Friends of Malawi: Learn About Malawi: About Malawian Culture (original) (raw)

Perhaps the oldest form of music and dance in Malawi comes from the Gule Wamkulu religion (Gule Wamkulu basically means “the big dance”). A very secretive religion, Gule dancers believe that they are able to summon the spirits of animals or dead relatives. A drummer helps to control the Gule Wamkulu dancer as he or she summons the spirit through dance and mischievous behavior. Human spirits are summoned to communicate with relatives and to seek advice from elders. Animal spirits represent the negative side of the Gule Wamkulu religion—in fact, many Malawians will translate the word “Gule” as “beast.” These beasts are mischievous animals who represent what the living should not do. There are over 150 Gule Wamkulu characters, each with a specific story and purpose.

Another popular form of dance practiced in the villages is Chitalele. Chitalele is mostly performed for entertainment on full-moon nights by young girls, but also is used as a form of inter-village competition. Teams of girls travel to neighboring villages to see which village has more talented dancers. Unlike Gule Wamkulu, which is mostly performed to percussion accompaniment, Chitalele involves call-and-response songs and syncopated hand clapping performed by the dancers. Dances might call for participants to perform various movements in unison, or center around a pair or individual performing in the center.

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