More Information

 Child Rearing and Education

At about the age of 5 for boys and until adolescence for girls children have the most contact with their mother, sisters, and other female relatives. Boys and girls attend school only if the parents can afford to send them.If both cannot attend because of short funds the boy is usually favored and the girl stays home to help her mother around the community until she gets married and moves away.
During school, students are supposed to respect their teachers and corporal punishment is enforced but now to lesser extent.

Higher Education

Since the pay for school has risen the families are having a hard time sending their children to secondary schools. The wealthy send their children to boarding schools within and outside the country even though they believe that the influences of the modern world and lack of family supervision and support will have a negative affect on them.


Traditional Music of Mambwe People

Music is the most widely practiced art in their community. The music served as a functional purpose for thing such as ceremonial,religious,political, or incidental purposes.Music was performed during funerals to express pain and agony and to praise the departed.Work songs are also apart of their tradition, there is music for communal work such as building and weeding and music for individual work like pounding cereal ,winnowing.
Music is used for ritual purposes like chasing away evil spirits who visit the village at night, in rain making, and during divination's and healing. Music for the Mambwe is shaped by the total way of lifestyles and lifestyle patterns of each individual within the community separating it from music of other communities.

Content of the Music

Melodies within the music are lyrical with vocal ornamentation's. The rhythm of the music can be described as having a lot of syncopation and songs like these would usually be performed solo. The most common form of a solo performance are chants which are recitatives with irregular rhythms and phrases, carrying serious messages.

Traditional/Modern Clothing and Dressing Ettiquette 

The Mambwe people wore minimal clothing and they used animal hides to cover up their private parts but there was no stigma towards nudity.Today, their clothes are Western in origin, which varies from social class and and lifestyle choices. It would not be uncommon to see remote rural areas fashionably dressed to the latest styles. People in cities wear clothing similar to clothing worn in Paris and New York. In rural areas, the majority of people will dress to their daily work routines.Example: Women would wear loose fitting dresses made of solid or printed cotton fabric while attending the market or farming.Also wearing sandals or being barefoot are typical when working. Men wear jeans as work pants while farming. In general the Mambwe people enjoy dressing up for weddings and funerals.