Mbona - The Rain Maker

How to Make it Rain; is the Malawi's Ancestral Story.

The Rain, some take it casually, not realizing how essential it is for life, but others know all too well that rain means survival. In Some places rain comes so frequent or so much that it is taken for granted or people wished it rained less often, and in other places rain comes so little or not at all that livelihoods are destroyed.

In places where rain is crucial you'll probably find people of great faiths devoted to rain, the rainmakers and rainmaking cults. There are various cults around the world that practice or practiced some sort of rainmaking rituals. The native Indians of North America had rain dances and similar practices occurred and still do in parts of Africa including Malawi.

Khulubvi sacred shrine is located in Nsanje District, in the lower Shire Valley in Southern Region of Malawi, It is an important spiritual place among the people of Mang'anja tribe. It is a place where the Mang'anja worship the spirit of Mbona.

Mbona was a legendary rain maker with superhuman powers who lived in Nsanje. He had knowledge of medicine and magic, and he had a gift bestowed onto him from the heavens to govern the rains. Apart from bringing rain, he could also create wells of water on sandy lands, create forests where they did not exist and hide from enemies by turning into other creatures such as guinea fowls. He had a wife named Salima who almost always stayed in the compound, only visited by elderly women and children. She ventured on a few occasions to some villages assisting Mbona on matters of divinity.

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Mbona's uncle Mlauli, who was also a conjurer resented his nephew and wanted to kill Mbona because of his extraordinary abilities. Mlauli, however, failed to kill his nephew because Mbona wished to die on his own accord. He told Mlauli and his enemies to cut his throat with a reed after other weapons had failed to harm him. Thus this was his was his fate. It is said that His head was cut and placed at Khulubvi sacred grove.

Mbona's shrine lies in the Sacred Khulubvi grove in Nsanje, protected by the shrine guardians. Mbona's head is said to have been entombed on the floor of his hut. The shrine is never cleaned or swept. Only those of the Mang'anja tribe are allowed with permission from the guardian. The sanctuary is sacred ground; no one can cut down any tree, plant any crops or let their cattle graze.

There a number of huts in the area, but most importantly includes Mbona's hut and close to that his wife's hut Salima. 

After the death of Mbona she still played an important role, she would be visited at night by Mbona in the form of an enormous python and he would tell her the future, so as to inform the village of what to plant and what not to. She would communicate to the village via a trance like state, she was the oracle.

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After her death the cult continued with succession of oracles. The ultimate responsibility for the cult lies with the Lundu paramount, who is to provide Mbona with a “wife.” This elderly woman, called Salima, lives in Khulubvi and communicates Mbona’s wishes received through dreams and possession. An outside medium may also perform this function, and local chiefs have subsidiary shrines. The spirits communicates via this medium and their lineages spans generations and there is a system of succession.

People came to worship, bringing with them black cloth or a black goat, an offering to Mbona in exchange for rain, water, life. Escorted by the chiefs and village headmen they went to Mbona's hut. After they returned home and finished the sacred rites the sky would rip open and the ground would be blessed by rain.

The Deep hole of Zomba plateau, Chingwe's Hole

In the quiet town of Zomba stands a legendary, enormous plateau, known for its splendor. Trees, shrubs, grass and all sorts of flora embrace every inch of it and rivers and streams snake through its beautiful landscape. It is a serene and captivating wonderland, but it wasn't always a sight of tranquility.

Kambewa, Kayira Cycle 75 Kilometers journey for Leisure

Two cyclists—Stewart Kambewa, 30, and Kwame Kayira,34— who cycled from Marka in Nsanje to Kanyala in Chitipa and back to Blantyre to raise funds for drilling nine boreholes nationwide continues making headlines in Malawi as far as cycling is concern in the country. On 3/3/2017 the cyclists with their 2 other friends took up another challenge cycling 75 kilometers journey from Mangochi Boma to Cape Maclear for leisure.

Below are some of the pictures taken along the journey provided to www.encountermalawi.blogspot courtesy of Stewart Kambewa the Team Leader. 

Stewart Kambewa relaxing 

Blue fish spices

Blue fish species

The beauty of lake Malawi

Lake Malawi scenary

The beauty of lake Malawi

The beauty of lake Malawi

People and Culture of Malawi

The Malawi people are of Bantu origin and comprise of many different ethnic groups. These include Chewa, Nyanja, Yao, Tumbuka, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian and European. The Chichewa (Chewa) people form the largest part of the population group and are largely in the central and southern parts of Malawi. The Yao people are predominately found around the southern area of Lake Malawi and the Tumbuka are found mainly in the north of the country.(There are small populations of Asian and European people living mainly in the cities.

Malawi is often called the "Warm Heart of Africa." because of the warmth and friendliness of the people. Malawians typically live with their extended families in huts that are grouped together in villages. A spirit of cooperation prevails as family members share both work and resources. As you drive through Malawi you can see the small villages of huts and people at work in the fields or collecting water for their families.

Chewa Tribe:
People from Chewa tribe are known as Achewa. The Chewa Tribe is an African culture that has existed since the beginning of the first millennium, A.D. Their local language is called Chichewa, Malawi national language. There are presently over 1.5 million Chewa throughout Malawi and Zambia, however the Chewa are not considered people of Malawi or Zambia; instead they are people from the Nyanja group of Bantu. In Malawi, the Chewa are predominantly concentrated within the central region, surrounding the capital city of Lilongwe. The Chewa believe that living things were created by God. "Gule Wamkulu" (Big Dances associated with masks), has become a sort of title for secret societies of traditional Chewa religious practices. The Gule Wamkulu ceremonies consist of formally organised dances to admire the remarkable physical abilities of these individuals (called "Nyau"). If one has the misfortune of passing a Gule on the road, traditional behaviour consists of dropping a few coins for the Gule - never handing them the money directly for fear they will grab you and take you to the cemetery for ritual purposes. Masks worn by the Gule Wamkulu include thousands of different representations - generally each developed hundreds of years ago by unique tribes, and accented with their own individual touch. Today, these masks, with their different origins, are part of what is now the Chewa culture. 

  Nyau dancing Gule wamkulu

Yao Tribe:
People from Yao tribe are known as Ayao. Most people from Liwonde and the southern lakeshore are from the Yao tribe; their language is called Chiyao. The Yao came to Malawi from Mozambique to escape conflict with the Makua tribe. The Makua tribe had become enemies of the Yao because of the wealth the Yao were amassing through trading ivory and slaves to Arabs from Zanzibar. The Yao began attacking both the Chewa and the Ngoni people to capture prisoners who they later sold as slaves. The Yao were the first group to use firearms in conflict with other tribes. In 1870 the Yao ruling class chose to follow Islam like their Arab trading partners rather than the traditional animism ('animism' is a philosophical, religious or spiritual idea that souls or spirits exist not only in humans and animals but also in plants, rocks, natural phenomena and geographic features such as mountains or rivers). As a benefit of their conversion to Islam, the Yao were provided with sheikhs who promoted literacy and founded mosques. This led to many Yao people believing in Islam, therefore, any person from a Yao tribe or anyone whose name is from Yao language is considered as a Muslim by Malawians. The Arab traders also introduced the cultivation of rice, which became a major crop in the lake region of Malawi.

Tumbuka Tribe:
People from this tribe are called Atumbuka. Tumbuka is the main tribe found in the northern region of Malawi (Viphya and Nyika). The Tumbuka are a Bantu ethnic group. Their language is Chitumbuku, a Bantu language similar in structure to Swahili. The chief god of Tumbuka traditional religion is Chiuta, an all-powerful, omniscient, self-created being. Chiuta literally translates as 'Great Bow of Heaven' or 'Owner of All' or 'The Creator'. This tribe has got a higher percentage of educated people. Its people believe there is a direct link between dancing and the healing process; these curative dances are called Vimbuza. Traditional Doctors (Witchcraft Doctors) among the Tumbuka people use these dances to cure some diseases.

Tonga Tribe:
People from this tribe are called Atonga. The Tonga people live in Northern Malawi especially in Nkhata Bay. Their language is known as Chitonga. Traditionally, Tonga society was based on fishing, and cassava was their staple food. During colonial times, mission education enabled them to earn higher wages than other tribes and they often worked as porters and skilled or semi-skilled workers. Before Christianity their traditional religion was a religion of the dead, centred on the worship of ancestral spirits. They believed in diviners and spirit- possession, and they sought out those who communicated with the dead. The Tonga of Lake Malawi say that by taking certain medicines, a person can ensure his changing after death into whichever animal he wishes. The Tonga have adopted the Ngoni custom of marriage payment of cattle. Traditionally males can't divorce their wives without a hearing of public repudiation, while she and her family, however, could dismiss him without formality, unless he had a wealthy or otherwise powerful family. Tonga people are said to be very smart and decent. People say that a Tonga would wear a jacket and a shirt which has only the front part and the collar without the whole back side (which has been worn out); in other words, wearing a jacket, tie and well fastened shirt is most important to them!

Lomwe Tribe:
The Lomwe people are known as Alomwe. Many people living in Mulanje and Thyolo are from the "Lomwe" ethnic group and there main income generating activity is farming. The Lomwe are one of the four largest ethnic groups living in Malawi. Many Lomwe moved into Malawi in the 1930's due to tribal wars in Mozambique. 90-95% of the Lomwe live in rural areas and in Mozambique many are concentrated in the Zambezi Province. The Lomwe language is called Chilomwe and it is written using the Roman alphabet and there are reported to be nine different dialects of Lomwe determined by location. Sadly the language is now dying out, with only the eldest still speaking it as a main language, many of the younger Lomwe tribe now speak in the Chichewa. The Lomwe people are well known for their talkativeness, their beliefs in the spirits of the dead and witchcraft. Many people therefore believe that the best Traditional Doctors are those from Mulanje. The famous Mulanje Mountain is also believed to be associated with Spirits of the dead especially at the highest peak of Sapitwa (which means "where you cannot go"). It is believed that people used to find food in the mountain of which one was not expected to tell anyone or invite a friend to eat as this would make the food disappear. During some of Lomwe traditional dances girls are supposed to wear only beads and nothing else to cover their breasts.

Ngonde and Nyakyusa Tribe:
People from this tribe are called Angonde. The Ngonde and Nyakyusa migrated from the north, like other Bantu tribes and settled at the extreme north of Malawi near Karonga where they are still found today. The area was remote and as a result they did not suffer from Ngoni and Yao raids. The centre for the Ngonde people is the sacred Hill of Mbande, which stands in the bed of the Rukulu River, about 13 km from Lake Malawi. Their language is known as Kyangonde. There are approximately 300,000 Ngonde in Malawi (Johnstone 1993).

Ngoni Tribe:
People from this tribe are called Angoni. The Ngoni fled from Shaka Zulu who defeated many Ngoni Chiefs in South Africa in 1819. The Ngoni that entered Malawi came in two groups. After their defeat, Zwangendaba Jere fled with his followers and settled at Mabiri in Mzimba District. The group that was led by Ngwane Maseko arrived in Malawi and settled in Ntcheu, near Dedza, in 1837. After a short stay, they left for Songea in southern Tanzania where they lived for some time before returning to Malawi. They finally settled in Ntcheu in 1867. Today, the Ngoni of Ntcheu have spread to other districts such as Mchinji and Dedza in the centre, and Mwanza and Neno in the south. The Ngoni language is known as Chingoni and its people are well known when it comes to eating meat and drinking African Beer. Eating meat and drinking beer are considered as the most important Ngoni principles. During their traditional dances, Ngoni people wear animal skins, showing that they are real hunters. In the past they were famous for their passion for war.

Sena Tribe:
Asena is the name given to people from this tribe. The Sena came from Mozambique, entering Malawi through the south and settled in the Lower Shire area in Chikwawa and Nsanje Districts where they are still found today. Their language of communication is Chisena. It is said that people from the Sena tribe use other people's eyes as a charm for catching more fish in Shire River; therefore local people believe that most beggars who are blind in towns of Blantyre and Limbe (major towns in southern region of Malawi) belong to this tribe. During some of their traditional dances, girls from this tribe do not wear anything to cover their breasts.