Traditional leaders led by Paramount Chief Lundu were all smiles on Monday when Sungani Zakwathu Cultural Heritage Association announced that it would be embarking on refurbishment of Khulubvi shrine in Nsanje District.
The repair would see the building of six houses for Mbukwa, Kombe, Chilamwa, Salima, Nyamkwingwi and another one for storage of cultural elements such as clay pots.
There will also be other rebuilding projects such as drainage system, benches for visitors before getting to the shrine as well as signposts for directions to the cultural place.
The renovation follows the damage of the houses by Cyclone Freddy which hit the shrine.
Khulubvi is no ordinary place in Nsanje District as regards culture; it is a shrine where people gather every year for libation ceremony to ask God through Mbona for among others, good rains.
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Sungani Zakwathu Cultural Heritage Association has partnered Khulubvi Cultural Heritage Trust led by visual artist Eva Chikabadwa in the project funded by Cultural Emergency Response from Netherlands.
“We are excited that we are now starting this project. This project also follows a report which the government released revealing that some cultural sites in the country had been damaged by Cyclone Freddy and so, we sourced funds,” Sungani Zakwathu Heritage Association Executive Director Mathews Mfune said during a gathering at Nsanje District Council.
He said Khulubvi being an important cultural shrine, they decided to come in and support in its restoration having managed to secure funds.
“The shrine belongs to the communities hence connecting with Khulubvi Cultural Heritage Trust to work together,” Mfune said.
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He said they sourced over 18,000 Euros (approximately K33 million) and that they were supposed to start the project last month but due to other challenges beyond their control, they failed.
“We are starting this month (February) and we should finish by May 10 this year. Through this project, we are also looking at connecting women from Khulubvi, who fashion beautiful clay pots to markets,” Mfune said.
Director of Museums and Monuments in the Ministry of Local Government, Unity and Culture Lovemore Mazibuko observed that in most cases when disasters strike, the cultural sector is sidelined.
“The report we released, follows our visit to many districts where we found out that many sites were affected by Cyclone Freddy and so, we made recommendations.
“We are thankful to Sungani Zakwathu and Khulubvi Cultural Trust for the strides made to rebuild Khulubvi and we pledge to work with them as well as traditional leaders,” Mazibuko said.
He said the project is timely and that it would help open more opportunities for Khulubvi shrine and other sites to be developed in the country.
Paramount Chief Lundu, who was in the company of his subjects such as Senior Chiefs Tengani and Chimombo and Traditional Authority Ngabu, welcomed the project.
“This building of the houses and other projects will help elevate Khulubvi. This is an important place for Malawi as far as culture is concerned,” he said.
Lundu then cautioned players involved to treat carefully in the restoration by not modernizing the houses but rather preserve their cultural elements.
“Restoration is important but let us not modernise them, let us preserve their cultural elements so that they do not lose their faces,” he said.
Earlier on before the meeting, Traditional Authority Ngabu, who is the overseer of the shrine led in libation with the Kachasu spirit being served as part of calling for benedictions for the project.
In entering the shrine, people wear black cloth and do not put on shoes among others.
