Youth and Elderly Together (Yeto) Festival

Bridging Generations. Preserving Culture. Inspiring Unity.

The YETO Festival is an intergenerational storytelling and cultural event that brings together youth and elders from rural communities in Karonga, Malawi to promote social justice, climate awareness, and cultural heritage. Through folktales, traditional dances, indigenous cooking, and village walks, the festival fosters mutual respect, combats age-based discrimination, and creates space for dialogue between generations on issues like climate change, chieftaincy conflicts, and community cohesion. It is a celebration of wisdom, identity, and unity—where tradition meets transformation.

Reviving Wisdom. Rebuilding Bonds. Reshaping Communities.

The Youth and Elderly Together (YETO) Festival is a flagship intergenerational cultural project implemented by Focus on Ability Society (FOAS) in Karonga District, Malawi. Funded by ACT Ubumbano, the initiative was designed to restore broken bonds between young people and the elderly by reviving traditional storytelling, promoting cultural heritage, and advancing grassroots climate education and social justice.

Launched in September 2024 and implemented across the villages of Chimalabanthu, Chakwera, Phaniso, and Yalero under Group Village Head Gwereweta, the YETO Festival created a space where generations could meet, share wisdom, and reflect on issues affecting their communities. Through a series of interactive events—including traditional storytelling, indigenous dish cooking, village walks, climate dialogues, and cultural dance—the project promoted mutual respect, identity, and intergenerational solidarity.

🎯 Key Objectives

Strengthen cooperation and communication between youth and elders.
Preserve and promote local folktales, wisdom, and traditional values.
Use indigenous knowledge to raise awareness on climate change and environmental stewardship.
Foster social justice, harmony, and community participation across generations.

🌿 Festival Highlights

Over 300 participants attended the main community festival held on November 23, 2024 in Chimalabanthu.
Elders from each village shared folktales that addressed culture, leadership, and environmental conservation.
Youth actively responded with reflections, drama, and community pledges.
Village walks along the Kibwe River illustrated the devastating impact of climate change, prompting calls for conservation and tree planting.
Storytelling sessions inspired local by-laws to protect the elderly and commitments from youth to plant trees and engage in environmental action.

🌍 Impact

90% of participants reported improved relationships between youth and elders.
Chakwera village introduced new by-laws to protect the elderly from abuse.
Local chiefs began collaborating to resolve long-standing chieftaincy wrangles.
The Chief of Chimalabanthu pledged 200 trees for riverbank restoration.
Youth demonstrated greater discipline and environmental responsibility.

The YETO Festival has gone beyond cultural celebration—it has become a community healing platform, reviving the power of storytelling to drive change, unity, and resilience.

🗣️ Voices from the YETO Festival

“This festival reminded us that stories are not just for entertainment—they’re tools to heal, teach, and bring us together.”— Agogo Nyamula, 78, Storyteller from Yalero Village

“I never imagined learning about climate change from folktales. Now I see how my culture holds the answers to our future.”— Tawonga, 17, Youth Participant from Phaniso Village

“We’ve had many meetings in this village, but never one like this—where both the past and future sat together under one roof.”— Village Headman Gwereweta

This project was made possible with generous support from ACT Ubumbano, whose solidarity funding enabled FOAS to reconnect generations, inspire collective memory, and build grassroots resilience in Malawi.