Africa

[Visited: November 2010]

Soon after arriving in Malawi, and getting used to a new environment, the people turned out to be genuinely friendly, smiling, and good-humoured, both among each other, as well as towards foreign visitors. Malawians can often be seen engaged in discussions in the street, with smiling faces. They are a very sociable people, and just saying "hello" is often not enough to greet someone. Malawians often inquire after your well-being, they want to be reaffirmed that you are okay, and are interested in talking to foreigners - almost always, because they are curious about the world and want to learn. The good news is, that Malawians often have a surprising knowledge of English, and communication is normally quite straightforward.
The other good news is, that Malawians only rarely pretend to be friendly in order to sell something - they actually care about their guests. I found the Malawians often open-minded, honest, and often showing off their beautiful teeth while smiling. Walking the streets of a town or village, or just somewhere in the fields, they often would make a detour just to shake hands and inquire about your state of affairs and plans for the rest of the day. While I am usually careful about taking pictures of people after entering a country I have not been to before, in Malawi I soon found out that many people actually love to be on pictures. More often than not, Malawians, especially kids, would fight to be on a picture.
Even on this quite short trip to Malawi, I met some remarkable people. What to think of the guy cycling on a make-shift double-storey bicycle in Mzuzu, who was all smiles when he saw me taking pictures? Women on the Ilala ferry who were very pleased to pose for the camera, and dragged a boy into the frame as well? School kids who curiously looked at that strange black machine, and got all elated when they saw the results? The girl carrying a small bag on her head? Kids on the beach of Likoma performing a show for the photographer? Boys following me, and looking at me picking up mangoes under a tree, after which they offered in a soft voice, to climb the tree and pick better ones. But I also met a different brand of people: a guy on a matola in the north, who was drunk and almost harassing me. In general, many men appeared to be drinking from the shampoo-like small pocket-size bags with rum. Women never seem to drink, but seem to be working hard. On Chizumulu Island, there was a colourful and contagious dance festival where women were dancing under a giant mango tree. Malawi - the country itself is beautiful, with its mountains, the lake, sunsets, and old colonial towns. But its friendly people, cheerful while living under difficult circumstances, leave the real impression.

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Malawian people (Malawi)

Malawian people > Malawi > Africa

[Visited: November 2010]

Around the World in 80 Clicks