Tumaini Festival – Dzaleka Refugee Camp
The Tumaini Festival is an annual event that took place for the first time in 2014 in the Dzaleka Refugee Camp. It was started by Menes La Plume. The purpose of the Festival is to foster peaceful coexistence between refugees and the community that is hosting them, as well as to promote mutual understanding and intercultural harmony. This will be accomplished through the use of various forms of artistic and cultural expression, including entertainment.
It is a remarkable example of a large-scale cultural event that is held inside a refugee camp and was conceived by, organized, and carried out by refugees in conjunction with the local population for the mutual benefit of both of those groups.
Over 129,000 people have been to the festival over the course of its seven prior iterations, and 304 performing artists from throughout Malawi, Africa, and the globe have shared the same platforms with performers from Dzaleka. Dzaleka performers have also participated in the event.
The Tumaini Festival provides a one-of-a-kind chance for refugees to display and sell their handicrafts, discuss elements of their life with guests who are interested in hearing about their experiences, and experience the hope of connecting with a larger community.
Ufulu Festival – Lilongwe
Flood Church Malawi is the host organization for the annual Ufulu Festival, which is a free community gathering and festival. In honor of Malawi’s birth as an independent nation on July 6, 1964, this celebration, which began in 2014, is conducted annually on that day. It gives young people the chance to celebrate the past of their nation and think about where they want to go from here, all while looking ahead to the future. In addition, the Ufulu Festival is a celebration of culture, creative expression, and individual liberty via the mediums of music, dance, and poetry. It is an atmosphere that promotes understanding of the gospel as well as responses to questions on mental health and social justice. In addition to that, it is a fantastic chance for artists to exhibit their work while also paying tribute to Malawi. Over 16,000 people attended the annual Ufulu Festival in 2019, making it one of the largest crowds in the event’s history.
Likoma Festival – Likoma
The Likoma Festival is Malawi’s yearly island festival. It was first held in 2014 and has been running since since. The celebration takes place on Likoma Island and is accompanied by a ship trip that departs from any port on the Malawian mainland. In addition to the excursion to the island itself, visitors may also take a boat trip to the Chizumulu Islands and Mozambique, compete in canoe races, play beach sports, and go on sightseeing tours. The event is held annually during the Mother’s Day weekend with the intention of promoting Likoma Island and Lake Malawi as destinations worthy of increased tourism and financial investment via travel. Although this celebration normally takes place once a year, it hasn’t taken place since 2018 owing to a number of unanticipated events, including the COVID-19 epidemic. The admission charge and camping price for three nights is less than MK100,000, despite the fact that there is no fixed fee for entering the park and that the complete package includes travel by boat or road. The Likoma Festival is the only festival that is hosted on the lovely island, and it brags of providing its attendees with an amazing time every year.
Blantyre Arts Festival – Blantyre
The Blantyre Arts Festival (BAF) is an annual celebration that was created in 2009 by Thomas Chibambo with the goal of responding to the need for creation and promotion of diverse components of arts and culture by hosting activities, festivals, exchange programmes, and local and foreign achievements. The festival is held in Blantyre over the course of three to four days.
Additionally, BAF gives young people on both the local and international levels the opportunity to showcase their work, in addition to providing a platform for local and worldwide artists. Additionally, the BAF runs culturally tailored developments that display the best of Malawian creativity to the broadest audience possible. Additionally, the BAF provides social and creativity qualified teaching staff, institutional strengthening and based on culture initiative programs to uplift tourism, imagination, and the improvement of arts and culture.
BAF has developed a variety of collaborations with educational institutions, and the students utilize the information gained from these partnerships to solve the obstacles that limit their ability to make a living. The most recent BAF was held in 2019, and throughout the course of its three days, there were about 3,000 individuals in attendance. Because the BAF is undergoing a rebranding this year, there will be no entry price to the festival for the very first time in its history.
Zomba City Festival – Zomba
Zomba City Festival, which has been held annually since its inception in 2020 and is now being coordinated by Zomba Arts Platform, is currently in its second year of operation. The festival’s objective is to bring tourists to Zomba so that they may explore and learn more about all that this ancient college city has to offer. The Zomba City Festival is not just a music celebration; rather, it is an authentic city festival that places an emphasis on the arts, environment, and tradition. During the course of the festival, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities, including cycling, hiking, sampling coffee, seeing artwork, attending a fashion show, and much more.
This year, 2022, it was quite clear that this was widely recognized by the public, as the festival attracted young families, teens, as well as senior individuals. The fact that the festival is available to people of all ages was extremely evident at the festival.
