Nyanja in Zimbabwe

The Chewa people also known as the Nyanja are traced back to Malambo in what today is the Democratic Republic of Congo. Today, the Chewa people are found in Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Botswana and Zimbabwe. The tendency over the years has been that Chewa families were much more likely to be found in the mines than anywhere else. Thus today they are found at mines in Chinhoyi, Bindura, Chegutu, Kadoma, Hwange, Shamva, Renco, Masvava and Shurugwi to mention a few. The Chewa people are also found on farms and estates around the country. When the Chewa people first arrived in Zimbabwe around the year 1930, they were looked down upon with disdain and before long had earned derogatory epithets like; Machawa, Mateeranjanji, Mabwidi, Mabvakure, Achimwene, aPhiri and Mabhurandaya to name some. The Chewa are well-known in Zimbabwe for their cultural dance called Gule Wamkulu Nyau dance which is ritualistic and distinct. There are 35,817 (0.3%) mother-tongue speakers of the Chewa language in Zimbabwe.