Connect with us

Culture

The Dying Nyau Masquerades of Malawi

Published

on

Nyau is a secret society of the Chewa, an ethnic tribe of the Bantu.

The Nyau consist of initiates that are regarded as mature members of the society. The Nyau society is made up of people from the Chewa and Nyanja people.

Whenever the Nyau performs with the mask, women and children run away into their houses because they are considered fierce representing male knowledge.

There are men that wear the masks and are considered as the spirits of the dead. And understandably as spirits, the masquerades may act with impunity and allegedly there have been attacks and deaths during performances in the past. But due to westernization, the activities of the Nyau has reduced.

This Nyau tradition is very old and dates as far back as the 17th century and their belief includes communication with the dead. And they also believe that God is present in every life form. They believe that God is both male and female. The male god is in the sky and the female is on earth.

Read also: Ancient village that predates pharaohs discovered in Egypt

The initiation of men into the secret society starts with the men living in a wooded grove where dead people have been buried in the past. They scare people who try to interview them by saying in their native tongue ‘you are now playing with fire you will get burnt’.

Typically, the Nyau perform their masked dances during burial ceremonies, memorials or during their initiations.

Girls are also initiated into this society, for them, it is called Chinamwali.

During the dance, each person represents the mask of the animals which they wear. There is a hierarchy in the different forms of structures worn and the wilder the animal the fiercer their performance.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Culture

South African Jazz great Abdullah Ibrahim to embark on world tour at age 90

Published

on

Renowned South African jazz master and pianist, Abdullah Ibrahim, is set to embark on an unprecedented world tour to celebrate his extraordinary career which has spanned more than seven decades, as well as celebrate his 90th birthday which comes up on October 9.

Ibrahim’s management team which announced the planned tour on Wednesday, said the tour will also be marked with Ibrahim’s 90th birthday which will also showcase his dexterity as a jazz musician.

Music writer, Christine Lucia, who has followed Ibrahim’s career for more than 30 years and has studied the iconic star’s work as well as published research articlesabout him, said the planned tour was a way of letting the world have a feel of him in his twilight years.

A profile of the distinguished pianist reveals that he was born on 9 October 1934 in Cape Town.

Ibrahim grew up in Cape Town’s District Six and his compositions are characterized by his upbringing and his experiences with racism and political upheaval.

His music has evolved over seven decades, reflecting social change and personal introspection.

Ibrahim is the finest jazz pianist-composer that South Africa has ever produced and has been described as the country’s equivalent of the US jazz star, Duke Ellington, because his “legacy lies not only in his live performances or multiple recordings but also in his large number of compositions.”

“He was brought up going by the name Dollar Brand and was shaped personally by his mixed-race parentage and by growing up in the mixed-race area of central Cape Town formerly known as District Six,” Lucia wrote about the star.

“He was shaped by the violent political landscape of racism and oppression. As a young man he was also shaped by his conversion to Islam in 1968, which is when he took the name Abdullah Ibrahim, and by his practice of martial arts and Zen, a form of Buddhism.”

Continue Reading

Culture

Wizkid, Davido’s online battle gets nasty as they exchange ‘dirty’ tweets

Published

on

The online battle between two of Nigeria’s biggest music stars, Ayodeji Balogun, aka Wizkid, and David Adedeji, popularly known as Davido, has continued to generate more controversies as the two have refused to back down, going as far as exchanging insulting tweets.

The fight between the two superstars was reignited on Monday when Wizkid threw a shade at Davido while responding to a fan’s request on X for a new music.

Wizkid reportedly posted a leaked video of Davido begging someone believed to be a female associate.

While on it, the Grammy award-winning singer also dissed the successful music producer and label owner, Don Jazzy, calling him a social media ‘influencer’.

The post generated serious uproar on the micro-blogging platform, with fans of both music stars taking up sides and attacking one another.

In response, Davido, on Monday night, dropped a series of cryptic tweets believed to be responses to the “Ojuelegba” crooner.

In one of the tweets, Davido said:

“Dem no know your Gbedu”, which many believed was aimed at Wizkid who said he had earlier hinted that he would drop his much anticipated ‘Morayo’ album in May.

Davido followed up with another tweet:

“When light comes, darkness vanishes. Let get active.”

He went further by posting a video of his wife, Chioma, with the caption, “They were trying to distract us, baby no mind dem”.

Wizkid took up the challenge with his own tweet which came with a dig:

“U and all ur crew plus ur pant washer songwriter go to sleep at night thinking you got anything on me in music 🤣😂 wish u all well ✌️”

He followed it up with another tweet:

“U know what..no point. delusional niggas 😇 pray for y’all.”

Davido quickly responded with another tweet:

“WE NOT DELUSIONAL YOU’RE A SICK MAN,” which was a confirmation that there is no love lost between both Afrobeat stars.

Continue Reading

EDITOR’S PICK

Metro1 hour ago

Religious leader, Luchile, notes improvements in media freedom but faults online media abuse

In this ongoing conversation to amplify voices on media freedoms, freedom of speech, and digital rights, we feature, Maxwell Luchile,...

Video2 hours ago

Video: Uganda’s Museveni urges African leaders to verify true motives behind IMF, W’Bank loans

In this video, Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni, urged African leaders to verify the true intentions of multilateral lending institutions towards...

VenturesNow7 hours ago

Nigerian banks close over two million accounts

At least two million bank accounts have been closed by different commercial banks in Nigeria following the failure of their...

Tech19 hours ago

Tanzania’s horticultural industry gets $2.1m grant from TradeMark Africa to boost market expansion

The Tanzanian horticultural industry has recieved a grant of $2.1 million from TradeMark Africa to enable it boost its market...

Culture20 hours ago

South African Jazz great Abdullah Ibrahim to embark on world tour at age 90

Renowned South African jazz master and pianist, Abdullah Ibrahim, is set to embark on an unprecedented world tour to celebrate...

Sports21 hours ago

Kenya unveils ‘killer-squad’ for Paris Olympics marathon Ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympic

Ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games kicking off in July, Kenya has unveiled a “killer-squad” for the marathon event....

Tech23 hours ago

Civil society group says planned online regulation under IBA Act, an affront on media freedom (Video)

Chapter One Foundation Executive Director, Linda Kasonde, says the planned online regulation under the new Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) Act...

Metro24 hours ago

Clergyman raises concern over abuses associated with digital rights and freedom of expression

Emmanuel Kalulu, a clergy member from the Brethren Christ Church in Choma, has expressed concerns about the misuse of media...

Politics1 day ago

Nigeria’s Dangote refinery set to get valid operating licence

The Nigerian government has revealed that the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote Petroleum Refinery will soon receive a full operating...

Musings From Abroad1 day ago

US wants UAE, others to cease support for Sudan’s warring parties

The United States wants all countries, including the United Arab Emirates, to stop helping the warring sides in Sudan, the...

Trending