Culture Fights Poverty in Tourist Villa

Kumbali cultural village is one of Malawian tourist resorts that is using traditional innovative methods to boost the struggling Malawian tourism industry. At the same time it is fighting poverty. Africanews.com reporter Madalitso Kateta knows more.

The traditional chalets, situated 8km north of the heart of Malawian capital, Lilongwe are made with un- baked mud bricks, pine wood planks and reeds. They reflect the cultural set up of the Kumbali cultural village.

Kumbali village was established in 2007 at the Natures Gift Farm, which also has the Kumbali Country Lodge where pop star Madonna lodged in her maiden trip to Malawi which saw her adopting Malawian toddler David Banda.

"We saw that there was a lot that Malawi had to offer to the west from its culture, but no tourist resort was doing that," said Scot Gray Manager at the Kumbali village.

The village was opened as one way of preserving the Malawian culture and at the same time preserving its natural diversity and ending poverty of people from the surrounding villages. “We all know African economics and culture are all about working with the environment, " he said.

The Cultural Village supervisor Eston Mgala said the village does not offer services as one could expect at a hotel as every tourist that visit Kumbali has to do anything by himself.
"When we receive a guest, we give him his beddings so that he can make the bed for him or her self, he or she is given a bucket so that he can make a bath on his or her own and feel that African village experience," said Mgala.

"We currently are having a concept where we want to have a residential chief for the village who is going to be narrating African folk roles and explain some African customs to the tourists," he said.

The gifts-kiosk at the village offers a wide range of pottery and other Malawian crafts which according to Mgala are made by local residents of the nearby Kauma village.

Local Malawians benefit as well
Apart from the tourists, local Malawians are also benefiting from the skills they gain at the village. Mgala said that while many Malawian locals have the belief that iron sheeted houses are the most durable, the village has started teaching them that if a traditional hut is build on a proper foundation its grass thatched roofing can stand for 25 years.

Cecelia Sikoti, a traditional hut care taker, said the village has assisted to end her family's financial burdens. Sikoti who is one of the decorators of the 12 traditional mud huts said before she was employed at the village her family was under going financial hardships.

"I was failing even to buy a pinch of salt at my house, but now my whole life has been changed, "she said.

Cultural Village supervisor Eston Mgala points out that the Village has two residential bands and cultural dancing troupes that entertain guests the traditional African way at night as the guest surround a fire. The bands and the troupe are made up from community members from the surrounding villages.

"The material we sell at the gift shop is made by local residents from Kauma, except a few that are bought from other sources, " he said, adding:"this is the corporate social responsibility plan that the village has of fighting poverty in the area.”

Samson Kankhande is a residential potter at the cultural village. He says the cultural village has boosted his business. Mr. Kankhande was initially vending his products on the street in the capital. He now sells his products at the village which is very organized and profitable. "Tourists are afraid to buy on the street because they fear encountering crooks or thieves, but this set up makes them to have confidence in us, "said Kankhande who now owns a pottery shop within the village.

Tourists
Emanuel Ike is a Nigerian tourist visiting the village and believes the innovative ideas being used at Kumbali cultural village is a very positive development in the Malawian tourism sector.

"If we are thinking about promoting tourism in Africa then we have to be innovative and include the African way of life in our tourism strategic plans," he said.

Simon Phatiko a youth from youth organisation Active Youth in Development who once visited the village on an education excursion, said the cultural village needed more of government assistance as the innovative ideas being used at the village were in line with the Malawi Development Strategy.

"The village is using over 75 percent natural products and if government assisted the owner to transfer the skills to other areas we could be talking of ending poverty in the country using sustainable tourism resources," he said.

Deputy Minister of tourism, parks and wild life Honorable Billy Kaunda said government was impressed with the innovative ideas being used at the Kumbali cultural village. The deputy Minister: "As a government we are to make sure that such innovative ideas are promoted.”

Kumbali village receives a cross section of local and international guests.

According to cultural village supervisor Eston Mgala the lodge also trains newly arriving British VSO and the Japanese volunteers the Malawian way of living before they are dispatched to their places of work in rural Malawi.

Kumbali cultural village has 12 traditionally constructed huts which can accommodate guests ranging from 2 to four.

The village also has a traditionally constructed conference room that can accommodate up to 100 tourists, a bead shop, a paintings shop, a pottery and a bar which serves its customers in the traditional African way.

The cuisine that is saved at the village is traditional Malawian, so as is the hospitality.