Why Is Gule Wamkulu The Great Dance In Mayau

Malawi being one of the poorest countries in Africa also holds a high percentage of people living with HIV/AIDS. This is due to the high level of illiteracy and harmful cultural practices which are still being followed in some parts in the country. As a result, awareness campaigns are organised in order to warn people against the dangers of HIV and how it can be prevented. Two years ago I witnessed an HIV/AIDS awareness campaign among the Chewa tribe in Lilongwe rural area. These awareness campaigns have become a part of Chewa traditions because it is one of most affected tribe in Malawi. One of the means which was used to warn people against the dangers of HIV at this ceremony was Gule wamkulu (Great dance).This essay will therefore, talk
The dance is performed during weddings, initiations ceremonies, funerals, harvesting ceremonies, national football matches and national celebrations. That is why Gule wamkulu is well known among other cultures in the country. Gule wamkulu is performed by initiated members of Nyau brother hood. This is a secret cult and the secrets of the cult are carefully guarded by the initiated members. The Chewa people believe in ancestral spirits and that they talk to them through the Nyau dancers. Whenever they want to perform, they wear masks of animals, curved wood or sacks and when they are in their costumes they are addressed as “Virombo” (wild animals). Whosoever addresses them as munthu (a person) is beaten severely or penalised. When the Gule wamkulu dancers are in their costumes, no one knows who they are not even their family members. It is kept a secret by the members of the brotherhood. They believe that if their identity is known, the gods will be angry with them so they keep it that way to avoid the wrath of the ancestors. It also believed that once their secret is revealed they lose their powers. The Gule wamkulu consists of a number of characters. This depends on the event and the message that it wants to deliver to the people from the ancestral spirits. When Gule wamkulu is in the dance arena, the dancers raise dust as a symbol of evoking the
When it was time for Gule wamkulu, a character called “Chiwau” (the one who was burnt) entered the dancing arena to share his message to the audience. Chiwau is commonly recognised by the red mask he wears. Sometimes the mask is vertically separated. One side it is painted white and the other side is painted red. The red part indicates the burnt side while the white part indicates the normal, healthy part of him. By looking at the costume alone, one is able to figure out what the message is all about. Chiwau is said to be the sing’anga (medicine man) but instead of doing his job in helping people, he indulges in extramarital affairs with various women at the pretence of helping them. So when Chiwau is in the dancing arena the men sing to explain what happened to him. They sing “Chiwau was burned, he was pretending to go to work, but he got himself in trouble by sleeping with women. Look at Chiwau now he is dying. They continue to sing don’t be like Chiwau who destroyed his life. This is to say that using Chiwau’s story and dance, Gule wamkulu manages to pass the message to the audience that engaging in extra marital affairs is very dangerous and they should refrain from it. The red part of his face acts as a metaphor as it symbolises the actual blood in his body which has been attacked by the virus due to his indiscipline