Shadreck Chikoti
The history of the banjo is commonly traced to West Africa, from where it was introduced to the Americas through the transatlantic slave trade. However, I propose that the true origins of the banjo lie in Malawi, from where it was carried to West Africa and subsequently to the New World.
A key piece of evidence supporting this claim is the existence of the badza (also referred to as batcha), a traditional Malawian musical instrument made from a gourd, with a spider’s membrane stretched over its open end. This instrument also featured a small hole through which one could blow to produce sound. The phonetic similarity between badza and banjo suggests a possible linguistic and cultural link. Furthermore, the earliest known versions of the banjo also utilized gourds and a form of stretched string, closely resembling the badza.
Historically, Malawi was a major centre of the East African slave trade for over 400 years, with an estimated 10,000 enslaved individuals taken from the region annually. While the East African trade is often associated with routes to the Indian Ocean, it is crucial to acknowledge that many inland slaves were also transported westward toward Atlantic trading ports. This movement of people—and by extension, cultural artifacts—could explain how the badza reached West Africa, where it may have influenced the development of early banjo prototypes.
It is also important to consider the Bantu migrations. The Katanga region, widely regarded as the cradle of Bantu civilization, was home to early stringed instruments, including variations of the badza. As Bantu groups migrated southward into Malawi (historically known as Maravi), they carried their musical traditions with them. This would suggest that the badza had already undergone centuries of evolution before reaching Malawi, where it could have developed further before being carried westward by the slave trade.
While mainstream scholarship emphasizes the banjo’s West African connections, the role of southeastern Africa—specifically Malawi—in shaping its origins remains underexplored. A comparative study of early gourd instruments from Malawi, Katanga, and West Africa, alongside linguistic and historical evidence, could provide deeper insights into the true origins of the banjo.
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