If Mzimba has its Elephant Rock then Chiradzulu replies with its Rock Lion on Mambala Hill.
The Mambala Lion, easily recognizable as you turn a corner after Mikolongwe on the Midima road from Blantyre to Mulanje, was once the chief’s pet and companion.
But then the chief started to use his pet to intimidate and oppress his people, whereupon one day the angry spirits of the ancestors froze the lion right on top of Mambala Hill. He’s remained stuck there gazing blankly at Choda Hill, long after the demise of the chief, testimony to human folly and a warning to all those who misuse power.
It is said in the village that if you are of good heart and pure soul, you can sometimes hear the lion roaring lamentfully in the middle of night, and even see it in full form standing magnificently right there on Mambala Hill.
But no one has so far claimed to have ever heard the Rock Lion roar, such is the scarcity of goodness and ascendancy of evil in the land.
