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The Foundation is named after the baobab tree. Mlambe is the Chewa –the national language of Malawi- designation of this tree. A foundation of cultural heritage identifying itself with a natural icon calls for explanation. Mlambe Foundation explicitly deals with Malawi’s entire cultural heritage, not excluding, nor emphasizing any ethnic group or historical period. In this respect there is no better suited symbol for the Foundation than the baobab that has a lifespan of thousands of years and can be found almost throughout Malawi. The baobab is not only a salient and long-lived feature in the Malawi landscape; she also has a long history of economic and cultural significance. It provides food substances (the fruits and leafs, and the honey from the bees in its cavity), and clothing and string (bark). Moreover, this big tree is often associated with ancestral spirits and it can often be found as the central village tree in the shade of which social life takes its course. The baobab thus is a living symbol of variety of age-old traditions and meanings.
In the logo, we see a baobab from Chikhwawa District. Along with a few others, it can be found in the middle an extensive commercial sugarcane plantation. These trees may not be cut down –and cannot be cut down according to oral tradition.
They are living reminders to the Mang’anja communities that these grounds once held their villages and graveyards, and thus that they are the rightful owners of the land. In the late 60s and early 70s they were forced to move with little compensation.
The risen sun alludes to the rising sun in Malawi’s national flag at the time of Mlambe Foundation’s establishment. At independence this flag was adopted to symbolize the new dawn to the nation. The risen sun in our logo refers to the rich –yet little known- pre-colonial heritage Malawi holds. In July 2010 Malawi adopted a new national flag with a full sun in the centre to symbolize the strides it had made since independence. The old flag was restored on 28th May 2012.
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