Chakwera with former President Bakili Muluzi at Chiwanja cha Ayao festival
* A nation which has factories, roads and different development projects but does not promote culture, lacks morality
* Without cultural differences, it would be easy to achieve national development and address challenges the people face
* Urged Malawians to embrace the spirit of oneness as evidenced by the gathering of many people from different walks of life for Chiwanja cha Ayao festival
By Mada Ziba, MANA
President Lazarus Chakwera described Chiwanja cha Ayao cultural as transcending cultural differences and uniting Malawians from all walks of life.
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Speaking at Mangochi Stadium on Saturday during the Chiwanja cha Ayao cultural festival, the President said the event “is very important because it shows that every culture plays a critical role in promoting oneness and national development”.
“A nation which has factories, roads and different development projects but does not promote culture, lacks morality.
“Without cultural differences, it would be easy to achieve national development and address challenges the people face if Malawians would embrace the spirit of oneness as evidenced by the gathering of many people from different walks of life for Chiwanja cha Ayao festival.
Chakwera added that Malawi cannot achieve national development with the exclusion of the Yaos, saying it is “one of the great cultures in Malawi and we cannot talk of Malawi’s history without mentioning the Yaos.”
Responding to concerns of hunger among people in Mangochi, Chakwera promised to address the issue shortly, saying the Depart of Disaster Management (DODMA) will start distributing food items on November 1.
Chakwera also asked the traditional chiefs to sort out chieftaincy differences amongst themselves, saying it was vital for development.
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“Solutions to chieftaincy differences lie in your hands and not the President as perceived by some quarters,” he said, while also commended the traditional leaders for promoting efforts to end child marriages, promoting care for environments and encouraging parents to hold initiation ceremonies outside school terms.
He also highlighted plans to construct Mangochi-Makanjira Road among others, adding that Mangochi and Salima were planned for secondary cities, whose development needed to be reprioritised.
In his remarks, Paramount Chief Kawinga said the Chiwanja cha Ayao was a neutral grouping aimed at promoting peace and development in the country, saying: “We live in peace and do not stand for any particular political party.”
The Paramount Chief said he would like to see young people from Mangochi and other districts benefitting from technical jobs as introduced by government through various projects.
He then called for co-existence among young people in the country, saying “every young person should live freely in any part of Malawi regardless of their cultural grouping”.
