Mutende Mizimu: Vimbuza from Mzimba North

Doctor Kanuska leads her ensemble in the traditional vimbuza healing trance dance ritual. As a child she was diagnosed by a traditional doctor as being possessed by the spirits of ancestor, which inspired her involvement in the healing rituals. Kanuska translates as ‘She Who Sniffs Out Bad Charms’. Although vimbuza is considered to be a marginal tradition Doctor Kanuska is much respected in the mountain villages of the Mzimba district. She specialises in the treatment of women's diseases and her intention is to build a Malawian maternity hospital.

Three drums and various percussive rattles create a powerful polyrhythmic atmosphere and the choral singing is joyous and uplifting. Various patients and followers of Doctor Kanuska are joined by a local village church choir in the ceremony, which takes the form of an all-night service of communication with the spirits. Recorded during several ceremonies in 2019 this is a remarkable example of a tradition that is little known outside of northern Malawi.