Life at KuNgoni

I've been keeping very busy here at the KuNgoni Cultural Center. I've been through their museum, which includes a summary of the three major tribal cultures here: Chewa, Yao and Ngoni. The highlight is an amazing collection of over 200 wooden tribal masks, used in ritual ceremonies and dances. Sorry, no photos allowed. I sat in on one of their practices too--the singing is both haunting and beautiful.

But the heart of my reason for coming here, and to Malawi, is the woodcarving school and guild. Working with the most basic tools, and using only their feet as a vise to hold the wood, the carvers create beautiful artwork that displays their extraordinary skill.



And this morning, I received a lesson in African woodcarving. I spent 4 hours bent over on an outdoor concrete platform, carving, observing closely and listening to my instructors, Maxwell and Suman. They were very good, very patient teachers. I'll have to complete the project at home, as I have some final things to do here, such as make an art purchase for the church, before leaving tomorrow morning. Besides, my back is killing me.