Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0230/02302.txt

Text File | 1991-06-25 | 24KB | 408 lines

$Unique_ID{COW02302}
$Pretitle{372}
$Title{Malawi
Chapter 7C.   Visual Arts and Crafts}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Harold D. Nelson, Maragita Dobert, Gordon C. McDonald, James McLaughlin, Barbara Marvin, Doanld P. Whitaker}
$Affiliation{HQ, Department of the Army}
$Subject{malawi
dance
government
dances
foreign
published
radio
1970s
broadcasting
mbc}
$Date{1973}
$Log{Table 6.*0230201.tab
}
Country:     Malawi
Book:        Malawi, A Country Study
Author:      Harold D. Nelson, Maragita Dobert, Gordon C. McDonald, James McLaughlin, Barbara Marvin, Doanld P. Whitaker
Affiliation: HQ, Department of the Army
Date:        1973

Chapter 7C.   Visual Arts and Crafts

     The carving of wood or stone figures appears to have been of little
importance to the various ethnic groups that now populate Malawi. The use of
wood or stone was utilitarian, and the aesthetic possibilities received scant
attention in the working of those materials for everyday purposes. Pipe stems
and bowls, knife scabbards, and the handles of various other articles were
frequently carved, but the work was generally rough. An exception was in the
making of wood masks for various ceremonial and ritual dances.

     The talent for carving existed, however, and was soon employed after the
arrival of the Europeans in the late 1800s to fashion for sale elaborate
walking sticks, dolls, and figures of birds and animals. In 1974 human figures
and other objects were carved from wood, ivory, and stone; the main purpose
seemed to be for the tourist trade. The carvings showed high aesthetic
qualities, but Malawian sculptors and their works remained little known in the
West, and no sculptor had as yet attained international repute.

     Rock paintings occur at numerous sites, particularly in the central and
northern parts of the country. They are found on rock faces, in rock shelters,
and also in shallow caves. Those believed of earlier dates are naturalistic,
whereas later paintings are mainly schematic, consisting of circles, line
combinations, and various other abstract motifs. Colors are usually shades of
red and white, and in many cases a time sequence is evident, red colors often
being older, although the color used apparently depended to some extent upon
available local materials.

     The paintings all show close affinities to similar ones found in Zambia.
They are believed to have had primarily a ritualistic or magical purpose,
contrasting strongly in this and in their style with the decorative Bushman
art found south of the Zambezi River. Age estimates of extant paintings placed
the earliest abott the time of the Maravi migration to the region (see ch. 2).
Present-day oral history attributes them to the pygmoid Kafula who inhabited
the area at that time.

     There was little evidence of the painting or pictorial ornamentation of
objects or of huts and other structures by the Bantu-speaking ethnic groups
that entered Malawi in historic times. In the 1970s the emphasis on practical
studies appeared to leave little room for art education, but some Malawians
have presumably acquired a knowledge of Western painting techniques-evening
art classes, for instance, were offered at an expatriate secondary school in
Blantyre-and paintings were reportedly on sale to tourists.

     Traditional handicrafts, including baskets, mats, gourds, and pottery,
continued to be fabricated for daily use. Decorated forms and ornaments such
as bead necklaces were produced for the tourist trade. Bark cloth, which in
ordinary use has long been superseded by cotton materials, was also made for
the same purpose.

Music and Dance

     As in many African societies, Malawi has a wide variety of traditional
dances and of songs, which invariably accompany dancing. Such songs are
usually characterized by improvisation. Originally limited to particular
ethnic groups, certain traditional dances have become nationally known. They
regularly form part of the program at celebrations and events of national
significance, when they are performed by dance troupes from the different
areas of the country. The earlier functional association of some dances has
disappeared with changing external conditions, for instance the ingoma (war
dance) of the Ngoni, which has become purely a vehicle for enjoyment. In other
cases, as that of the vinyao (initiation ceremonies of Chewa boys), a dance
may continue to be used for its traditional purpose as well as for mass
entertainment (see ch. 5).

     Dancers of the northern Ngoni ingoma are attired in battle regalia of
skins and feathered headgear and carry the Ngoni shield and spear as well as
war club. Particularly notable is the precision and unison of the dance, which
is performed without drums and is accompanied only by the rhythmic singing and
handclapping of the women.

     The modern entertainment version of the vinyao, also known as the gule wa
mkulu (big dance), evolved from dances at initiation rites (still carried out
in the 1970s), funeral ceremonies, and the installation of Chewa chiefs. The
dance was originally practiced in secret to hide the identity of the dancers,
and to some extent this practice continued in the public performances. A
grotesque mask and feathered headgear are worn, the body is daubed with mud or
ash, and the torso is usually covered in varying degrees by bark or skin
raiments. To further protect identity, disguised voices are used both in
singing and speaking. Movement is very energetic and involves acrobatic feats
and the use of much physical exertion. At one stage a group of dancers enters
disguised as animals. Their outfits of woven grass and reeds are highly
artistic, and the performers mime the actual movement of the animal
represented. Drums and handclapping set the rhythm, and performers may dance
individually or in groups. One leads the singing, and the audience responds as
a chorus.

     Traditionally, younger persons were not permitted in the vinyao, and new
members were put through strenuous tests before being given the group's
password. This secrecy was a major element causing a belief in a connection
between the dancer and the spirits. This same belief existed in the case of
the vimbuza or masawe dance of the Northern Region's Tumbuka and Tonga and the
Chewa of the Central Region, which was danced to expel evil spirits causing
hallucinations and other psychological disturbances. As a result these dances
were particularly castigated as sinful by the early Christian missionaries.

     Two of Malawi's most popular traditional dances, both in the local and
national context, originated only in the 1900s. These were the malipenga
(gourd trumpets) dance performed by men and the chiwoda, danced usually by
women. The malipenga was developed in the Nkhata Bay area after World War I
by returning members of the King's African Rifles and spread from there to
many other parts of the country. It is performed by a regularly organized
group known as a boma, divided into three main sections. One section (the
officers) carries walking sticks, and the other two consist of bass and tenor
gourd trumpets, respectively. A large military-band-style drum accompanied by
two smaller ones provides the rhythmic cadence. A characteristic of the dance
is its smartness and precision. In the 1970s malipenga dancing was highly
competitive, and contests were held from time to time involving as many as ten
or more boma.

     The chiwoda appears to have evolved from the male malipenga dance and,
like the latter, also has the organized boma structure. It was considerably
influenced initially in its development, however, by older traditional dances
for women. Subsequently modifications in steps were introduced from Western
dances, such as the twist, and the outfits worn have changed as women's styles
changed. Frequently females from six years to middle age or older were
arbitrarily made members of the village dance boma, and failure to participate
might have undesirable repercussions. The dance performances were used during
the 1950s and