Oral Poetry from Africa
Khunju is a genre of traditional dance from southern Malawi that originated in the precolonial period. It is a women’s only dance (in contrast to the dances of the Malawian male initiatory secret society, Gule Wa Mkulu) performed by singers accompanied by drums and handclapping.
The guests, the guests
The guests, the guests
The guests, the guests
The guests are going back complaining…
The following children’s song was recorded in June 1958 at Kawere School in Dowa, a district in the Central Region of Malawi. Bilimankhwe is the name of a chameleon and in the song the children ask him why his eyes are swollen. Bilimnakhwe replies that he has been mourning the deaths of his kinsfolk and that it is inappropriate for the children to be laughing when there is a funeral at his home.
Then, Bilimankhwe goes further to state that he will no longer stay in the village as it has been ravaged by death. He informs the children that he will leave the village and let others rebuild it.
Bilimankhwe,
Why are your eyes so swollen?
Stonard Lungu was a Malawian singer-songwriter and guitarist who performed alongside Malawi’s guitar maestro Dr Daniel Kachamba in the 1970’s, before going on to establish a prolific musical career of his own.
One of the most popular of Lungu’s songs was Zapadziko (“The World”), which draws upon Biblical scriptures about the impermanence of worldly things. The singer reflects on the unpredictability of life and the prevalance of war, seeking salvation through prayer and a stoic acceptance of fate.
That of the World is but vanity
It is all vanity, generations are born and die…
Allan Namoko (1956 — 1995) was a virtuoso visually-impaired banjo player who took Malawi by storm, becoming a household name in the early 1980’s. He was backed by the Chimvu River jazz band, who played using home-made instruments and recorded their songs in just one take on Reel to Reel tape recorders.
My Uncle, my Uncle
Uncle, my family…
This is a song composed by Barton Harry, one of the popular banjo players in Malawi who played in a duo with Kausale on acoustic guitar. A few of the pioneers of this tradition recorded in Lusaka, Zambia and later on in Zimbabwe as migrant Malawian artists.
Oooh, Absalom my child
Absalom, why have you died?
He died at war with his brethren…
Gule Wamkulu is a secret initiatory society of men from Chewa-speaking communities in Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique. The dancers wear masks personifying the spirits of ancestors and sacred animals native to the lands. They perform primarily at funerals and memorial services but also at celebrations. This performance was recorded at Mkuwazi Village in the Salima district of Malawi.
Bury me on the veranda
Bury me on the veranda
Eyeee… so that when my mother
Should see me and say I am dead…
