that in traditional mukanda (still common in Zambia and DR Congo), the makishi occupy a central place in the ritual, performing specific functions throughout all its stages.
Usually at the beginning of the dry season, children leave their homes to spend a period of one to three months in an isolated jungle camp. This separation from the outside world marks their symbolic death as children.
The mukanda includes circumcision of the initiates, giving proof of courage, and lessons on their future role as men and husbands. Each initiate is assigned a particular masked character, who accompanies him or her throughout the initiatory process.
To learn more about the ceremony read our post: Likumbi Lya Mize.
Approximate Likumbi Lya Mize ceremony schedule
We will spend four days at Likumbi Lya Mize on our trip to Zambia. In our opinion, the main days are Thursday and Saturday.
- Monday will begin with Kulyachisa: The ceremony will commence with the Kulyachisa Tundaji ritual, where the initiated children will be taken on their first bath from the Mukanda camp to the Zambezi River and back. This ritual will take place in the early hours of that day.
- On Wednesday, the first Chilende, the grand ceremony begins. This extraordinary event will start at 9:00 a.m. with the resurrection of Makishi in the Zambezi cemetery, followed by a procession through the municipality, where various rituals will be performed. Next, the first Chilende will be celebrated on the plains near the Zambezi River, continuing across the Zambezi River, where Shombe night will be celebrated, right on the beach.
- Thursday, Chilende Chahausekeseke: this is the day of the big botellón/rave, when the sandy beach of the Zambezi River will become a huge stage for a celebration based on food and alcohol. The event will begin at around 10 a.m. and continue throughout the day until around 4 p.m., when the procession will travel the 3 km from the beach to the royal capital of Mize, the official residence of His Royal Highness Chief Ndungu, where the celebration will continue throughout the night.
- Friday, Chilende Chamu Nganda.
- Saturday, Likumbi Lya Mize Oficial: This is a big day for all Luvale people and spectators of Likumbi Lya Mize, as it is the day when His Royal Highness the Senior Chief Ndungu will lead the numerous guests in observing Likumbi Lya Mize. It is the day when the people will see their Chief proudly and majestically greet his subjects. Various dances and other rituals will be performed in the Main Arena within the Royal Capital of Mize.
Kafue National Park
Kafue is Zambia’s largest and oldest national park. It is also one of the last remaining large areas of the iconic Zambezi ecoregion and home to elephants, large predators, the greatest diversity of antelope species in Africa and 515 species of birds.
As we move from one part of the country to the other on this trip to Zambia, we will visit Kafue and camp by the river of the same name, in a remote corner of the national park.
In this absolutely wonderful and WILD place, we will live together with lions, leopards, hippos and elephants…
In addition, we will take a boat trip on the river, and a safari of several hours in search of predators.
What we will see in Malawi
After finishing the tour in Zambia, we will take a flight to Lilongwe or Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, where 8 days of surprises await us.
IMPORTANT: This part of the trip is a prospecting and totally new to us, so what we describe here is an approximation of what we will see, but subject to more unforeseen events than usual.
- Lilongwe: visit to the main attractions of the capital.
- Mua Mission – Yao Traditional Dance: In the Central Region of Malawi is the KuNgoni Center for Culture and Arts, founded in 1976 by the Canadian missionary Fr. Claude Boucher Chisale. On this site there is an interesting museum where we will learn about the Chewa, Ngoni and Yao cultures, their rites of passage, their interaction with each other and their encounter with Islam and Christianity. It also has a unique exhibition of Gule Wamkulu masks. There we will witness the traditional Yao dance.
- Yao tribe village: we will continue learning about this ethnic group and their traditions, and witness some traditional dances.
- Umhlangano Cultural Festival: we will spend almost two days at this annual and fundamental gathering for the Maseko Ngoni people, which brings together members of different tribes and regions under the leadership of His Majesty Inkosi ya Makhosi Gomani V.
- Chongoni Art Rock and Gule Wamkulu traditional dance: after the Umhlangano festival we will visit the Chongoni Art Rock area, a natural landscape full of rock paintings that is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Some of the 127 sites are still active sites for rituals and ceremonies. In addition, we will witness the interesting Gule Wamkulu dance.
Umhlangano Cultural Festival
This annual festival is one of the most important in Malawi and is held in early September and aims to maintain cultural values, promote unity and strengthen community ties.
The festival includes traditional dances (such as Ingoma), singing, display of traditional Ngoni dress, speeches by traditional and government leaders, and handicraft demonstrations.
IMPORTANT: the dates of this festival may change and we cannot do anything about it, as it is an annual celebration. If it is the case, we will attend other ceremonies of the Ngoni people previously agreed upon.
Traditional dance Gule Wamkulu
The Gule Wamkulu (or “The Great Dance”) is an ancestral ritual dance of the Chewa people in Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia, considered one of the oldest cultural traditions in Africa.
Recognized by UNESCO in 2005 as Intangible Cultural Heritage, it has its roots in the great Chewa Empire of the 17th century and has survived despite colonial and missionary efforts to abolish it.
This dance represents the spirits of the ancestors and is characterized by the use of masks and costumes by the secret Nyau brotherhood, functioning as a form of moral teaching and social cohesion. This secret brotherhood is also responsible for the initiation of young people.
The dancers cover their bodies with straw or cloth costumes, wearing carved wooden masks representing various characters: wild animals, spirits of the dead, historical characters (such as slave traders) and modern figures, often with a satirical or moral warning tone.
