CHAMARE MUSEUM - KUNGONI CULTURE AND ART CENTRE

Opened in 2002, this center is home to the Chamara Ethnographic Museum, arguably the most interesting museum in the country and a valuable source of information on the country's three main tribes, the Yao, Chewa and Ngoni. Arranged around a baobab tree, the museum's architecture is reminiscent of the three tents in which the first missionaries camped in the Mua region when they arrived in 1902. Inside the first room, photos, drawings and detailed explanations by Claude Boucher Chisale explain the traditional life of the first inhabitants, and the arrival of Islam and Christianity in the country. Claude Boucher Chisale, who arrived in Malawi from Canada in 1967, is a priest, artist and anthropologist who has devoted his life to highlighting Malawi's cultural and artistic traditions. The other rooms are rich in masks and traditional dress, which play a key role in the history of the tribes. Each of the 400 Chewa masks on display has a meaning. Those worn during the Gule Wamkulu, the greatest traditional Chewa dance, are the most important in the collection. An English-language guide, sold in the gift store, provides insights into the exhibition and the masks on display. An art gallery is also open to visitors. The nearby church and seminary complete the tour.

Traditional dances are held all day at the Kungoni center on the^1st Saturday of August every year.