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UMP Festival 2025: Africa’s Ultimate Music, Fashion, Film & Arts Experience

Mark your calendars for one of Africa’s most anticipated cultural celebrations. UMP Festival 2025 is set to take place from October 21st to 27th in the breathtaking lakeside paradise of Cape Maclear, Malawi. This year’s festival promises an unforgettable week filled with music, fashion, film, art, and cultural exploration. Set against the stunning backdrop of Lake Malawi, UMP Festival continues to elevate African creativity on a global stage.

 
Music & Dance Performances
Expect electrifying performances from some of Malawi’s top talents alongside international stars. The festival will be a celebration of diverse rhythms, energetic dance, and cross-continental collaboration.
 
Cape Maclear Film Festival
The film segment of the festival showcases powerful storytelling from across Africa and beyond. From documentaries to feature films, this is a space where cinematic voices shine.
 
Miss UMP Beauty Pageant
An empowering showcase of confidence, creativity, and talent. The Miss UMP pageant highlights the beauty and diversity of African womanhood.
 
UMP Awards: Music & Fashion
Recognizing trailblazers and emerging stars in the entertainment and fashion industries, the UMP Awards celebrate innovation, influence, and impact across the continent.
 
Art Exhibition
Immerse yourself in a rich visual experience with exhibitions featuring Malawian and African artists. Enjoy live painting sessions, street art, and cutting-edge digital installations.
 
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The 11th anual Tumaini Festival

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The 11th anual Tumaini Festival
 
Join us at the Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Doha, Malawi, October 30-November 1 for the 11th annual Tumaini Festival! The worlds only festival in a refugee camp!
 
There's music. There's dance. There's poetry. And there's some of the best food in Malawi!
 
Since its founding in 2014, the Tumaini Festival has been uniting refugees, host communities, and global visitors to celebrate culture, promote peace, and uplift refugee voices through performance and storytelling. It's the world's only international festival held inside a refugee camp.

During a decade of impact, we've proudly welcomed over 230,000 patrons, hosted 615 acts from 25 countries, and seen our message resonate globally with 61 million media reach. Beyond the stages, the festival has been instrumental in driving tangible economic change, generating $1,250,000 for the camp, directly supporting over 2,300 refugee entrepreneurs, and creating 1,500 vital job opportunities. 
 
We hope to see you there! We'll be creating art, amplifying refugee voices, and building unforgettable connections.
 
See you in Doha, for the music and food adventure of a lifetime!
 
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Mindfulness Silent Retreat - 13-17 October 2025

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From October 13–17 2025, Mindfulness van Commenée is hosting a 5-day silent retreat at Kuti Wildlife Reserve in Salima.

What is a mindfulness silent retreat?

During a mindfulness silent retreat, you are invited to literally step into silence. When you arrive, there’s still time to talk, to get to know eachother, ask your questions, and settle in. The silence begins on the evening of day 1.

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Best Time to Visit Malawi: When to Plan Your Trip for the Ultimate Experience

Best Time to Visit Malawi: When to Plan Your Trip for the Ultimate Experience
Malawi, known as the “Warm Heart of Africa,” is a stunning and diverse destination offering everything from wildlife-rich national parks to the crystal-clear waters of Lake Malawi. But when is the best time to go? Here’s everything you need to know to plan your perfect trip.
 
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The Africa Rally 2025

The Africa Rally 2025

Three weeks of unbridled exploration, life changing experiences, and friends who will be with you for a lifetime. An epic start, half way, and finish line party, and plenty of opportunity for mischief in between. That’s right folks – this mobile menagerie of motoring mayhem is back!

The Africa Rally 2025 will run between 5th July 2025 and 26th July 2025 and as always, we only have capacity for 50 teams on the roster.

More detail info on the site!

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Bahasi Christmas Party needs your help

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We are organizing a Christmas party again to cheer up orphans, vulnerable children and people living with HIV and AIDS, which we care for at our orphanage and school care center. We are planning to hold the aforementioned activity at BAHASI orphanage school in Bangwe Township.

We trust you will find this activity to be for the good and will help the needy within our community. Our budget requirement is around $1500. We hope that you will subsequently favour us and this good cause by granting our request, click on this DONATE!  (the link opens in new tab and you are redirected to the Bahasi site) via Paypal/Creditcard, (local) Bank Transfer or Check.

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Malawi Folktales & Folksongs Database Has Been Launched

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Lilongwe, Malawi - The Malawi National Commission for UNESCO, National Library Service, Music Crossroads Malawi, Department of Museums and Monuments, Tumaini Letu, and Rei Foundation Limited, are pleased to announce the successful launch of the Malawi Folktales and Folksongs Database. The launch event, held on Wednesday, 9th October, 2024 at Crossroads Hotel, Lilongwe, marked a major milestone in the safeguarding and accessibility of Malawi’s rich intangible Cultural Heritage.

The project, initiated in 2012, has successfully documented and preserved a collection of folktales and folksongs in every district across Malawi. The database contains 257 folktales and 217 folksongs. It is available in Chichewa, English, and Kiswahili, ensuring its accessibility to a broad audience both locally and internationally.

Visit Library: https://malawifolklore.mw/

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Improvements site Malawi Travel

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We successfully completed the migration of our very comprehensive website to Joomla 5 and PHP 8.3 today. A big thank you to Atol Solutions in Amsterdam and Gova from Percept Infotech in India for their assistance. The project was very challenging, especially with K2, Joomlashine templates, and multi-category support not being compatible, but we made it happen!

With our new Joomla engine and software we are even faster loading and definitely prepared for the future remaining at 99.99% uptime. We even got improved look and feel!

Only the best for our clients!

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Lake of Stars Malawi Arts Festival  - September 5 - 8, 2024

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Lake of Stars is one of the world's favorite festivals, small but significant, making global headlines with CNN, BBC, The Guardian and many other media houses. An untamed arts adventure tapestry set on the wilderness of Malawi's finest lake beaches, Lake Malawi, also known as the 'Lake of Stars'.

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Mulanje Peaks & Rhythms Festival - Aug 30 / Sep 1, 2024

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The Mulanje Peaks and Rhythms Festival is a three-day annual celebration of the unique blend of Mulanje’s natural beauty, cultural heritage, and artistic talents, held in the picturesque region of Mulanje, Malawi. Scheduled to take place from August 30th to September 1st, 2024, this festival not only aims to entertain but also to promote environmental conservation, community engagement, cultural exchange and tourism in the region, while providing a platform for local and international artists. As we mark the beginning of the tourism month, we strive to create an event that resonates with both local and international audiences.

The theme for the 2024 festival is "Promoting Youth Involvement in Tourism, Reforestation, and Cultural Arts for and Peace for Environmental Sustainability," This theme underscores our commitment to nurturing young talent, protecting our natural resources, and promoting cultural heritage.

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The Africa Rally 2024 Heads for Malawi!

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This July the Warm Heart of Africa plays host to Africa’s Biggest Charity Road Trip!

After setting off from South Africa in late June, a variety of vehicles from old Land Rovers, to VW Beetles, Mercedes, Volvos, and even a Kugelwagon will have made their way across Botswana, Zambia, and will finally cross the border into Malawi at Chipata.  Here they will head for Senga Bay, where, for the first time routes will diverge with a number of teams heading north to Kenya, while others head south back through Mozambique to South Africa.

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Zomba City Festival 2024

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Zomba City Festival's fourth edition will take place from 26-28th of April 2024. Spread across 5 venues in the historic city of Zomba, including Botanic Gardens, The Heritage Centre, Chalice Vine, the festival promises an exciting mix of arts and activities.

All ages are welcome to this celebration of music, poetry, visual arts, theatre, fashion and more. Accompanied children under 12 enter for free.

Buy your Early bird ticket through the website: www.zombacityfestival.com at 25.000. Tickets at the door are 35000mk, Saturday only ticket at 20000mk

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Introducing The Baker's Frozen Delights at Ekhaya Farms Foods

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Are you ready to experience a world of delicious convenience? The Baker is thrilled to announce that our delectable frozen products, including mouthwatering pizzas, savory samosas, gourmet ravioli, and tempting donuts, are now available at Ekhaya.

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Malawi suffers from Freddy - do help!

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Cyclone Freddy has caused a lot of damage in Bangwe, houses and toilets are mainly affected. More than  225 deaths and at least 584 have been injured and 37 people have been reported missing in the country., Right now we have so many victims who has lost their homes. Some of the Bahasi community (49) sleep in our classrooms.

As Bahasi organization we want to help those who are affected by cyclone Freddy by donating blankets, plastic papers and domestic materials. 

We're appealing for special assistance to those who would like to support us by funding financially or with materials.  

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Zomba City Festival April 2023

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Come explore the city of Zomba! Zomba City festival brings you three days of culture, nature and heritage in the university town nestled at the foot of the mountain. Participate in games, coffee tasting, hiking, yoga and mountain biking. Watch live performances. Stroll through Zomba’s magical botanic gardens and Enjoy a fashion show and visual arts. Why not top off your visit with a refreshing cocktail or some craft beer?

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Help Feed the Bahasi Community

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A success it has been,  but of course more is needed in these dire times. Please help and give what you can afford. DONATIONS are most welcome!

We had a fundraising event on 29 January which purpose was to raise money to buy more than 150 bags of maize to give to the parents of our pre-school children. After the fundraising we raised 620,000 and we have managed to buy 131 bags of maize flour at 5 kgs per family and we have distributed it to more than 150 families including other bags we had received during fundraising.

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My First Live Reggae Experience – Malawi

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It was pandemonium at Mzuzu Squirrel’s Park as Malawi’s reggae legends took to the stage to entertain their fans who had been waiting for months to see them live. Since the Malawian government enforced Covid-19 restrictions, artists haven’t been able to perform because of crowd control and live streaming concerts didn’t seem to catch on. As a result this was a very welcome return for maBlacks as they are fondly known. Although they have been performing in and around Blantyre, where they are based, Mzuzu fans were next in line and they were not disappointed.

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My 3 Favourite Venues for Live Music in Blantyre Malawi

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Now that Covid-19 seems to be somewhat under control in Malawi, Blantyre music lovers are able to go out and see their favourite bands play live. I’ve put together a short list of the best places to see live bands in Blantyre. This city has an abundance of entertainment for those who prefer a live band over a DJ. In Blantyre, you can see a live band at least four days a week and you will be spoiled for choice. Whether you want to dance or just relax and have a drink with friends, there is a place for you in this beautiful city. These are the top three places I frequented in the six months that I spent in Blantyre.

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Malawi Travel Tips

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…for South Africans

I’ve been in Malawi for a while now and during this time, fellow South Africans have been asking me some questions about Malawi. Honestly, these are questions I wish I could have had answers to, over a year ago before I bought that one-way bus ticket. After spending about 21 months in Malawi I feel like I am in a position, at least from a tourist perspective, to answer some of these questions.

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I Took a Bus From South Africa to Malawi and This Is What Happened

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Taking the bus is probably not the first transport option that comes to mind when travelling out of the country but if, like me, you are a budget traveller always looking for new experiences keep reading. Just A couple of months before the world was plunged into the Covid-19 pandemic, I learned that the now-closed Greyhound bus service had a new route from Johannesburg to Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu, in Malawi. Since I’ve always wanted to see Malawi and visit a friend at the same time, this got me excited. I’m no stranger to bus travel but this was my first time crossing a border using the bus. I was a little apprehensive at first because I couldn’t find enough information on bus travel across borders. This is what I know now. Since the pandemic, I haven’t travelled across borders by bus.

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