gule wamkulu

Before I begin my blurb about the gule wamkulu, I wanted to tell you about the bats that reside in our trees at night.. Last evening as I was preparing to start grilling , I notice a giant eagle like silhouette circling a few of our trees. It was dusk and I realized after asking Cosmas that these were in fact giant fruit bats. Cosmas said they are very common and there are lots of them that live across the street near the Catholic Cathedral. He said at night, they normally end up in one of our trees in the front yard and poop on our truck.. totally make sense now as the amount of poo on our car in the morning is sometimes pretty excessive.
I also noticed a guy walking down our street this morning wearing a Highlands High School tshirt.... I did not give it to him either.. small world.

Every road trip we take we always drive past a few guys dressed up in really ornate, frightening outfits.. They are called the Gule Wamkulu and are very common throughout Malawi, especially the central region.. From what I understand this is a very traditional fixture in the culture here and can either be perceived as something as show/ performance, or rooted in traditional medicine/ black magic.. I am taking my information from Malawian students, Cosmas and Joseph, etc.. but I trust them, since they are actually Malawian..

Some people believe in them, are frightened of them and stay away from them as they may curse a spell on you. Their behavior can be erratic, and animal like, as some of them take on animal like qualities..
They dance like animals and have a secret dance that they and other members of their party know.. It is a small knit group, who keeps their identity in the village a secret.

We've seen them running around on the streets with machetes , pointing at cars as they drive by..
We've also seen them dancing with groups of people, in what appeared to be a celebration.. I have yet to get a photograph, because quite honestly , they scare me... and the mostly scare Maura.. go figure.

Each region, each village has different types of gule wamkulus, that have different dance styles..

My students informed me that many villages do not approve of these characters, as they do not promote education.. If a child is brought into they lifestyle of being a glue wamkulu, they do not attend school, etc... The chiefs of each village can nix or accept having gule wamkulus be a part of their village.

Regardless of what they are, what they stand for, etc.. they are a sight to see.  So if you take a road trip through Malawi, you are surely going to see your fare share of gule wamkulus..

My students also said that if I wanted to get a photograph with one of them, they would most definitely do it for some cash... SO they aren't above getting a bribe..

Not much else to report today.. Kids are doing well and at swim practice as I listen to old Genesis , making lesson plans for class and enjoying the beautiful sunshine and blue skies.

Below are some videos.. I hope they work..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxehfECh_-k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4oAug56gLA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDH9wqpKF94