By Alfred Banda:
Stakeholders at a UNESCO consultative workshop on safeguarding traditional games have raised alarm over an increasing trend of children as young as 15 abandoning school to imitate Gule Wamkulu, a practice now spreading from rural areas into towns and trading centres.
Speaking during the meeting at Thope Lodge on Wednesday, Chief Education Officer Alexina Gompho-Mtingwi said the behaviour has become widespread and is affecting school attendance.
“Nowadays you find children aged 15 or even younger smoking and dressing like Gule Wamkulu instead of going to school. This is happening in townships and trading centres, not only in remote areas,” she said.
She asked participants to propose appropriate measures and determine the proper age for boys to join the authentic Gule Wamkulu initiation.
Senior Chief Yobe Njolomo Mpatang’ombe of Ntchisi urged a firm but cautious approach when dealing with the minors.
“These little boys need to be handled carefully. You are very free to apprehend them and take them to police for counselling,” he said.
He added that most of the boys imitating Gule Wamkulu are not Chewa and their actions are tarnishing the sacred cultural practice.
“By doing this they only damage the Chewa tribe, specifically Gule Wamkulu. I don’t think most of them are Chewa, and this tarnishes our culture. They must be advised before the damage becomes irreversible,” he said.
The concerns were raised during discussions under UNESCO’s “Safeguarding Ludodiversity” project, which seeks to integrate traditional games and cultural practices into formal and non-formal education.
Participants agreed that while Gule Wamkulu remains an important component of Malawi’s intangible cultural heritage, its misuse by school-going children threatens both their education and the dignity of the tradition.
The workshop brought together traditional leaders, senior education officials and district sports and education representatives.
