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Nyau
Nyau (also: ''Nyao'' meaning ''mask'' or ''initiation'') is a secret society of the Chewa, an ethnic group of the Bantu peoples from Central and Southern Africa. The Nyau society consists of initiated members of the Chewa and Nyanja people, forming the cosmology or indigenous religion of the people. Initiations are separate for men and for women, with different knowledge learned and with different ritual roles in the society according to gender and seniority. Only initiates are considered to be mature and members of the ''Nyau''. The word ''Nyau'' is not only used for the society itself, but also for the indigenous religious beliefs or cosmology of people who form this society, the ritual dance performances, and the masks used for the dances. Nyau societies operate at the village level, but are part of a wide network of Nyau across the central and part of the southern regions of Malawi, eastern Zambia, western Mozambique and areas where Malawians migrated in Zimbabwe. During perfo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the northeast, Malawi to the east, Mozambique to the southeast, Zimbabwe and Botswana to the south, Namibia to the southwest, and Angola to the west. The capital city of Zambia is Lusaka, located in the south-central part of Zambia. The nation's population of around 19.5 million is concentrated mainly around Lusaka in the south and the Copperbelt Province to the north, the core economic hubs of the country. Originally inhabited by Khoisan peoples, the region was affected by the Bantu expansion of the thirteenth century. Following the arrival of European exploration of Africa, European explorers in the eighteenth century, the British colonised the r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Secret Society
A secret society is a club or an organization whose activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence agencies or guerrilla warfare insurgencies, that hide their activities and memberships but maintain a public presence. Definitions The exact qualifications for labeling a group a secret society are disputed, but definitions generally rely on the degree to which the organization insists on secrecy, and might involve the retention and transmission of secret knowledge, the denial of membership or knowledge of the group, the creation of personal bonds between members of the organization, and the use of secret rites or rituals which solidify members of the group. Anthropologically and historically, secret societies have been deeply interlinked with the concept of the Männerbund, the all-male "warrior-band" or "warrior-society" of pre-modern cu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chewa People
The Chewa (or AChewa) are a Bantu ethnic group native to central and southern Africa and the largest ethnic group in Malawi. The Chewa are closely related to people in surrounding regions such as the Tumbuka and Nsenga. They are historically also related to the Bemba, with whom they share a similar origin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As with the Nsenga and Tumbuka, a small part of Chewa territory came under the influence of the Ngoni, who were of Zulu or Natal/Transvaal origin. An alternative name, often used interchangeably with Chewa, is Nyanja. Their language is called Chichewa. Internationally, the Chewa are mainly known for their masks and their secret societies, called Nyau, as well as their agricultural techniques. The Chewa (like the Nyanja, Tumbuka, Senga, Nsenga, Mang'anja) are a remnant of the Maravi (Malawi) people or empire. There are two large Chewa clans, the Phiri and Banda, with a population of 1.5 million people. The Phiri are associated ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect the dead, from interment, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor. Customs vary between cultures and religious groups. Funerals have both normative and legal components. Common secular motivations for funerals include mourning the deceased, celebrating their life, and offering support and sympathy to the bereaved; additionally, funerals may have religious aspects that are intended to help the soul of the deceased reach the afterlife, resurrection or reincarnation. The funeral usually includes a ritual through which the corpse receives a final disposition. Depending on culture and religion, these can involve either the destruction of the body (for example, by cremation or sky burial) or its preservation (for examp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Masterpieces Of The Oral And Intangible Heritage Of Humanity
The Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity was made by the Director-General of UNESCO starting in 2001 to raise awareness of intangible cultural heritage and encourage local communities to protect them and the local people who sustain these forms of cultural expressions. Several manifestations of intangible heritage around the world were awarded the title of ''Masterpieces'' to recognize the value of the non-material component of culture, as well as entail the commitment of states to promote and safeguard the Masterpieces. Further proclamations occurred biennially. In 2008, the 90 previously proclaimed Masterpieces were incorporated into the new Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as its first entries. Background UNESCO defines oral and intangible heritage as "the totality of tradition-based creations of a cultural community expressed by a group or individuals and recognized as reflecting the expectations of a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Veneration Of The Dead
The veneration of the dead, including one's ancestors, is based on love and respect for the deceased. In some cultures, it is related to beliefs that the dead have a continued existence, and may possess the ability to influence the fortune of the living. Some groups venerate their direct, familial ancestors. Certain sects and religions, in particular the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church, venerate saints as intercessors with God; the latter also believes in prayer for departed souls in Purgatory. Other religious groups, however, consider veneration of the dead to be idolatry and a sin. In European, Asian, Oceanian, African and Afro-diasporic cultures, the goal of ancestor veneration is to ensure the ancestors' continued well-being and positive disposition towards the living, and sometimes to ask for special favours or assistance. The social or non-religious function of ancestor veneration is to cultivate kinship values, such as filial piety, family loyalty, an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gule Wamkulu Mask
Gule may refer to: * Gule tribe, in northern Sudan * Gule language, an extinct language of Sudan * Lars Gule (born 1955), Norwegian philosopher See also * ''The Raindrop ''The Raindrop'' ( tr, Güle Güle) is a 2000 Turkish comedy-drama film, directed by Zeki Ökten, which chronicles the friendship of five elderly residents of Bozcaada. The film, which went on nationwide general release across Turkey on , won f ...'' (Turkish title: ''Güle Güle''), a 2000 Turkish comedy-drama film {{disambiguation, surname Language and nationality disambiguation pages ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zambian Kwacha
The Kwacha (ISO 4217 code: ZMW) is the currency of Zambia. It is subdivided into 100 ''Ngwee''. Etymology The name ''kwacha'' derives from the Nyanja, Bemba, and Tonga language word for "dawn", alluding to the Zambian nationalist slogan of a "new dawn of freedom". The name ''ngwee'' translates as "bright" in the Nyanja language. History Prior to independence in 1964, the Rhodesia and Nyasaland pound was the legal tender of the short-lived British protectorate of Northern Rhodesia. Banknotes of 10 shillings, 1, 5, and 10 pounds issued by the Central Africa Currency Board were in circulation, together with coins of , 1, 3, 6 pence, and 1, 2, , and 5 shillings. After independence, the Bank of Zambia issued the first Zambian currency, the Zambian pound, in 1964. The issued paper bills and coins were of similar denominations as these used before independence, except for the 10 pounds note, which was never issued by the Bank of Zambia. A new design to depict the newly independen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tafara
Mabvuku is a suburb east of Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe. History In 2005, Operation Murambatsvina destroyed slums in Mabvuku and other areas of Harare such as Budiriro and Mbare as well as nearby Chitungwiza. By the mid-2010s, the number of people squatting in informal settlements was growing again. A new settlement in Mabvuku was called Bob. In 2021, the Clean City program brought clean affordable drinking water to Mabvuku. This followed reports the previous year that water suppliers were only delivering water to the area if women would have sex with them. Many residents had gone without running water for 30 years. Effects of economic decline The Mabvuku-Tafara towns have been seriously affected by the decline of the economy which have compromised the Harare City Council's ability to provide services to this outlying towns. The residents have suffered through water and power cuts, acknowledged to be the worst scenario in the all of Harare. Cases of cholera, blame ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Highfield, Harare
Highfield is the second oldest high-density suburb or township in Harare, Zimbabwe built to house Rhodesians of African origin, the first being Mbare. Highfield was founded on what used to be Highfields Farm. It is of historical, cultural and political significance to Zimbabwe and is known as Fiyo in local slang. It is one of the birthplaces of the Zimbabwe African National Union and is home to several prominent people in the country such as Gregy Vambe and Oliver Mtukudzi, and formerly Robert Mugabe. Brief history Highfield was built by the Southern Rhodesian government in the 1930s as a segregated township to house predominantly black labourers and their families during the colonial era, the first being Mbare (National) which was known by locals as "Haarare" or "Haarari" which gave its name to the modern capital of Zimbabwe, Harare. Haarare which translates to "ever vigilant" or directly as "one who never sleeps" was also a name given to the Zezuru Chief of this area, Chief ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
