In a 17-day outing at the 38th Surajkund International Crafts Festival in India, Malawi kept its flag lively when the Malawi National Dance Troupe signed off with a feast of traditional dances. The dances included Khunju and Beni.
The curtain for one of the world’s largest crafts fair came down on Sunday. James Thole from the Department of Arts in the Ministry of Local Government, Unity and Culture, who was part of the 20-member team, said soon after Malawi National Dance Troupe’s performance that they gave the festival an outright celebration of the country’s traditional dances.
“Malawi National Dance Troupe finished with Khunju, an all-female traditional dance of the Mang’anjas, and Beni. Beni culminated in a celebration dance known as Sisiliya. Sisiliya is mostly performed during celebrations such as weddings and is popular in the Central Region [of Malawi],” thole said.
Other traditional dances that the Malawi National Dance Troupe served at the festival included Likhuba and Chikuzire from Nsanje and Mwinoghe from Chitipa and Gule Wamkulu and Chisamba from the Central Region.
“The total number of the traditional dances that the Malawi National Dance Troupe performed is 34 and we covered all the corners of Malawi. This is a great feat for the group and for Malawi,” Thole said.
On the other artworks, Thole said Malawi’s pavilion managed to sell approximately 60 percent of its products during the course of the festival.
“This is an average estimation of the combined sales for Malawi’s three representatives, Sinthani Komiha (Elyn’s Baskets), Angella Kagwam’minga (Angelicious Designs) and Rajab Misesa (Abraj Fashions),” he said.
Thole said apart from sharing art and culture from Malawi, they learnt a lot at the festival. “There is so much that we need to improve on if we are to compete at the international stage. We, as Malawi, need to consider plausible ways of making production materials for visual artists to make them available and affordable,” he said.
Organised by the Surajkund Mela Authority and Haryana Tourism—in collaboration with the Union Ministries of Tourism, Culture and External Affairs— the annual event celebrates the lesser-known folk traditions and cultural heritage of India with the aid of fine and performing artists invited from all over the world.
The festival was first held in 1987 and is renowned for its ability to attract lovers of arts and crafts from all over the world. Over the years, the festival has come to occupy a place of pride and prominence on the tourist calendar of the region.
Director of Arts in the Ministry of Local Government, Unity and Culture Humphrey Mpondaminga said recently that Malawi had kept up its participation at the festival following a memorandum of understanding on arts and culture by Malawi and India last year.
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