Soul

Waist beads are they cultural necessity?

In a quest to solidify their marriages and make sexual experiences ever more interesting, modern Malawian women are being taught the importance of wearing waist beads as CHEU MITA finds out.

 Walking into the top section of Blantyre Main Market one can notice beads of different colours on sale. As the women notice a fellow female customer, they beckon me with the call “network ilipo asisi“. I stop and look and what I am being offered is mikanda (waist beads), in greens, blues, reds, whites.

The women hasten to explain that they can adjust the size for me if I buy in just a few minutes.

Upon enquiring what these beads are for, the women sellers start explaining one after another.

“Women from different churches come here and buy for young women who are about to go into marriage. They want the men to find these things in the home and not with the other women,” they say.

“Some men see these from the women they meet at bars and at times they come here and buy for their wives; such men truly love their wives,” says another.

They say that to avoid using the name mikanda, network or ndinu nokha a phiri, are the names used.

“Most women are not so open to ask for mikanda so the alternative names help break the ice,” says one of the sellers.

Why network, I ask?

“We advise women to buy so their husbands don’t get mahule. If the man finds the network busy he will try another number [or get his phone charged elsewhere],” explained the women, stating that with the beads the network is supposed to be on all the time.

The beads according to the sellers are used to arouse the men during foreplay.

“Every Malawian woman has to have mikanda, it shows the difference between a man and a woman,” stated another, adding that all young women about to get married must have beads.

Waist beads also known as jigida are traditionally worn under clothes by African women. The waist beads have several different meanings. Ranging from rites of passage, to enticing your husband to healing and rejuvenation. The art of adorning oneself has been practised since the beginning of time.

According to the Blantyre Market women, red connotes that the woman is in her monthly period, yellow means I am almost done with the period, white means safe and ready, and black means I do not want [to have sex tonight]. Colours such as blue and green also signals that the woman is ready for the man anytime.

“Green means ndinu nokha Phiri,” added another.

We would like to hear from you. Do you think mikanda, network or jigida is a necessary addition to the bedroom? Why and why not? Let us know what you think by writing to us on cmita@mwnation.com or SMS to +265 888-994-100

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