10/02/2024
The Brief History of Malipenga Dance by Tonga
The 'malipenga' dance owes its origins to the system of military parades and bands introduced to Nyasaland (present-day Malawi) in colonial times by the British officers of the Kings' African Rifles (KAR). When World War I veterans returned home to the Nkhata Bay District they organized their own 'governments', called 'bomas', in the form of a 'malipenga' dance movement. 'Malipenga' in Chitumbuka, Chitonga and Chinyanja means 'trumpets', properly the bugles of the KAR. Hence the derivation of 'malipenga' dances, because soldiers of a particular 'government' blow in unison many 'bugles' at the same time. 'Malipenga' is very much a social reality and activity, though there has been a slight decline in its performance since the Kamuzu political regime ended.
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