CENTRAL REGION



Here are some of the districts in the Central Region of Malawi

Dedza

Dedza is a district where pigmies left their marks at Mwalawolemba. In Dedza, along the lakeshore road which connects Blantyre, Salima, Nkhotakota, Nkhata Bayand Mzuzu, there is Mua Cultural and Arts Centre. At the centre, tourists have access to a library where there are documents about Malawi’s peoples and cultures. Tourists can watch dances, access to Malawi’s works of arts such as sculptures and paintings.

Lilongwe

Government’s headquarters is in Lilongwe. Dr. Banda shifted the capital from Zomba in 1975. Lilongwe is not only the heart of government, geographically it is also at the centre of the country. This, combined with the main Kamuzu International Airport and numerous hotels, makes Lilongwe a focal from which tourist can swing to the northern, central and southern parts of Malawi. Lilongwe itself boasts of entertainment joints, casinos and nature sanctuaries. From Liongwe a tourist can easily go to the lake district Salima, or Kasungu National Park, both are about 100 km away.

Kasungu

Kasungu has Kasungu National Park, where tourist can see a lot of game such as elephants, lions and antelopes. Kasungu is also the home of Malawi’s first President Dr. hastings Kamuzu Banda. Banda built an international grammar school, Kamuzu Academy.

Kasungu is home to Malawi’s largest tribal group, the Chewa. The Chewa are also found in other districts such as Mchinji, Mchinji, Dowa, Ntchisi, Nkhotakota, Salima, Lilongwe and Dedza. The Chewa are famous for their dance (gulewamkulu) performed by masked people. The masked people do not only dance, but perform some cultural practices such as initiations, coronation of chiefs and even death rites. A tourist is likely to meet the dances in the districts listed.