Africa » Malawi
Africa » Malawi
The Warm Heart of Africa - Wednesday, October 15, 2003
As a senior in college, I had an opportunity to choose an academic travel location. I automatically knew that the place I choose was going to be a place somewhere in Southern Africa. This academic travel had in goal for us to learn about the history, culture, economy and eco-systems of the chosen country. The group was made-up of 25 students that came from 15 different countries of the world. My attention was sparked by a country called Malawi that is considered as the Warm Heart of Africa in all books and brochures.
The first Europeans that arrived to Malawi were Portuguese researchers during the 17 century, with David Livingstone from Scotland being the most famous European researcher, from 1842 to 1856, the same period during when tne British colonization of this region begins. Malawi became an independent country in 1964, and the Prime Minister Banda in 1966 who becomes the lifelong President of the Republic of Malawi in 1971.
Nights in the Open
Our two-week adventure to the Republic of Malawi began with a bus ride from Lugano to Milano, a flight from Milano to Athens and Johannesburg with a flight ride to Blantyre city that was on the South of the country. My dream had started to become real. With sleeping bags and tents, we started our trip in uncomfortable landrovers. I was expecting to sleep in the open, surrounded by various reptiles and animals, exposed to the mosquitoe bites, with an opportunity of using small amounts of water. I knew that it was going to be a difficult and not one bit comfortable trip, but the wish to learn about this part of the world was stronger. I have to admit that there were troublesome moments, such as a shortage of water for a couple of days and fear of many animals, but it was part of our life those two weeks and we had no other choice than to get used to it all and begin enjoying the numerous beauties of the country. Our common problem was the pills for malaria. Some students had nightmares, some headaches, whereas I had troubles with nausea. After a few days as we got used to it all, we started to enjoy and even stopped closing tents and being afraid of animals. We had two wonderful drivers that drove us day and night from one city to the next and told us stories and adventures they had with the local population and various student expeditions. We went to bed-tent very late and woke in dawn so we could enjoy the African charms. Our first sleeping adventure was in "Blantyre" where we, for the first time, lay open our tents and started planning details of our travel. The next two days we spent in sight-seeing of the city, market places, architecture, nature... The climate of Malawi characterizes two periods: wet season - from November to May, and the dry season - from May to November. As the South is known for its dry season, it was very rare to see greenery. Driving through the magnificent landscape, to the capital city of "Lilongwe" we began with narrow dug-up road, as afterwards decided to stay in "Kiboko camp" near the city for a few days. During our visit to Lilongwe I somehow got a chance to use an old telephone and called my parents...that was the only time I managed to get a hold of anyone from home during the entire trip. We mostly visited villages since 90 per cent of Malawian people live in rural areas even though the cities were not much different than the villages. People that we met during out trips were friendly, understanding and very polite.
Father of the Village
The "Republic of Malawi" constitutes a population of around 13 million, from which half of the make-up are children under 14 years of age. The death rate is extremely high, and it is estimated that close to a million people are affected with the HIV virus. A very big percentage of people also suffer from diarrhea, hepatitis, typhus, malara, etc. Population consists of various ethnic groups such as: Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuka, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, along with the immigrants from Asia and Europe. Majority of the population is Catholic (80%), then Islamic (20%). The national language is Chichewa, used by 57,2% of inhabitants, as the rest uses more than seven languages in various parts of Malawi. Even though the country with rich diversity, its population lives in harmony and understanding, which is the reason the people of the country are considered as Africans with a warm heart.
The thing that surprised me the most was a village on the border with Zambia. According to African tradition, we met with the "father" or the "village chief" that supports and protects his family. His family is made-up of a few women and many children, and even though it completely disagrees with the modern was of thinking, they were all grateful to have someone to take care of them. They, as the other inhabitants of Malawi, suffer from hunger mostly during long dry season. They were all very friendly and happy that we spent time with them. They found our clothes very interesting, cameras and such. Every child had a blown-up stomach and barely anything from clothes. It was sad and hard for us all to part with them.
Elephant Stampede
After seeing all the villages and cities we had in plan, South Luangwa National Park was left. The Park is 9.000 km and situated on the Malawi-Zambia border. In a matter of a few hours, we became nature and animal lovers. Two days spent in the Park were the best two days of this trip. It was exciting, interesting and a little dangerous. Our professor in charge and a person known for liking adventures, decided to take us to the National Park on the border with Zambia. We put our tents up in the park and stayed there for two days. At night we could heard the animals and I clearly remember the sound of the hyenas even though it was not a pleasant sound at all. Around four o?clock in the morning we were woken up by something we least likely expected ? a stampede of elephants attacked our territory. Fortunately, everything went well and after a few hours the elephants left. We could not believe how close we were to them and how many there were. We started the next part of the day during dawn and with a "morning safari" as it was the time when the "jungle wakes up". We drove in a short, open jeep and managed to see almost all the animals or at least some of the "big five" of that part of Africa. The most elegant and interesting animal was the leopard, which is usually very hard to find as they show themselves at certain times of the day.
After the "animal adventure" we traveled to the south of Malawi where we stayed in the city called Nkata Bay. We stayed with a Malawian family that did their best to show us their way of life and the way their function with specific agricultural ways. Agriculture ? to them is a "source of survival". The ?chief of the tribe? talked to us about the details of their everyday lives and how they function in a community all living together as a big family. The women sang to us in their colorful wardrobes and gave us some dancing tips. At the end of the trip, our professor awarded us with hotel rooms in Njaya lodges. The lodges were situated near the biggest African lake (568 km) ? lake Nyasa near the Nkata Bay. It was a nice hotel, but I still slept in my sleeping bad to which I was used by then.
On our bus ride back, we stopped by a couple of markets with souvenirs mostly made of wood. I bought some bowls with the big five engraved in them, some jewelry, an elephant book separator, and a few typical sculptures of African people. We also visited a few families. Leaving Malawi, I wished to come back again to the striking yet poor country.
- Created:
- Thursday, May 4, 2006 at 3:34 AM
- Last Modified:
- Thursday, March 29, 2007 at 6:32 AM