[civsoc-mw] NY Times photo article on Mw

Mon Aug 31 22:37:07 CAT 2020

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/31/travel/malawi.html?referringSource=articl
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Malawi’s Thuma Forest Reserve.

The World Through a Lens

A Virtual Tour of Malawi, the ‘Warm Heart of Africa’

Malawi leaves a lasting impression not because of its location or
aesthetics, but because of its people, writes the photographer Marcus
Westberg.

Malawi’s Thuma Forest Reserve.Credit...

Photographs and Text by Marcus Westberg

*	Aug. 31, 2020Updated 10:30 a.m. ET

*         

*  *  *  At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, with travel restrictions
in place worldwide, we launched a new series —
<https://www.nytimes.com/column/the-world-through-a-lens> The World Through
a Lens — in which photojournalists help transport you, virtually, to some of
our planet’s most beautiful and intriguing places. This week, Marcus
Westberg shares a collection of images from Malawi.

  _____  

When I stepped off the plane in Lilongwe as a 23-year-old, I had no idea of
what to expect, though I was excited about the prospect of my first solo
trip to Africa. I spent the first few days wandering around the city — it
felt more like a small town than the nation’s capital — before deciding that
it was time to see more of the country.

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A landlocked country in southeastern Africa, Malawi is often overshadowed by
its more better-known neighbors: Tanzania, with its abundant wildlife;
Zambia, home of Victoria Falls; and Mozambique, with its picture-perfect
beaches.

Image

The sun rises over Lake Malawi, shared between Malawi, Tanzania and
Mozambique, as fishermen return after a night of hard work.

But Malawi — roughly the size of Pennsylvania — has plenty of natural beauty
of its own: the clear waters of Lake Malawi (close to 365 miles long and 52
miles wide, it’s sometimes called the “Calendar Lake”); the magnificent
cliffs of Mount Mulanje; the unique highland plateau of Nyika; and its
wildlife reserves, including
<https://www.africanparks.org/the-parks/liwonde> Liwonde and
<https://www.africanparks.org/the-parks/majete> Majete, where cheetahs,
lions, elephants and rhinos have been reintroduced.

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Still, it was never the country’s natural charms that kept drawing me back.
It was the people.

Image

An impromptu photography lesson in the village of Mtalimanja.

Image

“Thank you for coming to our country!” This, while I was documenting the
impacts of a new borehole in the village of Neliyapi, was neither the first
nor the last time I have had such sentiments expressed at me quite literally
in passing, usually followed by: “Tell your friends about Malawi — they are
welcome here!”

Image

The Chewa are Malawi’s largest ethnic group, accounting for approximately
one-third of the total population. Singing, dancing and drama are important
aspects of their culture, and educational programs on topics such as hygiene
are often performed as plays.

As a photojournalist and travel writer, I am wary of clichés and
generalizations. But few countries have been awarded a more appropriate
slogan than Malawi, which is known as the “Warm Heart of Africa.” While I
have rarely been made to feel unwelcome anywhere during my travels, in
Africa or elsewhere, Malawi has always felt different.

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Image

Students on their summer break peer in through the gate to the Hampton Safe
Haven, a primary school founded by the Hampton School in England.

Image

Over 80 percent of Malawi’s population depends on subsistence agriculture —
primarily of maize, although soybeans have become an important addition
because of their high protein content.

Of course, it would be unfair to gloss over the country’s many challenges.
Crime has risen dramatically since my first visit. Sexual abuse of minors
remains a significant problem, especially in more traditional, rural
settings.

Image

A ranger looks over Thuma Forest Reserve at sunrise. Like the rest of his
team, he comes from a village on the border of the reserve. Ranger jobs
helps mitigate conflict over the use of natural resources, which is common
in many protected areas.

In addition to being one of the world’s poorest countries, Malawi has also
been afflicted by
<https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/21/world/africa/poverty-drought-malawi-wate
r-supply.html> severe deforestation, overfishing, high levels of infectious
diseases, low levels of school attendance and
<https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/03/world/africa/Malawi-president-election-f
raud.html> election irregularities, although the newly formed government is
receiving much credit for its crackdown on corruption and embezzlement of
state funds.

Image

Access to clean, safe water is a challenge in much of Malawi. In the village
of Neliyapi, until a borehole was constructed in 2018, many women would
spend 3 or 4 hours per day walking to and from the river — and cholera was a
serious risk.

Image

Clean, safe water is a commodity often taken for granted by those who have
easy and consistent access to it. But hundreds of millions of people
worldwide lack access to
<https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/global/assessing.html> improved drinking
water.

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Image

Bringing water from a nearby borehole, in the village of Mtandula-Manase.

The coronavirus pandemic has brought much of the country, including its
international tourism, to a standstill, adding uncertainty to an already
precarious existence for many.

Image

At dawn, people from neighboring villages make their way to Senga Bay to buy
fresh fish directly from the fishermen.

Image

Early morning is a busy time in Senga Bay. Once the fishing boats have
returned, the fish needs to be carted off and the nets dried and repaired.

Image

Lake Malawi sardines laid out to dry in Senga Bay.

On that first visit 14 years ago, I eventually ended up at a small
guesthouse in the fishing village of Senga Bay. Initially intending to stay
for a night or two, I didn’t leave for more than a week.

Much like the country itself, the appropriately named
<https://www.facebook.com/coolrunningsmalawi/> Cool Runnings made a lasting
impression not because of its location or aesthetics, but because of the
people I met there. Half a dozen visits later, I never fail to be amazed by
the ingenuity of the proprietor Samantha Ludick and her small team, all of
whom come from this small lakeside community.

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leShare#after-story-ad-4> Continue reading the main story

Image

Two children share a meal of nutrient-enriched porridge in Mtalimanja
village.

The latest in their seemingly never-ending list of projects, ideas, and
initiatives is Swop Shop, where plastic collected in and around Senga Bay is
exchanged for points, for which a wide array of goods can be obtained. These
range from biscuits and stationery (paid for from the proceeds of selling
the plastic to a recycling plant in Lilongwe) to donated clothes, tools and
soccer balls.

Image

Two local boys waiting for the plastic they have collected to be weighed at
Swop Shop in Senga Bay. Plastic and glass is converted to points, which can
either be used immediately for a small purchase, such as pens, or accrued to
pay for something more valuable, like soccer balls or shoes.

An astonishing 40 tons of plastic, and thousands of non-reusable glass
bottles, have been collected in the two years since the project’s inception.
This includes 180 pounds of plastic brought in during my most recent trip by
the Senga Boys under-12 soccer team, in exchange for new uniforms. Despite
playing barefoot, they comfortably trounced the group of visitors I had
brought from Sweden in an impromptu match — aided in small part by the cows
that kept wandering onto the field and in large part by being the far better
team.

Image

During a game of soccer, an adult ski glove became an improvised piece of
goalkeeping equipment.

Experiences like that have colored virtually all my visits to Malawi.
Whether planned or spontaneous, on assignment or while going to the market
for vegetables, time and time again I have found myself staying far longer
than intended. As is true everywhere, mutual respect, curiosity and trust —
and knowing when not to take yourself too seriously — go a long way to
establish genuine connections and create meaningful relationships, whether
they’re are fleeting or last for a lifetime.

Image

Sunset in Mtalimanja village.

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leShare#after-story-ad-5> Continue reading the main story

As a mzungu, the ubiquitous name for a white person in much of southern and
eastern Africa, my obvious foreignness and my earnest, if seemingly
hopeless, attempts to communicate in Chichewa tend to create enough
curiosity to dissolve any awkwardness or tension, especially when
accompanied by a big smile and an apparent appreciation of the rather
complex local handshaking culture.

Read more about this series, The World Through a Lens:

<https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/03/insider/letting-their-cameras-transport-
you.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article> 

<https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/03/insider/letting-their-cameras-transport-
you.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article> Letting Their
Cameras Transport You

<https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/03/insider/letting-their-cameras-transport-
you.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article> With some of the
finest photojournalists as your guide, The World Through a Lens series
offers immersive escapes.

<https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/03/insider/letting-their-cameras-transport-
you.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article> Aug. 3, 2020

<https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/03/insider/letting-their-cameras-transport-
you.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article> 

(It is perhaps appropriate to point out that the photos of children included
here were taken in the presence of teachers or parents while working
alongside the local staff of the nonprofit organizations funding the
schools, boreholes or agriculture programs I was there to photograph.
Whether in a school or a village, my general policy is to not take any
photos until I have been introduced and done what I can to ensure that
everyone is comfortable having me there, to the extent that this is
feasible.)

Image

Lunchtime at Mtalimanja’s community-based childcare center. The meal,
provided by the school through a collaboration between U.S.A.I.D., Feed the
Children and Nu Skin Enterprises, consists of a nutrient-enriched maize and
soy porridge.

Image

Bath time in the village of Mtalimanja.

Image

Bicycles are a common way of transportation in much of Malawi — and on the
soft sand, sometimes easier to park upside down.

Like anywhere else, Malawi is a complex a society, full of contradictions
and complications. How could it not be? And yet, if you were to ask me where
in the world I would feel the most comfortable walking up to a stranger —
any stranger — to start a conversation, my answer, simultaneously
recognizing and ignoring my own subjectivity, would unhesitatingly be
Malawi.

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leShare#after-story-ad-6> Continue reading the main story

Image

The Shire River, teeming with hippos and crocodiles, marks the natural
(though not actual) boundary for Liwonde National Park, one of Malawi’s top
wildlife areas.

 <https://www.marcuswestberg.photo/> Marcus Westberg is a photographer and
writer who focuses primarily on conservation and development issues in
sub-Saharan Africa. You can follow his work on
<https://www.instagram.com/marcuswestbergphotography/> Instagram,
<https://www.facebook.com/MarcusWestbergPhotography/> Facebook and
<https://twitter.com/thelifeofmarcus> Twitter.

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