Africans are known for their strong cultural beliefs and practice, some of which can be inhuman and outright weird. The Chewa’s festival for the dead definitely marks as one of those practices that shock many.
The Chewa community is a Bantu tribe mostly found in Malawi. During the burial ceremony of a tribe member, it is customary for the body of the deceased to be washed. The corpse is taken to a sacred place where the cleansing is done by slitting the throat of the dead and pouring water through the insides of the dead and extracted through the anterior region of the dead body. The water is then collected and used to prepare a meal for the whole community as they believe that the dead has been cleaned up of his or her iniquities.
When someone dies, the whole village shows up. This is because most of the time, in the Chewa belief, death is not natural, it is usually caused by witchcraft. Since the Chewa believe that witchcraft only works on family members, those who might have killed a person would be scared to go to the funeral. It’s decreed that all family members must attend the funeral which means the whole village attends since they are generally all related.
So, since they believe that witchcraft only works on family members, then those who might have killed the person would feel too scared to attend the funeral. Thus, it is expected that all family members must attend the funeral which means the whole village since they are somewhat all related.
NET/Olaolu Fawole
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