Vimbuza Healing Dance

　　Singing and drumming cohere into powerful musical experiences, providing a space for patients to "dance their disease" (kuvina nthenda). Although Vimbuza has changed over the years, musical practice has remained fairly consistent.

　　The Vimbuza healing ritual goes back to the mid-19th century when it developed as a means of overcoming traumatic experiences of oppression, and it further developed as a healing dance under British occupation, although it was forbidden by Christian missionaries. By becoming possessed by Vimbuza spirits, people who had experienced mental harm could express this in a way that was accepted and understood by the surrounding society. For the Tumbuka, vimbuza is both artistic production and therapeutic approach and is regarded as a useful complement in cases where other forms of medical treatment do not prove successful. Its continually expanding repertoire of songs, complex drumming tradition and the virtuosity of the dancing are all part of the rich cultural heritage of the Tumbuka.

　　Vimbuza is still practised in rural areas where the Tumbuku live but faces severe opposition by Christian churches and missionaries as well as, sometimes, doctors propagating modern psychiatric treatment. Environmental degradation is another problem since healers find it more difficult to find the necessary plants used in their traditional medicine in the Vimbuza healing ritual. Many people who are not conscious of the medical benefits of Vimbuza reduce it to a form of entertainment without recognizing its spiritual character and effects.