Paramount Chief Kaduya praises M’mbelwa V for cultural preservation efforts

Paramount Chief Kaduya has commended Inkosi Ya Makhosi M’mbelwa V for the Jere Ngoni’s efforts to preserve and promote their cultural heritage, describing the initiative as an encouraging example of intergenerational cultural transmission.

Speaking as guest of honour at the Royal Umthetho Banquet at Amaryllis Hotel in Blantyre, Chief Kaduya said it was encouraging to see the Jere Ngoni actively instilling their culture among children, ensuring the traditions would be carried forward by future generations.

Inkosi Ya Makhosi M’mbelwa V said the banquet had achieved its dual purpose of promoting Ngoni culture while raising funds to support the work of the cultural heritage group.

The event was organised by the Mzimba Heritage Trust Association as part of efforts to raise funds for the annual Umthetho Cultural Festival, held each year at the foot of Hora Mountain in Mzimba, one of the region’s most significant cultural gatherings for the Ngoni people.

The banquet reflects a broader pattern in Malawi, where traditional leaders increasingly rely on organised fundraising events, rather than government support alone, to sustain cultural festivals and heritage institutions — underscoring the extent to which the preservation of indigenous traditions has become dependent on private and community-led initiative.