The Gawa Appearance
By Dickson Jere
One significant appearance at the funeral of Mpezeni IV is that of Chilombo, Kalonga Gawa Undi of the Chewa people. He appeared at the funeral house to pay his respects and later at the burial of Mpezeni IV. For those of us who follow events of the Eastern Province very keenly, this appearance is significant. Very significant!
For starters, Gawa Undi maintains a very private outlook and rarely seen in public unless on special events. But most significantly is that his appearance at the Mpezeni IV funeral presents a very positive future.
You see, Ngonis and Chewas have had a frosty relationship for a very longtime. In pre-independence time (1870), it was even bloody. They literally killed each other over land. And the relationship between the two groups remained tense. In fact, in 2015, the physical fight erupted once again over land and territorial disputes. Spears and axes were used against each other. Following government and police intervention, the situation was calmed.
And so, seeing the Gawa Undi at the Mpezeni IV funeral should be used to cement the two groups. This is the unity we should be seeing going forward. We should be seen at both Ncwala and Kulamba Ceremony in harmony.
I looked at the pictures again. Ngoni Chiefs with the Gawa talking like brothers. This is good! We need to ride on this public interactions so that villagers should see that we are one people. No need to hold ancestral grudges and issues of the past. We move together as one.