Malawi

The name "Malawi" comes from the Maravi, a Bantu people who immigrated from the southern Congo around 1400 AD. Upon reaching northern Lake Malawi, the group divided, with one group moving south down the west bank of the lake to become the tribe known as the Chewa, while the other group, the ancestors of today's Nyanja tribe, moved along the east side of the lake to the southern section of Malawi. Tribal conflict and continuing migration prevented the formation of a society that was uniquely and cohesively Malawian until the dawn of the 20th century. Over the past century, tribal and ethnic distinctions have diminished to the point where there is no significant tribal friction, although regional divisions still occur. The concept of a Malawian nationality has begun to form around a predominantly rural people who are generally conservative and traditionally nonviolent.
The Malawian flag is made up of three equal horizontal stripes of black, red and green with a red rising sun superimposed in the center of the black stripe. The black stripe represents the African people, the red represents the blood of martyrs for African freedom, green represents Malawi's ever-green nature and the rising sun represents the dawn of freedom and hope for Africa.
A strong part of Malawi's culture is its dances, and the National Dance Troupe (formerly the Kwacha Cultural Troupe) was formed in November 1987 by the government. Traditional music and dances can be seen at initiation rites, rituals, marriage ceremonies and celebrations. Soccer is the most common sport in Malawi, introduced there during British colonial rule. Basketball is also growing in popularity. The native tribes of Malawi have a rich tradition of basketry and mask carving, and some of these goods are used in traditional ceremonies still performed by native peoples. Wood carving and oil painting are also popular in more urban centers, with many of the items produced being sold to tourists. There are several internationally recognized literary figures from Malawi, including poet Jack Mapanje, history and fiction writer Paul Zeleza and authors Legson Kayira, Felix Mnthali, Frank Chipasula and David Rubadiri
Malawi is often called the "warm heart of Africa." because of the warms and friendliness of the people. Malawians typically live with their extended families in huts that are grouped together in villages. A spirit of cooperation prevails as family members share both work and resources.

Malawi has a population of about 10,000,416 (July 1999 est.), with 90% of the population living in the rural areas, and population growth rate of 1.57% (1999 est.).

The Malawi people are of Bantu origin with the ethnic groups including Chewa, Nyanja, Yao, Tumbuka, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian and European.

The Chichewa (Chewa) people forming the largest part of population group and are largely in the central and southern parts of the country.

The Yao people are predominately found around the southern area of Lake Malawi.

Tumbuka are found mainly in the north of the country.

There are very small populations of Asian and European people living mainly in the cities.
LANGUAGES

English is the official language and is very widely spoken, particularly in main towns, but sometimes also in remote rural areas.

Chichewa/Chinyanja
Chichewa, is the common national tongue widely used throughout the country where, from 1968 until recently, it has served as the national language.


Of the other languages spoken in Malawi, Tumbuka is spoken by about 500,000 people in the north, and Yao is spoken by about 600,000 people in the south.
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RELIGION

Religious Groups

The Chewa people, who form the largest part of the population predominantly Christian/Protestant and the Yao people are mainly Muslim

the religious groups in Malawi can be broken down aproximately as follow:
Protestant 55%
Muslim 20%
Roman Catholic 20%
for traditional indigenous beliefs and other minor religions 5%
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COOKING & RECIPES

The staple diet is white maize eaten with vegetables and, on occasion, fish or meat.

Nsima - Staple Food

Mbatata Biscuits - sweet potato

Malawian Desserts - recipes including
Nthochi (banana) Bread
Mbatata (sweet potato) Cookies
Mtedza (peanut) Puffs
Zitumbuwa (banana fritters)
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MUSIC

The music traditions of Malawi are rich with cultural influences that include those of the Zulu Ngoni people from South Africa, the Islamic Yao people of Tanzania and others.

Most tribes have their own individual songs and dances. Common musical instruments found include drums, the mambilira, (which is similar to the western xylophone) rattles of different types and sizes, shakers which are tied to dancers' legs and arms and are often know as maseche.
Chichewa to English phrases
• hello --- moni
• how are you ? --- muli bwanji ?
• I am fine --- ndiri bwino
• Thank you --- zikomo
• I am happy --- ndakondwa/ndili wokondwa/ndasangalala/ndili wosangalala
• I am sick/ill --- ndikudwala
• I have arrived --- ndafika
• I have departed - ndanyamuka
• I am tired - ndatopa
• I love you --- ndimakukonda/ndimakukondani
• I love you too --- ndimakukondanso/ndimakukondaninso
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• God --- Mulungu/Chauta/Namalenga
• person --- munthu
• father --- bambo
• mother --- mayi
• child --- mwana
• boy --- mnyamata
• girl --- mtsikana
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• garment --- chobvala (shirt, dress etc)
• shorts --- kabudula
• chilundu --- a piece of cloth wrapped round the waist covering from waist down.
• shoe(s) --- nsapato
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• house --- nyumba
• aeroplane - ndege
• village --- mudzi
• country --- dziko
• way/ path --- njira
• road --- nseu
• bicycle --- njinga
• car --- galimoto
• plane --- ndenge
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• eating - kudya
• food --- chakudya
• water --- madzi
• beer --- mowa
• meat --- nyama
• rice --- mpunga
• corn/maize --- chimanga
• fish --- nsomba
• salt --- mchere
• pepper --- tsabola
• tobacco --- fodya
• smoking - kusuta
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• money --- ndalama
• ndalama zingati ? --- how much ? ( asking for a price of a commodity )
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• lion --- mkango
• elephant --- njobvu
• zebra --- mbidzi
• buffalo --- njati
• crocodile --- ng'ona
• hippo --- mvuwu/bokho
• hare kalulu
• dog --- galu
• cat --- mphaka/chona/chome
• bird --- mbalame
• chicken --- nkhuku
• snake --- njoka
• frog --- chule
• toad --- finye
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• tree --- mtengo
• chair --- mpando
• fence --- mpanda
• hoe handle --- mpini
• sarvior --- mpulumutsi
• knife --- mpeni
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• cave --- phanga
• wing --- phiko
• germinate --- phuka
• parcel --- phukusi
• cook (verb) --- phika
• shoulder --- phewa
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• run away --- thawa
• buttock --- thako
• a tale --- nthano
• solid rock --- thanthwe
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• bed --- kama
• to milk --- kukama
• hoe --- khasu
• ear --- khutu
• pig --- nkhumba
• fire wood --- nkhuni
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• to eat --- kudya
• to buy --- kugula
• to want --- kufuna
• to walk --- kuyenda
• to go --- kupita
• to sleep --- kugona
• to write --- kulemba
• to think --- kuganiza
• to steal --- kuba
• to drink --- kumwa
• to sing --- kuyimba
• to dance --- kuvina
• to jump --- kulumpha/kudumpha
• to walk --- kuyenda
• to laugh --- kuseka
• to read--- kuwerenga
• to runkuthamanga
• to lie --- kunama
• to put --- kuika
• to doubt --- kukayika
• to go --- kupita
• to come --- kubwera
• to send --- kutumiza
• to receive --- kulandira
• to hide --- kubisa
• to complain --- kudandaula
BACKGROUND ON CHICHEWA AND RELATED LANGUAGES
Chichewa is a language of the Bantu language family, spoken in parts of East, Central, and Southern Africa. It is spoken in Malawi where, from 1968 until recently, it has served as the national language. It is also spoken in Mozambique, especially in the provinces of Tete and Niassa, in Zambia (especially in the Eastern Province), as well as in Zimbabwe where, according to some estimates, it ranks as the third most widely used local language, after Shona and Ndebele. The countries of Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique constitute the central location of Chichewa.
Because of the national language policy adopted by the Malawi government, which promoted Chichewa through active educational programs, media usage and, other research activities carried out under the auspices of the Chichewa Board, out of a population of around 9 million, upwards of 65% have functional literacy or active command of this language.
In Mozambique, the language goes by the name of Chinyanja, and it is native to 3.3% of a population numbering approximately 11.5 million . In Tete province it is spoken by 41.7% of a population of 777,426 and, it is the first language of 7.2% of the population of Niassa province, whose population totals 506,974 (see Firmino, 1995).
In Zambia with a population of 9.1 million, Chinyanja is the first language of 16% of the population and is used and/or understood by at least 42% of the population, according to a survey conducted in 1978 (cf. Kashoki, M 1978). It is one of the main languages of Zambia, ranking second after Chibemba. In fact, out of the 9.1m people of that country, it is esitimated that 36% are Bemba, 18% Nyanja, 15% Tonga, 8% Barotze, and the remainder consisting of the other ethnic groups including the Mombwe, Tumbuka, and the Northwestern peoples (see Kalipeni, 1996).
The figures show that at least upwards of 6 million people have fluent command of Chichewa/Chinyanja. As indicated, the language is identified by the label Chinyanja, certainly in all the countries mentioned above except, until recently, in Malawi. It is commonplace to see many publications or former school examinations that refer to the language as Chinyanja/Chichewa. The factors that led to such multiplicity of labels should probably be spelt out in order to appreciate the situation. This demands comment on some aspect of the history and origins of the language.
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HISTORY OF THE ACHEWA
The people who speak Chi-Chewa, known as A-Chewa, trace their origins to a group of people known as the Maravi (according to some Portuguese records) who migrated from the lower basin of the Congo in Central Africa and eventually settled in the land mass now covered by Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Pushed by wars, disease and other maladies from the Congo area the Maravi were the first group of Bantu peoples to move and settle in present day Malawi in the 16th century. Other Bantu groups such as the Tumbuka, Tonga, Yao, Lomwe, and Ngoni moved into Malawi long after the Maravi group had successfully established itself (see Kalipeni, E. 1996). According to Young (1949), the Maravi are by lineage the aristocrats of this part of Africa. The label Chewa was, according to some accounts, one they acquired during a sojourn in Zambia before they pressed on and made their way into Malawi. According to Kamuzu Banda, the former President of the Republic of Malawi, the name Chewa derives from the word Cheva or Sheva or Seva which was applied to them as a migrating group and had the meaning of "foreigner". The name was apparently adopted and subsequent phonological changes resulted in the word Chewa, with the language becoming Chichewa.
The leader of these Chewa, who led them into Malawi, was Kalonga and, he founded in Malawi what later came to be called the Maravi empire. In Malawi he established his headquarters or seat in a place called Mankhamba. Once settled, he decided to extend his influence by acquiring more land and have it settled by his subjects. To this end he despatched a number of his matrineal relatives to establish settlements in various parts of the country. Among the relatives who travelled on were such chiefs as Mwase, who moved into the area called Kasungu, Kaphwiti and Lunda who settled in the Lower Shire Valley. As they spread throughout the central and southern part of the country, into eastern Zambia and, into parts of Mozambique, including along the Zambezi River, their language spread too.
The dispersion of Kalonga's relatives and the ensuing Chewa diaspora resulted in a proliferation of regional varieties of the language. The distinct names that the regional varieies acquired created the impression of the existence of a multiplicity of ethnic groups. Some of the groups identified themselves by making reference to significant features of their habitat. For instance, nearly 20% of the land mass of Malawi is covered by a huge lake which ranks as the third largest lake in Africa, after Victoria, Nyanza, and Lake Tanganyika, and is the twelfth largest in the world. From the southern tip of this lake flows a river, the Shire River, which runs through southern Malawi into Mozambique where it flows into the Zambezi River. In the early version of the Chewa diaspora, some of the people settled along the shores of the lake and along the Shire River, while others moved into the Malawi hinterland. The Chichewa word for a large expanse of water is nyanja, and the word for tall grass (savanna) is chipeta. The people who settled along the lakeshores and along the banks of the Shire River referred to themselves as aNyanja, the "lake people", and their particular variety of Chichewa came to be called Chi-Nyanja, or simply Nyanja, the language of the lake people. Those who moved into the interior, the area of tall grass, called themselves aChipeta, the dwellers of the savanna land.
The adoption of these labels, reflecting significant features of their environment, began to obscure the nature of their relationship, except by similarity of their languages. The situation got further complicated by the introduction of yet other variations to the labels. Thus, when the Portuguese began to move into the interior from South-Eastern Africa in the seventeenth century, they came across such ethnic groups as the Xhosa, the Nyika, the Tchangani, etc., who referred to themselves as amaXhosa, amaNyika, amaTchangani, etc. Apparently when the Portuguese encountered aChewa living in Mozambique, who had already adopted the label of aNyanja, they modelled their terminology on the morphological structure of the names of the other ethnic groups they had encountered and thus referred to them as amaNyanja (see Banda, 1974). Then, under the influence of Portuguese phonology, the sound ny, a palatal nasal, got velarized to ng. This gave rise to an ostensibly nondistinct and nonexistent ethnic group of amaNg'anja, whose language was called Chi-mang'anja. This label remained in use and, for many years, contributed to the rather erroneous view that they were a separate ethnic group whose language just happened to be similar to Chinyanja and Chichewa.
Meanwhile, the Chewa who had settled around the southern end of Lake Malawi and spread into the southeast of Malawi to the area surrounding Lake Chirwa and to the Mozambique part of the shores of Lake Malawi, encountered another ethnic group, aYao. The Yao word for a large expanse of water is nyasa. The Yao referred to these Nyanja people a-Nyasa. That original dispersion had come to give rise to groups identified as aChewa, aChipeta, amaNg'anja, aNyanja, and aNyasa. The last designation appears to have contributed to British colonialists' eventual designation of the country as Nyasaland. The story goes that the British adventurer or explorer who "discovered" the lake happened to have arrived there in a predominantly Yao speaking part of the country. An inquiry into the name of the lake which, unfortunately, took the form, "What do you call that?," elicited the response, "Nyasa," the Yao word for 'lake' or 'sea' or simply 'large expanse of water'. From that, without hint of irony, the lake got its name of Lake Nyasa and, the country around it got its name of Nyasaland, which it had until independence in 1964, when the name of Malawi, the modern pronunciation of the erstwhile Maravi, was then restored. After independence the lake became Lake Malawi, at least within Malawi.
For political reasons that will be touched upon below, Tanzania did not adopt the label, as it refused to acknowledge Malawi's sovereignity over the entire lake. As a result, in Tanzania the lake continues to be called Lake Nyasa, a fact that is dutifully recorded in the maps that are sold in Tanzania. Map publishers who target both Tanzania and Malawi markets resolve the problem of choice of name for the lake by labeling it Lake Nyasa/Lake Malawi. The same political differences account for the retention of the label Chinyanja in all the other countries except Malawi, a topic to be taken up directly.

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