ICAT Playdate — Vimbuza Healing Systems, Safeguarding Indigenous Knowledge in Malawi

Vimbuza is a powerful Tumbuka healing tradition from Northern Malawi where music, dance, plant medicine, and ancestral connection come together to treat illness holistically. This project seeks to preserve and revitalize Vimbuza through a UNESCO-compliant digital archive and immersive exhibition that integrates music, ritual, and community knowledge. In January of 2026, Virginia Tech professors Martha Sullivan and Ralph Hall Tech partnered with Malawian community organizers, Edward Nkhata and Alexander Helden Nyasulu, to offer professional development workshops for community members in Hewe so that they can self-document the music and dance unique to Vimbuza. During the workshop, members of the Hewe community recorded multiple patient and provider interactions as part of this pilot study of creating their own archive of cultural knowledge. The main outcome is the design of an exhibition of the sound and images of Vimbuza practices for viewing in Malawi and beyond as curated by the Hewe community.