Kungoni Cultural Centre, is a historic site located at Mua Mission, Mtakataka in Dedza District with a driving force for the growth of domestic tourism in Malawi.
Founded in 1976, by Father Claude Boucher originally from Canada who died in August this year.
This Majestic centre is the museum that Malawians are supposed to visit as there is no any better place that people can understand and experience Malawi’s history and deep rooted culture of our tribes than this one
Dr. Ken Lipenga is a recognised authority in travel, with an illustrious career in tourism and has told ProjectM that Kungoni, is without doubt the finest museum in Malawi adding that the creativity and vision behind the idea of this trail are exceptional.
He said: “This place has profoundly stood as the nation’s leading institution dedicated to celebrating and preserving the best of Malawian arts and Culture. This magnificent trail falls as a stand out site with significant potential to capture both domestic and international interest. As such there is a need to encourage the private sector to replicate this place in other parts of the country to further boost the industry.
‘’To attract more tourists, we must make a greater effort to protect the Malawi that attracts tourists, the authenticity of our culture and the richness of our natural resources. This include our budget; hence, allocating more to conservation to protect our mountains, rivers, Cultural centres, lakes, just to mention a few.”
The former Cabinet Minister and Parliamentarian, said the area is important because the artefacts are a good record of the cultural history of Malawi.
He said the centre depicts the cultural practices of the Chewa, Ngoni and Yao people who are found in the area.
‘’Some of the images found in sculpture and painting , reflect the concept of enculturation; namely: the adaptation of Christian liturgy to a non-Christian cultural background and this might be an attempt to make Christianity more readily accepted to locals by dressing it in African garb or trying to marry it to African traditions.”
Lipenga said the good news for Malawi is that Kungoni Carvings have now found their way into some fine galleries in Europe and North America, thereby contributing significantly to the local economy.
He shared that the centre is already contributing significantly to Malawi’s tourism by attracting many locals and international visitors and as such there is a need to encourage the private investors to replicate Kungoni in other parts of the country to further boost the industry.
When she recently embarked on the incredible journey to Sapitwa, the highest peak on Mulanje Mountain, Minister of Tourism Vera Kamtukule urged Malawians to patronise tourist attractions in the country, share their stories and the exceptional experiences that Malawi offers to make this tourism month truly remarkable.
Tourism is a multi-billion dollar industry for any country in the world and as such, it is high time that cultural places like the Kungoni Cultural Centre and all tourist attractions in the country are being promoted and marketed enough internationally to further boost the high quality development of tourism in the country.
