Everson Luhanga
Waist beads were invented by African women and initially served to gauge their weight, especially around their waists.
But over time, the beautiful jewellery is used in many African societies for different purposes.
In some African cultures beads represent fertility, spirituality and sensuality.
In Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania women wear waist beads to boost their men’s libido.
Young girls in Malawi and Mozambique go through a ceremony called Umwali, where they are taught how important it is to wear their waist beads for their prospective husbands.
At the age of puberty, about 13 years, girls are taken away from the public and taught valuable lessons about how to be a better and more responsible grown up.
It is at this age when they are all taught the best ways to look after their upcoming husbands as tradition has it.
Girls receive a bunch of beads called mikanda or Nthunda – in Malawi’s Tumbuka language – to put around their waist.
Beads are believed to arouse men more once they touch them during lovemaking in bed.
When a man marries a wife, who on their first day of meeting in the bedroom wears a mikanda, he knows she comes from a family that observes and respects cultural values.
Scrolla.Africa spoke to cultural expert Refiloe WaKhunou who explained why some cultures wear waist beads. He said beads are a sign of purity.
“They connect with nature and they heal by casting out evil. It’s not about swag but it is royal,” he said. “Different bead sizes and colours have different meanings.”
Wa Khunou said during the Reed Dance, maidens wear beads to identify groups by their locations. The kings also identify the young women through their leaders by looking at the beads’ colour and size.
