At 5:00 AM on 22 November 2025, a kingdom rose again.
In the quiet dark before sunrise at Sosola Village in Salima District, a delegation from the Msinja Shrine arrived led by Makewana — the spiritual custodian of the Chewa people. Raphael Nowa Phiri knelt. He received the Staff of Authority. He rose as Kalonga Sosola IX: the first Chewa king to be crowned in Malawi in 162 years.
The title of Kalonga is not merely ceremonial. It belongs to the supreme secular ruler of the Maravi Kingdom — a civilisation that once stretched from Lake Malawi to the Luangwa River, commanding trade routes that connected the African interior to the Indian Ocean coast. The last Kalonga, Sosola VIII, was killed in 1863. For over a century and a half, the throne sat empty.
On that November morning, it was filled again.
The Setting: Sosola Village, Salima
The coronation took place at Sosola Village in Traditional Authority Khombedza — the ancestral home of the Sosola royal lineage. This was not a random choice. The village is named for the very dynasty being restored, and holding the ceremony there anchored the event in the living geography of Chewa history.
The 5:00 AM start was equally deliberate. In Chewa tradition, dawn marks the threshold between the world of the living and the world of the ancestors. Sacred rites are performed at this hour because it is when the spirit world is closest. This was not theatre. It was protocol.
Witnesses included Senior Chief Kaomba of Kasungu, Senior Chief Chadza of Lilongwe, and Senior Chief Dambe, alongside members of the royal family and community representatives who had travelled from across the country.
Who Is Makewana — and Why Does Her Role Matter?
In Chewa tradition, no Kalonga can be crowned without Makewana.
She is the high priestess of the Banda clan and the spiritual custodian of the Chewa people. Her authority is older than the Phiri royal dynasty itself. The Banda clan was already settled at Mankhamba when the Maravi arrived, and it was through their acceptance that the Kalonga’s rule was made sacred.
Makewana of Msinja led the November 2025 ceremony. Her spokesperson, Group Village Head Masula, made the Msinja Shrine’s position clear: no court, no government body, and no rival organisation had the power to stop the appointment.
“Kingship comes from blood. Government positions are political creations.” — GVH Masula, spokesperson for Makewana of Msinja
In handing the Staff of Authority to Nowa Phiri, Makewana re-established the sacred covenant between the Phiri and Banda clans — the same covenant that governed the Maravi Kingdom at the height of its power in the 17th century.
The Ceremony: What Happened
Here is what took place at Sosola Village on 22 November 2025.
At 5:00 AM, the Msinja delegation arrived and the sacred rite began before selected royal family members and traditional leaders. Makewana performed the installation and handed the Staff of Authority to Raphael Nowa Phiri, formally transferring sovereignty from the spirit realm to the living king.
Festivities then moved to Namachete Primary School grounds, where the new Kalonga addressed a large gathering of supporters. Performances of Gule Wamkulu, Mganda, Chisamba, and Chiwoda followed — each a Chewa tradition affirming the identity and continuity of the kingdom.
In his inaugural address, Kalonga Sosola IX called for unity among the Chewa people. He spoke on three themes: environmental conservation, quality education, and the strength of local business. He announced plans for Chewa Development Holdings Limited — an agricultural lending programme for smallholder farmers. He also called for a new annual Chewa cultural festival to be hosted within Malawi’s own borders.
“Time has come for us to be self-dependent. Future generations must celebrate here, whether at Mankhamba, Msinja, or the Mbona Shrine.” — Kalonga Sosola IX, 22 November 2025
The Legal Controversy
The coronation did not take place without dispute.
The Chewa Heritage Foundation (Chefo) obtained a High Court injunction before the ceremony, seeking to block it. Their argument: Malawi’s Chiefs Act recognises Paramount Chiefs but makes no provision for a sovereign king. Senior Chief Lukwa, representing over 40 Chefo-aligned chiefs, condemned the installation as illegal and warned it threatened Chewa unity. He maintained that the only recognised supreme Chewa king is Kalonga Gawa Undi, based at Mkaika in Katete, Zambia.
The Office of Kalonga Sosola IX has addressed this directly. The Kalonga title represents a historical sovereignty that predates colonial law. The Chiefs Act was designed to administer modern chieftaincy — not to govern an ancient kingship that existed centuries before British rule arrived in Malawi.
The Office also affirms deep respect for Kalonga Gawa Undi XI. The revival at Mankhamba is not framed as a challenge to Gawa Undi’s regional authority. It is a localised restoration — giving Malawian Chewa a direct seat of power for issues specific to Malawi, including land, agriculture, culture, and community welfare.
Why the Mankhamba Site?
The ancient capital of the Maravi Kingdom sits in Dedza District near the Mtakataka-Mua area on the southwestern shore of Lake Malawi. Archaeological excavations led by Dr Yusuf Juwayeyi confirmed that the site was occupied from the 12th century and became a major trade hub by the 17th century.
Artefacts found at Mankhamba include Chinese Ming Dynasty porcelain, Khami-series glass beads from India, and copper objects from the Zimbabwe-Copperbelt region. These finds confirm that Mankhamba was not a remote village. It was a cosmopolitan capital with trade links stretching from the African interior to the Indian Ocean coast.
Restoring the Kalonga lineage to that same land is a deliberate act of cultural memory. The Mankhamba Cultural Revival takes its name from this site. Its goal is to see Mankhamba formally recognised as a heritage destination — a place of education, scholarship, and pride for Chewa people across Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique.
What Comes Next
The coronation was a beginning, not a conclusion. The Mankhamba Cultural Revival has a clear programme ahead:
- Chewa Development Holdings Limited will begin distributing CG9 groundnut seeds to smallholder farmers in Salima and Dedza ahead of the 2026 planting season.
- The Maravi Growth Triangle Economic Summit is planned for 2026, bringing together leaders from Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique to discuss agriculture and shared infrastructure.
- An inaugural Mankhamba Heritage Festival — the first formal cultural celebration at the ancient capital in over 160 years — is in the early stages of planning.
- Legal dialogue continues with Malawi’s courts and government to clarify the constitutional standing of the Kalonga title.
The throne at Mankhamba is no longer empty. What the Chewa people build from this moment — in agriculture, in culture, in law, and in regional cooperation — will define its legacy.
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