Malawi: Africa for beginners

On a long, hot stretch of road I’d begun to nod off, when the bus stopped abruptly. A pair of phantasmagorical figures, masked and costumed in feathers, technicolour rags and war-paint were prancing at the roadside, strolling players in search of a gig.

Malawians are versatile. Perhaps the Nyawu dancers owned the Pack and Go Coffin Workshop. Or turned their hands to Motor Repairs and Optical Lens Grinding. Auto suspension and chiropractor would be logical, too.

Malawians are rich in spirit, if not in material goods: crime is moderate, the welcome is untainted by envy. Thatch roofs outnumber tin; the roads are crowded in the evening rush hour – with pedestrians.

With its territory enclosing an inland sea, Malawi is also rich in wildlife and scenery. Impala, giraffe and elephant browse beside muddy rivers in which hippopotamus wallow, and you can admire them from safari camps or lakeside resorts which hold their own against those in better-known destinations further north.

Original images were 35mm Fujichrome or Ektachrome transparencies. Hi-res. scans are available for licensing.