The Chewa
Also known as "Bantu", the Chewa people number around 8 million in Malawi. The Chewa originally emigrated from Nigeria and Cameroon to settle in the former Zaire (which became the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1997), before migrating to Zambia and Malawi in the 15th century. Remnants of the Maravi empire, the Chewa live in the southwest and central regions of the country, in the districts of Dedza, Kasungu, Dowa, Salima, Nkhotakota, Ntcheu, Mchinji and Lilongwe. Their language, Chichewa, has been an official language since 1968, alongside English, and is also the country's main lingua franca, used in the media and education system. Chichewa is generally understood and mastered by the country's other ethnolinguistic groups.
There are two predominant clans among the Chewa: the Phiri and the Banda. The Phiri are associated with the aristocracy and are known to defend royalty. The Banda are associated with healers and mystics. The Chewa are highly respected by other ethnic groups. They are a people with an important cultural, spiritual and social background. They are renowned for their knowledge of magic, the powers of which they know how to harness. Their famous "Gule Wamkulu" dance is a ritual dance performed to mark the change of seasons, weddings or the passage from life to death. The masked men of Gule Wamkulu are feared as "Zirombo" (animals or spirits). The masks represent dogs, crocodiles, lions or ancestral spirits, and are worn in cemeteries. To belong to this secret society, you need to be initiated.
Some Chewa live in a traditional village of around fifty huts. Most villages are made up of families linked in one way or another by blood or marriage. Each village has its own chief. The Chewa are farmers, owning fields on which they grow corn, vegetables, tobacco, millet and nuts for food and sale. They are also fishermen.
The Lomwe
The Lomwe are originally from present-day Mozambique. They live mainly in southeastern Malawi in the Phalombe district, although others live in Mulanje, Thyolo, Chiradzulu, Zomba and Liwonde. They number just over 3.7 million. The main migrations of this people took place before the arrival of missionaries and settlers at the end of the 19th century. The Lomwe also came to Malawi en masse in the 1930s as a result of tribal wars in Mozambique. The Lomwe are a rural population, mostly farmers. Only 5-10% live in urban areas. Although the Lomwe have preserved some of their traditions, the Lomwe language is used less and less by new generations. Most Lomwe now speak Chichewa. Some are animists, but most Lomwe consider themselves to be Christians, but the traditions of their ancestors greatly influence their daily lives. Former President Bingu wa Mutharika and his brother, Peter Mutharika, who was also President of the Republic of Malawi, belong to this ethnic group.
The Yao family
Originating from the north of present-day Mozambique and predominantly Muslim, the 2 million or so Yao living in Malawi have, since their arrival in the 1830s, mainly confined themselves to the regions stretching from the south-western shores of Lake Malawi through Mangochi to Zomba. Speaking Chiyao, a Bantu language, the Yao are primarily farmers, fishermen and traders. In Malawi's collective memory, the role of the Yao during the 19th century and up to the country's independence in 1964 is ambivalent. The Yao chiefs opposed British, German and Portuguese colonial rule through their insubordination, while at the same time trading slaves with Omani and Portuguese merchants based on the Indian Ocean coast in the second half of the 19th century. Known for their resistance to evangelization, the Yao chiefs converted to Islam, for economic and political rather than spiritual reasons, in the first decades of the 19th century. Their conversion and the arrival of Arab and Swahili teachers, enabling the dissemination of the Koran, worked towards the Islamization of the Yao population. The Yao, who today live in Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania, saw one of their number, Bakili Muluzi, preside over the Republic of Malawi from 1994 to 2004.
A large Indian community
Malawi has a large Indian community, particularly in urban centers. There are around 10,000 people of Indian origin across the country. Trade relations between India and Malawi go back a long way, to the 18th century, when Indian traders - mainly Gujaratis - arrived in Africa. In 1964, the year of Malawi's independence, India established diplomatic relations with the country. Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi even visited the country in 1964 to take part in independence celebrations.
The White Malawians
Many English families, known as "White Malawians", have been present in the country for several generations. These White Malawians, descendants of English settlers, come from families who came during the Protectorate and stayed on after independence. White Malawians remain very attached to the country. Other white Africans from Zimbabwe and South Africa are also settling in increasing numbers to work in the tourism sector.
Other communities
The presence of the Chinese community is also growing. The country provides substantial humanitarian aid and its investments in Malawi are increasingly substantial: freeways, hospitals, a large stadium, industrial operations linked to agricultural harvests. Finally, there are still a few Lebanese and Greek traders.
