Report - Vimbuza Dance

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VIMBUZA THE HEALING DANCE

“We can manage it!” They told us. “Come and you will see our healing dance.” So, we went.

Vimbuza, the name of the healing dance, is part of the cultural heritage of the Tumbuka people that lives in northern Malawi. It carries considerable historical depth, a complex dance that continues to be a functional part of indigenous healthcare systems and still practiced in remote areas. Vimbuza once was suppressed by Christian churches and missionaries, nowadays still face severe opposition by the Government, so it is not easy to witness these spiritual experiences.

We formed a circle and using drums men started to beat peculiar rhythms. Some women accompanied the rhythms with vocal songs and in the center of the circle learners from Thundwe school, who knew how to dance, started to perform.


Someone told us that we could see inner energy of a person through their dance.

Just, just in the end the real dancer step into the middle. A very old men, thin with a blind eye. He moved slowly in harmony with the music, whispering words while he danced. He was using normal cloths because he borrowed his traditional dresses made by animal skin to a traditional healer that was living in other community, far from here. However a strange scarf with a red cross in the middle hide his white hair. After 10 minutes he started to cough intensely, so the crowed intervened and stopped him.

The whole ritual was intense, now if you ask us if the dance really cures, this we cannot answer. No one of us was sick to work as experiment. No one also was in trance, they didn’t wake up any spirit!! But one thing we can confirm, it was a powerful experience!


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