Barely a week after Paramount Chief Kyungu of Chitipa and Karonga districts hosted the Karonga-Chitipa Cultural Festival at Mbande Hills in the district, Senior Chief Mwabulambia of Chitipa led the Bulambia-Lusayo Cultural Festival at Chinunkha in the district last Saturday.
According to Senior Chief Mwabulambia, the Nyondos are the Royal Family members of the Lambia and they speak Chilambia.
The Lambias came from Babylon in the Middle East together with Yawos in the 18th century. They travelled together to Israel, Egypt, Sudan, Uganda, Congo and Tanzania where they parted ways.
“They occupied a vast land from Mbozi to Ileje in Tanzania, and Bulambia in Malawi up to Bwisi in Zambia. The Lambias wanted a beautiful land with a lot of wild animals where they could graze their cattle while the Yawos opted to follow the cool course of Lake Malawi,” he recalls.
Senior Chief Mwabulambia further said that the Lambias loved hunting, keeping cattle and farming that when they crossed into this country, their first settlement was Ibona.
He explains: “In all their travel, they had leaders who led them and fought wars. The Lambias are peace loving people who always love to stay at peace with their neighbors but they are skilful warriors. We are peaceful people but once provoked, we fight ruthlessly to the bitter end.”
“However, Bulambia was cut off and wrongly divided by the Berlin Conference by Europeans who were scrambling for land in Africa. We now, have Muyeleka in Tanzania, Bulambia in Malawi and Bwisi in Zambia with the headquarters for all these kingdoms at Chinunkha, Chitipa in Malawi”.
According to the history read out at the event, Chinunkha came about when Mulelambwa Mwabulambia who was allegedly good at practicing magical power that he could turn himself into a fly or a lizard, if confronted by an enemy.
Commemorated under the theme ‘Child Safeguarding Is Our Responsibility,’ the Senior Chief emphasised the need to uphold cultural values in line with tribes, saying when children grow, they need to have roots and identity.
“I appeal to parents to take care of their children and send them to school to enable them have a bright future,” he appealed.
Bulambia-Lusayo Cultural Heritage chairperson Penson Kilembe described the festival as a platform that leverages childhood challenges that include cultural disconnection and social isolation by providing space for cultural expression, community engagement as well as youth empowerment.
“The importance of this event cannot be overemphasised because it brings unity, identity and cultural norms,” he said.
Chitipa District Council director of administration Clement Gonthi, who represented the District Commissioner MacMillan Magomero, urged the Lambias to jealously continue safeguarding their rich culture.
He said: “Lambias have a rich culture that needs to be preserved. Culture brings love, unity, peace, fosters hard working spirit that enhances development that can also be aligned to Malawi 2063 development agenda”.
His Zambian counterpart, Isoka District Commissioner Jailos Simbeye said Zambia and Malawi do not only share borders but rather have so many things in common that bind the people of the two countries together.
“The activities that we see in villages surrounding these two districts, Isoka and Chitipa, are very common that when these villages are cut off due to heavy rains, cultural businesses come to a standstill.
“Additionally, the theme itself, reminds us all that the policies of free primary education implemented in Zambia and Malawi are a testimony that we are one despite these borders. The culture from both countries is rich and common,” he said.
Bulambya-Lusayo Cultural Festival organising secretary Winford Mogha concluded with how the cultural event was spiced up by traditional dances and a feast of local foods.
“People enjoyed traditional dances such as mabenenga and mwinoghe. And again, people enjoyed the local foods such as Ichipipi which is made from pounded fresh maize wrapped with banana leaves and Inthela which is cooked by mixing fresh maize and beans.
“Patrons also had a taste of local beer, Ichimphumu,” he said.
