The Story of the Lhomwe People
Journey from Eastern Mozambique to Malawi: Discover the origins, migrations, vibrant traditions, and the present-day cultural renaissance of the Lhomwe.
At a Glance
This page is designed as a vibrant visual timeline and guide.
Explore the Lhomwe narrative through interactive highlights— seamlessly move through each stage of our rich history and language.
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- • Explore dialect names and meanings in the grid below.
The Lhomwe People of Malawi
Explore the rich history, culture, and traditions of the Lhomwe people through a visual timeline, thematic sections, and a dialect overview. The layout is designed for easy reading — skim, navigate, and dive deeper where you want.
Historical Timeline
Key moments that shaped the identity and presence of the Lhomwe people.
1300–1400
Early Presence in Malawi
The Lhomwe originated from eastern Mozambique and spread westwards, arriving in Mulanje (that included Phalombe) even before the Maravi people. Presence of Lhomwes in Malawi (Nyasaland) is reported to be as early as 1400. Linguistic analysis has documented this timeframe in describing a south westerly movement of the Lhomwe out of the Rovuma River region as early as 1300. However, the earlier migrations were dominated by single households without any group leader as was the case with other ethnic groups.
Late 19th Century
Migration due to Trade and Colonization
The migration of large numbers of Lhomwe to Malawi had taken place before the arrival of missionaries, white traders, and colonialists in the latter part of the nineteenth century. To identify themselves with family members or clans, they used to deliberately cough at each other accompanied by clan name such as Mbewe, Nkhoma etc. The British tea and coffee plantations also offered a lot of employment opportunities; as such the Lhomwe worked in these plantations. Furthermore, they also worked as either porters or mercenaries for the British settlers.
1930s
Influx from Mozambique
There was also a large influx of Lhomwe into Malawi in the 1930's because of tribal wars in Mozambique. First the slave trade, then the forced labour policies of the Portuguese sent tens of thousands of Lhomwe fleeing across the border into Malawi in one of the greatest population movements in the history of Southern Africa. This mass migration significantly shaped the demographic and cultural landscape of the region.
1943
Alhomwe Tribal Representative Association
Lewis Mataka Bandawe founded the Alhomwe Tribal Representative Association. One of its first actions was to petition the government to have the word “Anguru” banned and replaced by the term “Lhomwe”. Disturbed by the tone of the letters in the Nyasaland Times, the government acquiesced. This marked a significant step in the recognition and self-identification of the Lhomwe people.
1951
Launch of Lhomwe Tribe
The launch of Lhomwe Tribe was officially held in 1951 at a place called “Mikweyi” now Migowi in Phalombe where the word Lhomwe was explained to mean peace and new beginning. The slogan “Alhomwe Alhomwe Noophiya!!” was unveiled to mean “we are now settled and let's unite to move forward”. Thus, following the Migowi open-ground conference, the various groups which had entered Nyasaland from Mozambique became one tribe.
2007
Mulhako wa Alhomwe Cultural Renaissance
The launch of the Mulhako wa Alhomwe at Chonde in Mulanje in 2007 marked the renaissance of a culture that was dying a slow and painful death. Founded by His Excellency Professor Bingu wa Mutharika, a prominent Lhomwe, with a vision for “A vibrant empowered and unified Alhomwe, peacefully coexisting with other ethnic groups and participating meaningfully in the development of Malawi”. Today there is a Lhomwe Heritage Centre at Chonde, including a library and future language school.
Dialects of the Lhomwe
The Lhomwe people speak various dialects, each with its own unique characteristics, geography and nuance. This diversity reflects the wide spread of the community while preserving a shared identity.
