Public Group
African is colourful with different and interesting cultures. This group features the different African culture and their significance to the African society.
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There are many strong beliefs and cultural practices amongst the Africans, of which some can be very weird and inhuman. There is a festival for the dead believed and practised in the Chewa community which is very shocking.
The Chewa or AChewa are a Bantu tribe mostly found in Malawi and are closely related to people in surrounding regions such as the Tumbuka and Nsenga. They have a general language called Chichewa and internationally, they are mainly known for their masks and their secret societies called Nyau and also their agricultural techniques. They are also found in Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Looking at the Chewa tribe where a festival is held for the dead and it’s uniquely cared for. During the burial ceremony of a tribe member, it is the Chewa custom for the body of the deceased to be washed.
The body of the deceased is taken to a sacred place where the cleansing is done by slitting the throat of the corpse and water is poured through the insides of the corpse and then taken out from the anal region of the body but it doesn’t end there.
The most shocking part of the whole process is that the water that has been extracted from the dead body after several cleansing is collected and used to prepare a meal for the whole community as they believe that the dead has been cleaned up of his or her iniquities.
The people of Chewa community believe that death is not a natural phenomenon, that it is usually caused by witchcraft and as such when someone dies, the whole village shows up. They believe that witchcraft only works on family members and those who might have killed a person would be scared to attend the funeral, which is mandatory for all family members to attend the funeral hence the entire village attends since they are generally related.
However, to the Chewa people, funerals are not just to mourn the dead, but also they are regarded as huge social gatherings where the people get to eat, drink beer, and socialize by meeting people.
Moreso, looking at the culture and tradition of the Chewa people, the tribe women have a special place in the Chewa society and belief as they are recognized as reproducers of the lineage ‘Bele’ meaning “descended from the same breast, which is an extended family of people related to the same ancestors. Also when crops are sold, the money from sale belongs to the woman of the house.
The Chewa village is led by a headman called the Mfumu, as one who aspires to be in the position must be of good character and conduct. The village headmen and headwomen are subordinates to regional chiefs called the Mwini Dziko, as they are also answerable to Paramount Chiefs.
The Chewa tribe have a cultural, spiritual, and social background that differentiates them from other ethnic groups in Malawi, in that when the name Chewa is mentioned, it translates to a Masquerade dance known as ‘Gule wa mkulu’, in the minds of many people. They have a population of about 1.5 million in Malawi and in neighbouring Zambia.
