African Poems

Oral Poetry from Africa

Gule Wamkulu

Filed Under: Relationship Poems

Chief Njombwa, Spread Out The Mat

The Chinamwali ceremonies, deeply rooted in Cheŵa-speaking communities across Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique, represent initiation rituals exclusive to Cheŵa women.

In this recording, we hear the women leading the ceremony calling upon the Chief of the Kasungu district to grant his authority for the traditional rituals to begin. Reed mats are laid out for the initiates to sit upon in the homestead where the ceremony will commence.

Chief Njombwa, Spread Out The Mat
Chief Njombwa, spread out the mat
The initiation ceremony is set, it is coming…

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Filed Under: Poems of Gods & Ancestors

The Elders Are Gone

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.

The elders are gone
Gone to the grave
There’s nowhere for us to go!..

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Filed Under: Poems of Gods & Ancestors

Gule Wamkulu Funeral Song

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…

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