Music Dance

	Click on the icons above to listen to several choirs recorded in Malawi. All files are MP3 format.

Music and dance is an integral part of the Malawian culture. Probably the two most popular forms of music (or those that you are most likely to hear the most while you are here) are Christian spiritual songs in gospel or choir form and a soft reggae led by the Rastafarians of Malawi.

Probably the most famous reggae musician of Malawi Lusious Banda; known among his loyal fans as the “Soldier”.

Choir and gospel music is a constant in the village setting. Many volunteers attend their local churches just to hear the beautiful music. Most Christian songs are sung in the local language of the area and are either adaptations of English songs or adapted local songs to the religion.

Perhaps the oldest form of music and dance in Malawi involves the Gulewam Kulu religion (Gulewam Kulu basically means “the big dance”). A very secretive religion, Gulewam Kulu believe that they are able to summon the spirits of animals or dead relatives. A drummer helps to control the Gulewam Kulu dancer has he or she summons the spirit through dance and mischievous behavior. Human spirits are summoned to communicate with relatives and to seek advice from elders. Animal spirits represent the negative side of the Gulewam Kulu religion. The mischievous animal Gulewam Kulu dancers represent what the living should not do. There are over 150 Gulewam Kulu charaters; each with a specific story and purpose. Needless to say, an entire site could easily be devoted to the Gulewam Kulu religion. Check out Mua Mission in Selima for the full story!

Wood Carvings

A cheif's chair depicting a Lake Malawi scene.

Malawian curios is known for it’s intricate wood carvings. At every possible tourist location, dozens of stalls line the streets selling ebony, mahogany, and teak wood carvings of African scenes, masks, furniture and random ornaments. Although the work is beautiful, many carvers do not re-plant trees and therefore contribute to Malawi’s deforestation. Several Peace Corps Volunteers have begun tree-planting programs with wood carvers. Perhaps Malawi’s two most known types of carvings are the chief’s chair and the three-leg table.

The chief’s chair consists of two large pieces of either mahogany or ebony wood (although it is becoming increasingly difficult to find ebony wood large enough to make a chair). The largest piece serves as both the carved back of the chair and the front legs. The second piece slips through the lower section of the first and serves as the seat and the rear leg. The carvings usually depict African scenes, wildlife, dancers or a collage of all three.

	A three-leg table with a Boa board.

The three-leg table is an amazing piece of work. A round table is carved from mahogany or ebony and detailed with a chessboard, a Boa board (a traditional game of strategy) or various African scenes. All three legs are actually from the same piece of wood. They are intricately carved from one another to make a sturdy locking system. The table-top can then be removed and the three legs folded together for easy transport.

Paintings / Batiks

One of the most popular art forms in Malawi is the Batik. Painted on normal solid-color Chitengi cloth, Batiks are painted one color at a time using wax to block out other colors. Nature and village scenes are two favorites for Batik painters.

Of course, there are oil and acrylic painters in Malawi as well. The most famous of which is probably David Kelly who is known for his gorgeous oil paintings of nature scenes in Malawi.