Malawi - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

169 Pages·2018·2.77 MB·English

by  Kondwani Bell Munthali

CULTURE SMART!
MALAWI
Kondwani Bell Munthali
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ISBN 978 1 85733 878 2
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First published in Great Britain
by Kuperard, an imprint of Bravo Ltd
59 Hutton Grove, London N12 8DS
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Series Editor Geoffrey Chesler
Design Bobby Birchall
Printed in India
Cover image: Fishing boats on the beach at Cape Maclear at the southern end of
Lake Malawi. © Shutterstock.
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About the Author
KONDWANI BELL MUNTHALI is an award-winning
Malawian journalist. A graduate of the University of East
Anglia, the University of London, and the University of
Rwanda, he has served as a diplomat at the Malawi High
Commission in London and a special assistant to the Vice
President of Malawi, and is an ardent youth and public
health advocate. At the age of sixteen he founded one of
Malawi’s pioneer youth organizations. He is a Niemen
Fellow at Harvard University and is one of Malawi’s key
bloggers. Kondwani has worked for the Malawi Broadcasting
Corporation and Nation Publications Limited, and has
researched and worked on topics ranging from tobacco
control in Africa to raising awareness of HIV/Aids, cancer,
and child labor exploitation across the world.
The Culture Smart! series is continuing to expand. All Culture Smart!
guides are available as e-books, and many as audio books.
For latest titles visit
www.culturesmart.co.uk
The publishers would like to thank CultureSmart!Consulting for
its help in researching and developing the concept for this series.
CultureSmart!Consulting creates tailor-made seminars and
consultancy programs to meet a wide range of corporate,
public-sector, and individual needs. Whether delivering courses
on multicultural team building in the USA, preparing Chinese
engineers for a posting in Europe, training call-center staff in India,
or raising the awareness of police forces to the needs of diverse
ethnic communities, it provides essential, practical, and powerful
skills worldwide to an increasingly international workforce.
For details, visit www.culturesmartconsulting.com
CultureSmart!Consulting and CultureSmart! guides have both
contributed to and featured regularly in the weekly travel program
“Fast Track” on BBC World TV.
ccoonntetnetsnts
Map of Malawi 7
Introduction 8
Key Facts 10
Chapter 1: LAND AND PEOPLE 12
• Geography 12
• Climate 16
• Cities and Major Towns 18
• The People 22
• A Brief History 26
• Present-Day Politics 37
• Government 39
• The Economy 41
• Malawi in Africa and Beyond 47
Chapter 2: VALUES AND ATTITUDES 52
• The Malawian Character 52
• Communal Life 53
• Gender and Sexuality 54
• Dress 56
• The Extended Family and Community Sharing 59
• Respect and Discipline 61
• Religious Tolerance 61
• World Views, Traditiional and Modern 62
• Attitudes Toward Time 63
• Attitudes Toward Work 64
• Resourcefulness and Thrift 65
• Attitudes Toward Wealth 66
• Tribal Relations and Individual Identity 66
• Attitudes Toward Foreigners 68
Chapter 3: CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS 70
• The Role of the Chief 70
• Cultural Festivals 72
• Public Holidays 76
• Greetings and Courtesy 77
• Birth and Baptism 78
• Marriage 79
• Funerals 81
• Witchcraft and Supernatural Beliefs 83
• Harmful Cultural Practices 84
Chapter 4: MAKING FRIENDS 86
• Friendship 86
• Nicknames For Foreigners 88
• Socializing 89
• Communal Living 89
• Transactional Sex 90
• Mixed-Race Relationships 92
• Lending Money and Other Items 93
• Conversations 93
• Invitations Home 94
Chapter 5: THE MALAWIANS AT HOME 96
• Housing 96
• The Household 98
• Demography 100
• Childbearing as a Community Concern 101
• Who Earns What? 101
• A Sense of Style 102
• The Daily Round 103
• Growing Up in Malawi 105
• Education 107
Chapter 6: TIME OUT 110
• Leisure 110
• Eating Out 112
• Nightlife 114
• Sports 116
• The Arts 118
• Must-See Tourist Attractions 119
Chapter 7: TRAVEL, HEALTH, AND SAFETY 132
• Arriving 132
• Intercity Connections 134
• Getting Around Town 137
• Driving 138
• Where To Stay 138
ccoonntetnetsnts
• Health 139
• Safety and Security 142
Chapter 8: BUSINESS BRIEFING 144
• The Business Climate 144
• Chinese and Indian Businesses 145
• Dealing With Government and Public Agencies 146
• Investment Procedure 147
• The Business Culture 147
• Business Dress 148
• Setting Up Appointments 148
• Meetings 149
• Negotiations 150
• Contracts and Fulfillment 150
• Women In Business 151
• Gift Giving 152
• Corruption 152
Chapter 9: COMMUNICATING 154
• Language 154
• Forms of Address and Greetings 154
• Body Language 155
• Humor 156
• The Media 158
• Services 162
• Conclusion 163
Further Reading 165
Index 166
Acknowledgments 168
7
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Map of Malawi a
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NORTHVIEPRHYNA PLATEAU ••KC aHNInZkUdaMLetIKUaOL UMB AIaS LyISALNADN D
ZAMBIA
MOZAMBIQUE
• Nkhotakota
•Kasungu
• Hewe
Mponela •
Chintheche•
• Mchinji Lilongwe R.•Salima
Lilongwe• Chipoka • •Cape Maclear
CENTRAL
• Dedza
Mangochi •
MOZAMBIQUE .R ewgnoliL Ba•lLaMA kNKaEatc c M•hhAieLnOugMa•B E•LiwNLIAWoPTAIOnORNdNKDAeEL
LAKE CHILWA
SOUTHERN•• Zomba
Magomero
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MULANJE
Zambezi R. ThShyire oR.lo • •L MuOcUhNeTAnIzNa
ZIMBABWE • Nsanje
8
wiwi iinnttrrodoudctuiocntion
aa
alal
mm
art! art!
mm Variously nicknamed “the Warm Heart of Africa,”
ss
ure ure “the Land of the Lake,” and “the Land of Smiling
ultult Faces,” Malawi is renowned for the friendliness and
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charm of its people and its dazzling lake. This small
country offers the full African experience. You can
land at the airport and within forty-five minutes start
out on a safari to see the “Big Five.” You can enjoy
lunch and a walk in sprawling tea gardens, and later
sip a mojito on the beach as the sun sets over Lake
Malawi. All within a single day.
Lake Malawi, dubbed “the Lake of Stars” by
David Livingstone who first saw it in 1859, is an
unspoiled paradise, enclosed by mountains, with
long, sandy beaches. Part of the Great Rift Valley, it is
exceptionally deep and is home to many rare species
of fish, including brightly colored cichlids. The
country has nine national parks and wildlife reserves,
each distinct and unique, and mountains that include
the lofty Sapitwa Peak on Mulanje.
The people of Malawi are made up of a mosaic of
African cultures, ranging from indigenous hunter-
gathers to the incoming iron-working Bantu who left
their fourteenth-century rock paintings. Dress, dance,
masks, language, and traditional festivals all reflect
waves of migrating tribes—those fleeing Shaka Zulu’s
reign of terror in the south, Swahili Arab slave traders
in the east, and Bantu from Central Africa. Other
cultural influences came through the slave trade
routes, contact with Portuguese and Indian traders,
and British missionaries who fought slavery and
bequeathed Victorian architecture and infrastructure.
9
introduction in
tro
d
u
c
tio
n
Despite there being more than ten tribes, Malawi has
remained uniquely peaceful, with many foreigners
making it their home.
Malawians are, by and large, honest, quiet,
conservative, good-humored, even-tempered, and
inquisitive—sometimes to a fault. Their ready smiles,
even in deep poverty, or at times when in trouble
with the authorities, have been a source of debate,
anger, and sometimes misinterpretation. Some have
called them ignorant, some deeply superstitious.
Their neighbors in Zambia and Zimbabwe considered
them “sleepy” or “backward,” and many have called
Malawians their “wives”—only good for domestic
work. In South Africa, where there is a huge migrant
labor community, Malawians’ honest character gives
them leverage as adverts proclaim that “being a
Malawian is an added advantage.”
Contemporary Malawi is a mix of modernity
and deeply traditional and religious values. It has a
free media and a flourishing multiparty democracy.
The traveler needs to observe the fine balance of
the growing liberal urban culture, religious and
conservative influences, mainly among the older and
rural population, and the Malawian sociable impulse
to share a word or two even with unknown people.
This book describes the forces that have shaped the
Malawians’ outlook and guides you through various
situations so that you know what to expect. You
will be received with warmth and great hospitality.
Reciprocate with interest and respect, and your
encounter will be deepened and enriched.