The Practice of Paying Lobola (Kulobola) and The Tumbuka Culture: The Link between Kulobola and The Transformation of Cultural Practices of Tumbuka Society of Lundazi, 1924-64

This article investigates the link between kulobola and the transformation of cultural practices of Tumbuka society of Lundazi during colonial period. Using qualitative and quantitative data, the article explores how kulobola facilitated the transformation of Tumbuka cultural practices. It demonstrates how the introduction of kulobola improved access (or enrolment), retention and literacy levels among female folk. It also shows how kulobola helped the Tumbuka to either reduce or completely get rid of their negative cultural practices such as divorce, early marriages and male preference that impinged on female socio-economic ventures such as education in Tumbuka society of Lundazi. In addition, the article