The Sukwa people are an ethnic group in
Malawi
Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...
. According to the 2018 census, they make up 0.5% of Malawi's population.
The Sukwa people mainly live in
Northern Malawi in the district of
Chitipa
Chitipa is the capital of Chitipa District, Malawi and the birthplace of Malawian lawyer, politician, and philanthropist James Nyondo. It is also known as Fort Hill. It is very near Malawi's tri-point border with Zambia and Tanzania
Tanza ...
and
Karonga
Karonga is a township in the Karonga District in Northern Region of Malawi. Located on the western shore of Lake Nyasa, it was established as a slaving centre sometime before 1877. As of 2018 estimates, Karonga has a population of 61,609. Th ...
.
Mwinoghe Traditional Dance
The Sukwa people have a traditional dance called
Mwinoghe. This is an instrumental dance performed in three ethnic communities in northern Malawi. In the Chisukwa dialect, ''Mwinoghe'' literally means ''
''Let us enjoy ourselves
''.''
The dance therefore expresses joy and happiness. Dancers line up in two rows (men on one side, women on the other), and perform twisting body and elaborate foot movements to the sound of three drums, a whistle and the group leader's commands. People from all walks of life gather to watch the dance, which is performed at social gatherings and on days of national significance.
References
Ethnic groups in Malawi
{{Malawi-stub