Pumpkin Wheels & Pawpaw Flutes
The Games of Malawi

Malawi Marionettes

olga

It has been a great pleasure to discover that Malawi street art encompasses marionettes.

 

The Chichewa word is either chi/zi-doli (loaned from English) or mwantche (which refers originally to a girl's doll made of clay). However, one of our informants uses the word msangulutso ('what makes you happy')!

 

Here are links to two short videos, filmed at Kamuzu Academy (Kasungu District) and in Lilongwe in August and September 2018. They also feature the Swiss marionettes of Miss Alisoun Probert (London and Plymouth, UK).

 

malawi_marionettes_dvd_part_01_gabriel_miliano

Mr. Gabriel Miliano and Zibelu Band perform John & Juliet at Kamuzu Academy (Kasungu District) in August 2018.

 

The video is available here and the transcript of an interview with Mr. Gabriel Miliano is available here.

malawi_marionettes_dvd_part_02_mphatso_phiri

Mr. Mphatso Phiri performs 'Msangulutso' in Lilongwe in September 2018.

 

The video is available here and the transcript of an interview with Mr. Mphatso Phiri is available here.

games.fritillary.org 04/06