Cool Stuff no. 3: Africa

 Music Of Malawi 

    Hello, welcome back to my blog! I hope everyone is doing well. Today, I will be talking about Malawi, Africa but before we start I'm going to introduce you to a bit of history. Malawi consist of three cultural heritage which is British, African, and American. With this in mind, this music has been spread throughout Africa. Malawian music beginner in World War II. When the war was over the guitar and banjo were more popular traditional music. Over the years; this type of music started to spread and blend together with different types of music styles. Moving forward, I hope you enjoy the rest of the blog!

Gule Wamkulu (translate to "Great Dance")

One of the many things that intrigued me about this dance is how spiritual they are with this dance. Gule Wamkulu has been inherited from past tribes. They are performed in initiation ceremonies, funerals, as well as the placing of a new chief, and many more events. Many of the Chewa, considered the Great Dance to be their religion. In the article, I read "Chewa believe that life exists not only with the living but also within their ancestors and those not yet born" 

In the video, you are able to see the performances have a mask in a form of antelopes and many more other animals. The people believe that the mask is a way to be able to capture the spirit of the deceased that came to renewed life. When they dance it is a way they send messages to their ancestors. I hope you enjoy the video!

Chewa - is a Bantu ethnic group native centra and southern Africa and the largest ethnic group in Malami. 


The Banjo Bands of Malawi

Some of the original instruments the Chewa played is the guitar and banjo. Many of the traditional music stared to change when Malawians works worked in the mines. One of the things that I found interesting about this band is that these young boys would make their own banjos and guitars. They would make them out of strings, sticks, and bottles. In the video below you can hear the amazing rhythms and harmony. They have great skill and creativity. I hope you enjoy it! 


Masks in Malaki

Going back to Gule Wamkuludcc the custom they use in the dances are quite insteresting. The people call them wamkulu characters or struture. In the article I readed they said "masked and woven character represeent the ancestors of the people who have come back to the land of the living to instruct the community in proper behavior". The characters are made up of woven grasses and bamboo with thier own message. In the picture below you are able to see the differnt styles and colors they are made up of. It's instresting to see how the masks are ment to bring together people. I hope you enjoy my blog! Thankyou!


 Chuma cha ana

Sourses: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Malawi 

https://www.earth-cultures.com/cultures/people-of-malawi 

https://www.elderly.com/products/the-banjo-bands-of-malawi

https://www.museum.msu.edu/?exhibition=great-dance


Comments

  1. EmorieOctober 5, 2020 at 11:27 AM

    Really great blog! When I was reading what you posted, I was intrigued by the Gule Wamkulu. What I love about it was that they way of the dance, is how they send messages to their ancestors, and that they wear masks in the form of antelopes. I think that it is very neat, and that the reason they wear the mask is absolutely beautiful. Another thing that I liked about your blog was the Banjo Bands, I really enjoyed watching the video, and listening to the instrument!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Alycia RebolledoOctober 5, 2020 at 9:14 PM

    Your blog was so good! I loved the first video; their footwork is impeccable. I love watching dance videos because I can't dance, but watching someone else dance is always so interesting to me. The costume with the fur and multiple people under made me instantly think about the dragon dancing you see in Chinese culture. You were right about the rhythm and harmony with the banjo bands; I instantly started moving!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Chasidy RoachOctober 5, 2020 at 9:40 PM

    I loved your blog! I found the Gule Mamkulu very interesting. The masks look really cool and I love that the dance is a super spiritual for them. I just can' get over that the masks are made of woven grasses and bamboo. I feel like that would take so long to make because those masks look pretty big!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sierra StilesOctober 5, 2020 at 11:29 PM

    Your blog was awesome! I had never heard of the malawi until i read about it here and the masks were amazing to look at and i loved watching the dance.

    ReplyDelete

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