This. Is. Africa.

It’s about half-time in our project and though it’s a bit of a strange time for a introduction to Malawi, here one is:

Malawi Facts:
- There is a population of about 12 million people on a land area of about 120,000 sq km, 24,000 sq km of which are the beautiful waters of Lake Malawi. This makes Malawi one of the most densely populated African countries.
- Malawi was formerly a British protectorate called Nyasaland, only gaining political independence in 1964. Malawi’s first president was the dictator Hastings Kamuzu Banda, who declared himself president for life and introduced many repressive policies, such as a strict conservative dress code . Banda remained in power until 2004. The current head of state is Bingu Wa Mutharika.
- Malawi is the 8th poorest country in the world and is listed among the world’s most developmentally challenged countries. About 65% of the population lives below the poverty line.
- The average literacy rate in Malawi is 58% (Women- 43%, Men- 73%) and is much lower in rural areas.
- Life expectancy is estimated at about 38 years. It has dropped recently, mainly due to HIV/AIDS, which affects approximately 14% of Malawians in the 15-49 age group. HIV/AIDS deaths account for approximately 70% of hospital deaths and each year about 80,000 people die of AIDS/HIV related illnesses. Transmission of AIDS is exacerbated by some cultural practices prevalent in Malawi; these include widow inheritance, preference for dry sex (it’s exactly what it sounds like), and use of one blade during traditional circumcision of young boys. High unemployment and poverty levels lead many young girls and women to engage in prostitution as a source of income. It is common practice in Malawi to engage in sexual intercourse in exchange for favours such as employment promises, promises, and gifts.
- Malawian women are expected to be submissive and often are deprived of rights, even the right to control their own reproduction. Violence against women is common in Malawi. (A recent newspaper article discussed the new trend of girls wearing miniskirts. A local man was quoted as saying “the way they dress forces men to rape them”. Forces.)
- Malawi has about 400,000 orphans under the age of 15.
- Most Malawians live in rural communities and 85% of Malawians derive their livelihoods from subsistence agriculture and unregulated natural resource utilization. Over 90% of energy consumption is fuel-wood and charcoal collected from indigenous forests; more than 50,000 hectares of forest are cleared annually to meet demands for energy and food production. The areas of uncleared land where there may be forests and undisturbed vegetation you may see in Malawi are left preserved because they are cemetaries.
- Wildlife is almost non-existent outside of protected areas (~20% of Malawi is protected).
- Family is very important to Malawians- an employed Malawian is expected to care for uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, cousins, brothers, and sisters. The average Malawian woman has 6-12 children.
- The national language is Chichewa (90% of Malawians speak Chichewa). The official language is English, though only about 40% of Malawians speak it.
- Malawians are very religious. About 90% are Christians while the remainder are Moslem.
- The staple food in Malawi is “nsima”. It is a mashed potato-like substance made from maize meal. If you haven’t eaten nsima, you haven’t eaten at all is the Malawian way!

Top Ten Things I’ll Miss About Malawi:
1. “You are welcome.”- Heard every single time you meet someone. Malawi welcomes you. Aggressively and without end.
2. The charming come-ons. “HOW ARE YOU?” is a favourite, yelled from passing vehicles. “WHAT IS YOUR NAME?” (again yelled from passing vehicles) and “Can I know you?” are also popular. Also, being called a “beautiful baby” is apparently a compliment, however creepy that may be…
3. The blatant risks inherent in nearly everything you do. Each time you climb into a mini-bus or attempt to cross the street, you accept that this could easily be your last day.
4. Coke, Sprite, and Fanta. Anywhere and everywhere.
5. The bumper stickers. A sampling:
“If God says yes, who can say no?”
“This car is protected by the blood of Jesus.” (in dripping red font)
“Relax. God is in control.” (this INSIDE a mini-bus)
"I heart Jesus"
"If god is with you who could be against you"
6. Mini-buses. There’s something peculiarly comforting about being crammed into a van with 21 other people. The pungent odor emanating from the bucket of raw fish to your left, to your right a sobbing baby pointing at the horrible Muzungu (white person), a sloshing jug of petrol at your feet, a Brian Adams tape blaring, and air thick with exhaust only add to the charm.
7. Chicken and chips. As ubiquitous as Coke.
8. The red dirt. It gets in and on everything, especially your feet!
9. The roadside markets. Bananas sold alongside coffins, taffeta dresses (if you ever wondered about the fate of that prom dress or the bridesmaid dress you wore in the 80s that you dropped off at Goodwill, doubting it would ever find a home, you now have your answer: Malawi), tomatoes stacked in little pyramids, and carcasses of pigs and goats hanging in the sun.
10. “African Time.” Ask someone when they are coming and you’ll often hear “I am coming now- now”. At first, we expected them to show up within a few minutes. We soon learned to accept that maybe they’d show up in half an hour, an hour, or three hours. More often than you’d think, they simply don’t show up at all.