We learn to dance the Malipenga from our partners Chisomo Kachapila of Abanthu Dance Group, and Mr. Joe Duma and his students Jacqueline Chimatula, Clement Chakhala and Buleya Safali of Music Crossroads in Malawi (  / musiccrossroadsmalawi  .

In the northern region of Malawi, a small, landlocked country in Southeastern Africa, people from the Tonga ethnic group perform a highly organized "war dance" called the Malipenga. The dance involves teams known as "Boma" who are organized in a military-style hierarchy with titles such as “sergeant,” “captain” and“kingi” and dance in rows. Wearing clothes that simulate British military/naval uniforms -- or sometimes exaggerated European clothes and hats with colorful feathers -- dancers (often playfully) reenact historical events that occurred in Malawi under British rule or teach lessons about cleanliness or respect for elders.