Discovering Malawi, a Red Bricks World

I didn’t go to Malawi as a tourist to travel through the various parts of the country. I went to teach. Most days I never even left the compound where I stayed. However, I did get out a few times, and from that I want to share some impressions of this lesser known country.

When I mention going to Malawi, often the first question people ask is, “Where is that?” Malawi is in the southeastern portion of Africa. It is a landlocked country bordered by Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique. The capital is Lilongwe which is where I stayed during my visit. Historically the country was an English colony called Nyasaland so the official language of the country is English. However for day to day conversations most people will speak the native language, Chichewa, a language used almost exclusively in Malawi.

When I arrived in Malawi, my first impression was that the airport was really small for a major airport in a capital city. However, it turns out the airport is under renovations and is actually larger than it initially seemed. At my departure I was able to see a section that had been renovated, and it was very nice and large.

My second impression was how green the country is. Being from Washington, the evergreen state, I am used to seeing green. However this green is brighter. The color comes from the grass and fields rather than trees. This was, of course, the rainy season, and it was noted that later in the year the fields would turn to brown when the rain stops. Speaking of weather, during my stay temperatures were generally in the 70’s, quite comfortable.

Part of the green is due to corn. Corn is a major crop in Malawi and is used to make cornmeal. As a result people grow it everywhere. It seemed that any extra plot of land that someone has is growing corn. In the compound where I stayed they were growing corn along one whole side. This year the corn is doing very well. Last year there was a drought, and the corn was drying up and not producing as well. We pray the rains will continue this year for a healthy crop.

Unfortunately Malawi would be considered a third world country, and as a result the infrastructure is not as good as one might like. While they have built a nice soccer stadium, their roads could use some maintenance. There are some good roads, but there are also plenty of areas with roads that could use a lot of care. There are no curbs, and often at the edge of the road there is a drop off to the red dirt path beside it along with the occasional pot hole. The truth is I cannot imagine driving in Malawi. It would overwhelm me.

Part of that reason is because there are people everywhere. Being a more tropical country, people tend to be outside all the time. People are walking beside and on the road. They are sitting outside in the shade, and many of the shops are more open air with their wares on display for all to see. At intersections there are people standing by the road or in the center of the road holding up things for sale. Bicycles are also a common sight. Never mind the cab type vans that stop in the middle of the road to pick up passengers. You can see why driving is a challenge.

One obvious element of the culture is the colorful clothing, especially among the women. They wear bright and bold colors and typically wear a long wrap-around printed skirt. Even men will wear bolder colors than might be found in most western countries.

In my opinion one of the best means of helping a country is through education. Malawi seems to still be struggling to develop an educated society. There are public schools, but many people do not extend their education beyond the eighth grade. The men I taught were only required to have an eighth grade education to be in my classes. A few of them did have a high school education, and you could tell from their abilities the difference those extra years made. For women the challenge is even greater. As is often the case, women have not been encouraged to become educated. It is not uncommon for older women in particular to be unable to read.

One of the things you will note pretty quickly is that red bricks are a common and popular building material. Both in the city and in the country you will see red bricks used in walls, buildings, and pathways. The bricks used in the city are fired to make them strong, but apparently in the rural areas they are not fired. While building with the bricks is pretty inexpensive, putting on a roof is another story. For that they need wood beams and metal roofing, and that is much more costly. I did see some thatched roofs in some of the more rural areas.

If you are looking for construction material other than red bricks, there are certain parts of the town where you would find that. In fact shops with similar merchandise often cluster together. Around town I saw areas where furniture was made and sold as well as sections for rice and another for those construction materials. However, sometimes the shops grouped themselves more by ethnic culture. I saw a section for Chinese shops as well as Indian stores.

While the vast majority of the residents are considered Christian, there are other religions. In downtown Lilongwe there is a large mosque, and you can see women with their head scarves. Among the Christian churches there are some large ones whose pastors are quite wealthy. In contrast to their congregation, they may have numerous cars and maybe even a plane. They may own property and businesses in town. These pastors tend to promote the message of prosperity which unfortunately finds an audience in a third world economy.

Despite the challenges the country faces, the government has been generally stable. In fact while I was there, there was debate about the validity of the last election. There was at least one demonstration during my stay. Since my return, the supreme court of Malawi has ruled that the election was not valid, and another election must occur. Hopefully the country will be able to move ahead and resolve this peacefully.

Of course the most important part of any country is its people. For me the people I met were kind and gracious. As a white American one always gets the curious looks and stares. But those I got to know personally I found kind and gracious. They have a heart for their country and are trying to make a difference in their communities. I am hoping that I will be able to go back and learn even more about this place and its people.