Malawi People and Places

In June 2024 we spent a couple of weeks travelling through Malawi, mostly in various game parks for safaris, but we did get to see some other parts of the country too. Here are some of my photos.

A man pushing a cart carrying animal fodder

St Michael's Church, Blantyre

Bicycle Taxis waiting for customers

Sodom Apple (so named as it was referred to growing in the biblical area of Sodom) contain a toxic milky sap that is extremely bitter, as well as a having a complex mix of chemicals, some of which are poisonous to humans and livestock.

Digging mud for brick-making

Drying out the bricks

Amarula Tree. This incredibly versatile tree (think Amarula, the delicious liqueur made from its soft fruit) is central in a number of traditional African medicines (as well as a multitude of other uses). People will cut a piece of bark off the tree to make a potion to treat illnesses such as dysentery, malaria, diabetes, fever, and even snake bites. Each time a section of the bark is removed, the tree attempts to repair itself, creating these strange growth formations.

Selling vegetables at the side of the road

Pigeon House. These come in many shapes and sizes and are used to keep feral pigeons for human consumption. Inside the house are bars for the birds to sit on – just like you’d find in a canary cage – and superstition says that if you tie two calabashes together underneath, every pigeon will lay two eggs.

Selling charcoal for cooking

Sweet potatoes for sale

Fruit stall

Street BBQ

Public bus service - cheaper than the normal mini-buses

Collecting plastic buckets for upcycling

At the well. The blue container, at the top of the well, is for chlorine that the government has added to help prevent the spread of Cholera. After filling her green bucket with water, this lady then has to carry it on her head for two kilometres back to her village.

Animal fodder

Tailor in Zomba Market

Metalworkers in Zomba Market

Zomba Market

I love the way this woman is beautifully colour-coordinated. I also find it fascinating with the coffin store behind.

This chap belongs to a secret society of initiated men known as Gule Wamkulu. Dancers wear costumes and masks made of wood and straw, representing a great variety of characters, such as wild animals, spirits of the dead, and slave traders. Each of these figures plays a particular, often evil, character expressing a form of misbehavior, teaching the audience moral and social values.