News from Malawi Travel

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/

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!

Across the past nine years, over 159,000 people have attended the event, and 501 performing acts from 20 countries. The festival has gained national and international media coverage. It has so far achieved a media reach estimated at 66,200,000 people worldwide.

Because of its uniqueness and impact, the Tumaini Festival has been recognized worldwide, being an Honorable Mention of the 2021 Global Pluralism Award, winning the 2020 Sharjah International Award for Refugee Advocacy & Support, and the 2018 World Bank Africa Region's Social Inclusion Hero Award. The festival was also a finalist for the 2020 Ockenden International Prize and a finalist for the 2020 Elevate Prize. In 2019, Tumaini Letu was represented at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva, Switzerland, of which its Founder was a Refugee Co-sponsor.

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'.

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.

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.

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.

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?

The Presidential Task Force on Coronavirus is reminding the general public of the travel requirements for Malawi through different points of entry including the airports and land crossings that became Effective 1st June 2022.  The following are the travel requirements:

1. All intoming travellers, including Malawians, that are fully vaccinated and have an electronically verifiable COVID-19 vaccination certificate are no longer required to produce a COVID-19 PCR certificate prior to entering the country.

Zomba City Festival is a celebration of the culture, heritage and natural beauty of the one-time capital of Malawi. Expect 4 days full of activities at the city’s most vibrant locations; there will be something to enjoy for everyone’s taste. A long weekend with family fun, sports, arts & culture and live music

For more information see: www.visitzomba.com/festival

The Economist newspaper has named Malawi as the country of the year 2020 following the nullification of the 2019 presidential elections and the holding of Fresh Presidential elections.

A leaflet of ‘Guidelines for Departing & Arriving Passengers at Airports’ was produced in November by the Ministry of Health downgrading the requirement for those with a  negative test result so that they only now have to ‘self-monitor’ but can otherwise travel freely. The latest document states the following for arriving passengers: