The Chongoni Rock-Art Area comprises 127 sites in wooded granite hills on the Central Malawi Plateau. This combination of rock art and landscape gives the Central Region a distinct cultural focus. At the same time, the images tell of a tradition whose significance is not confined to the past.

Rock Art Between History and the Present

Chewa farmers practised rock painting well into the 20th century. The Chongoni rock art sites remain connected with Chewa ceremonies and rituals. The area’s history therefore encompasses both a historical artistic practice and an ongoing cultural relationship: one period does not replace the other.

The vast majority of the Chongoni rock art sites lie within the boundary of the area, which coincides with that of the Chongoni Forest Reserve. Five of the 127 designated sites are outside this boundary but within the buffer zone. Official accessibility is also important when planning a visit: without trained staff permanently stationed on site, the Chongoni Rock-Art Area is not officially open to the public.

Chamare Museum: Culture from Several Perspectives

At Chamare Museum, Gule Wamkulu masks and structures take centre stage; the Chewa regard them as bearers of their ancestors’ moral teachings. The museum also presents the history of the Mua Mission and explores the relationship between faith and culture, known as inculturation. Cultural expressions and religious history thus come together.

The collection also includes cultural artefacts of the Ngoni and Yao. The exhibition on the Chewa, Ngoni and Yao features detailed photographs and explanations by Claude Boucher Chisale. These explanations give visitors a way to engage with the communities represented that goes beyond viewing individual objects.

Chongoni and Chamare Museum offer different points of emphasis: at the rock art sites, landscape, painting and an ongoing ritual relationship come together; at the museum, you encounter masks, artefacts and the history of the Mua Mission. If you want to explore cultural history, these themes can offer different starting points, depending on whether you are first drawn to rock art or to museum collections and their interpretation.

Crafts and Getting Around the Region

Woodworking can also be observed: visitors are welcome to watch the carvers at work in the botanical garden on the Kungoni grounds. Much of their work is visible to the public there. Seeing the craft in progress adds a tangible working process to the experience of exhibitions and rock art.

For a broader perspective on travel in Malawi: Lilongwe is the country’s capital, an important gateway to Malawi and the seat of government. The city is in the Central Region. This regional context complements the cultural themes of Chongoni and Chamare with a national point of reference, without equating Lilongwe’s characteristics with those of the individual cultural sites.

Discover more destinations: Salima, Kasungu, Nkhotakota, Senga, Kasungu, Ntcheu, Northern Region, Southern Region.

For the broader travel overview: Malawi.