Meet The Master Wood Carving Chisale A Preserver Of Malawian Culture

The Kugoni Centre of Culture and Art has produced carved pieces that can be found in Buckingham Palace and the Vatican Museum. There are churches in Germany as well as many other western countries that have been decorated with wood carvings by local Malawian artists trained here. Father Claude Boucher, popularly known as ‘Chisale’ (a cultural title given to men of the Ngoni tribe) explains how it all began.

The magnificent Kungoni Centre of Culture and Art is located at Mua village in Dedza district, the central region of Malawi, and its grandeur is seen in the richness of the wood carvings and paintings that colour the place.

Meeting the ‘Chisale’, Father Claude Boucher

Born in 1941 in Montreal, Canada, Father Boucher came to Malawi in December 1967. His interest in Malawi was piqued when his aunt, who was a nun, was deployed to Malawi in 1949.

Father Claude Boucher from Canada was made an honorary Malawian “Chisale”

After completing a post-graduate degree at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), Boucher travelled to Malawi. By moving to different districts around the country he was able to meet diverse tribes such as the Chewa, the Matengo and the Yao people. In this way he was inspired to start his journey preserving local Malawian culture.

The title of ‘Chisale’ was given to Boucher when he was living among the Ngoni people in Ntcheu District. The community gave him that name as a way of integrating him into their society. It is a name given to the the men as a sign of respect.

Some of the wood carvings that are available for purchase at the Kungoni Centre

Establishing the Kungoni Centre of Culture and Art

Since its establishment, students from the cities of Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu now come to Boucher to sharpen their skills as carvers. Here he works with artists from different tribes to help them express their culture through painting, basket making, pottery, and carving. The artists of Kungoni have gone on to decorate a number of churches and hotels across Malawi as well as abroad.

It was only later, after years of personal research on the local tribal groups that the cultural aspect of the centre was pushed. The centre was developed as a cultural museum of ethnographic collections from the Chewa, Yao and Ngoni people of Malawi.

The venue, which is also a research centre, brings together diverse faiths and cultures. It exhibits cultural artefacts, and acts as an art gallery, as well as a place where people can enjoy watching cultural dances. There is also a conference room, a boutique hotel, amphitheatre, a parish and colourful chalets.

Boucher also works with locals who come to the centre to decorate their homes. In exchange, these local people introduced him to different languages, a diverse array of traditional cooking methods, and dances that have become an integral part of his life. Today, apart from being a master wood carver, Boucher is also a costume designer, a painter, author, and pottery maker.

He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Culture and Social Anthropology by the Malawi Campus of the United Kingdom-based Share-World University in 2014.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.