Nyau is one dance among the list of UNESCOs Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Nyau popularly known as Gule Wamkulu (great dance) is a secret cult, involving a ritual dance practiced among the Chewa people of Malawi. It is a brotherhood kind of a secret society of initiated people, mostly men. The season for nyau is from July to December, that is after the harvest. Nyau performs during initiation rites, funerals, the installation or the death of a chief or death of an initiate or just for entertainment. Nyau, a masquerade representation of the ancestral spirits is responsible for instilling moral and social values. The characters could be in the form of animate or inanimate beings. Nyau could be in the form of a lion, chameleon, car, aeroplane or just any artistic impression. Each nyau mask has a symbolic meaning. They thus talk of life from not just from womb to tomb, but even life after death.
12 авг 2018
