The big day is finally here as all roads in the southern region lead to Chonde Cultural Heritage in Mulanje for the final day of Mulhako Wa Alhomwe festival.
The festival which started on Friday is being celebrated under the theme: ““Unity amid diversity”.
Mulhako Wa Alhomwe’s Patron Professor Peter Mutharika, who is also former Malawi President, will be the Guest of Honour.
The grouping was established in 2007 by former president the late Bingu wa Mutharika and has had the annual event each year.
The Lomwe are one of the four largest ethnic groups living in Malawi. They are located primarily in the southeast section of Malawi with the largest concentration being in Phalombe district.
Others live in Mulanje, Thyolo, Chiradzulu, Zomba, and Liwonde. Smaller numbers are scattered throughout the southern region of Malawi.
In Mozambique, the Lomwe are found almost entirely in the Zambezi Province.
The Lomwe are originally from what is now Mozambique to the east of Malawi. In 1996, a source indicated that the majority lived in Malawi.
However, current sources now indicate that the population in Mozambique is about double that in Malawi.
The total population reported in current sources is also considerably less than the population reported in 1996.
