Wa Mutharika fails to show up at Kulamba ceremony

Wa Mutharika fails to show up at Kulamba ceremony
Written by Mwala Kalaluka and Christopher Miti in Mkaika, Katete
Monday, September 07, 2009 2:47:52 PM

MALAWIAN President Bingu wa Mutharika, who was expected to grace this year's Kulamba traditional ceremony with President Rupiah Banda in Eastern Province, did not make it but instead sent his local government minister to represent him.

And the Chewa people have maintained that paramount chief Kalonga Gawa Undi is not fit to be called a 'paramount chief' but a king because he rules over 13.5 million people in the three nations.

President Wa Mutharika, who was expected to co-officiate at the 2009 Kulamba ceremony of the people of Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique, with President Banda, failed to attend and but represented by Malawian local government minister Goodall Gondwe.

The attendance of President Mutharika at this year's ceremony, following last year's unprecedented attendance of presidents from the three countries, was marred with uncertainty.

President Mutharika was expected to arrive in Zambia for the Kulamba Ceremony on Saturday after an earlier tentative programme released by the Eastern Province administration indicated that he would be in Chipata ahead of the ceremony on Friday afternoon.

Mozambican President Armando Guebuza equally sent one of his ministers to represent him.

Speaking through his representative, former Malawian vice-president during the Bakili Muluzi administration, Justine Malewezi, Kalonga Gawa Undi thanked the three presidents from Malawi, Zambia and Malawi, for their presence at the event and he noted that the presidents of Malawi and Mozambique had sent representatives.

"We are most grateful to see in their absence (presidents) the attendance of the first president of the republic of Zambia, Dr Kenneth Kaunda," Kalonga Gawa Undi said. "Your presence is a testimony of the warm relations that exist among the three countries."

Kalonga Gawa Undi said Dr Kaunda's attendance would go a long way to cement the bilateral relations between Zambia and the two countries.

He said as the people celebrated Kulamba, they should remember all those that endured great difficulties to uphold the Chewa tradition and culture.

Kalonga Gawa Undi thanked Wa Mutharika and his government for upholding the Chewa tradition by adhering to the Chewa hierarchy and he observed that there had been a marked improvement in the communication between him and the chiefs in Mozambique since President Armando Guebuza's last visit to Katete.

Kalonga Gawa Undi thanked President Banda for his involvement in ensuring that presidents of the three countries attended the traditional ceremony.

He said the Kulamba ceremony was revived in the 1980s after the colonialists banned it, saying the ban was an act of subjugation by the colonialists.

Kalonga Gawa Undi thanked the Chewa Heritage Foundation and all the people that had played a role in ensuring that this year's Kulamba ceremony was a success.

He apologised to some of the dignitaries who may not have been satisfied with the hospitality accorded to them at this year's ceremony.

"I do not want to spoil the ceremony but allow me to bring to attention a few issues that need government attention," he said.

Kalonga Gawa Undi said peasant farmers in the province were unable to make ends meet because of the high costs of inputs.

He said the late entry of the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) into the province's rural areas exposed small-scale farmers to briefcase business people, who usually bought maize at exploitative prices.

Kalonga Gawa Undi said the numerous interruptions and low electricity voltages experienced in the province affected the area's economic development.

"We are hopeful that with government involvement, these problems would be addressed," he said.

He urged President Banda to ensure that the government attracted investors in the agro-processing sector to the province, which he described as predominantly agricultural.

Several traditional leaders, from the three countries, including paramount chiefs M'mbelwa and Mpezeni of the Ngoni people in Malawi and Zambia respectively, attended the ceremony.

A representative of the 13 Chewa chiefs who travelled from Mozambique to Zambia to attend the traditional ceremony said the chiefs were always keen on having constant interaction with Kalonga Gawa Undi but that they had a problem of communication.

The chief said the Chewa chiefs in that country were fully behind the leadership of Kalonga Gawa Undi.

Several people from all walks of life and nationalities converged at the Chewa capital, situated about four kilometres from the Great East Road in Katete, as early as 08:00 hours to witness the proceedings of the ceremony, which were characterised by various dances.

And former Chipangali member of parliament Lucas Phiri said the classification of Kalonga Gawa Undi as a paramount chief was belittling because he was a king.

He said during his role as master of ceremony at the traditional event, that the title of paramount chief was lumped on the traditional leader, arising from the exploitation that the black man faced from the colonialists.

Officiating at the ceremony, President Banda said a few years from now, the people of Zambia and Malawi would be able to travel by train from Malawi to Kitwe following the completion on the rail link between the countries.

He said the government was in the process of drilling 500 boreholes to service some districts in the Eastern Province.

President Banda said he joined hands with Kalonga Gawa Undi in calling on Zambians to attach great importance to educating their children.

"That is why my government is busy building new schools...and encouraging education as the first front to fighting poverty," he said.

President Banda urged Zambians to utilise every available facility to further their education even at old age.

He encouraged all Zambians to go for Voluntary Counselling and Testing so that they know their HIV status and do something about it.

"Thank you for the variety of names of this vicious disease. It can be managed," he said

President Banda said he heard the complaints from Kalonga Gawa Undi and chief Kawaza on the problems in the procurement of maize among other issues.

"There is a big problem in crop marketing but I want to assure everyone that government has learnt lessons from that and steps are being taken," President Banda said.