A song performed to accompany the rituals of the masked dancers, the Gule Wamkulu, a secret initiatory society othat exists in Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique (see also the Gule Wamkulu Funeral Song).
This Gule Wamkulu song was recorded at Njombwa Village, Kasungu District in Malawi. The singers lament the death of the wise elders who can no longer provide guidance to the living.
My thanks to Waliko Makhala of the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation for the transcript and translation that follows.
The elders are gone
Gone to the grave
There’s nowhere for us to go!
The elders are dead
You have left us without guidance.
You have left us!
The elders are dead
You have left us homeless.
We have no home…
Here is the song in the original Chichewa.
Akuluakulu adapita yee
Kumanda
Mwataya mwataya!
Akulu akulu adapita yee
Sinkuona kofikila aye ayeee
Mwantaya mwataya!
Akulu akulu adapita ayee
Sinkuona kofikila ayee
Mwataya mwataya…
from the Malawi Broadcasting Corporations archives,
recorded at Njombwa Village, Kasungu District,
translated and transcribed by Waliko Makhala.
