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Social Profile
Food & Drink: Fresh fish from Lake Malawi is the country’s speciality, chambo (Tilapia fish) being the main lake delicacy. There are trout from streams on the Zomba, Mulanje and Nyika plateaux. Hotel restaurants and many of those in the cities are of a good standard. They offer a wide choice of dishes including European, Korean and Chinese as well as authentic Malawi dishes and haute cuisine, the unique Lake Malawi dishes. Poultry and dairy produce are plentiful and tropical fruits are abundant in season.
The local beer is very good and imported beer and soft drinks are widely available. Malawi gin, which is well known and inexpensive, and tonic have reached almost cult status. Wine is imported largely from South Africa.
Nightlife: There is little nightlife in the European or US sense. Some restaurants have entertainment as do some of the hotels but outside Blantyre and Lilongwe this will usually take the form of a display of dancing during or after dinner at the lakeshore hotels.
Shopping: Malawi produces a variety of colourful arts and crafts. Items are invariably handmade and there is no factory production of curios. Purchases include woodcarvings, wood and cane furniture, soapstone carvings, decorated wooden articles, colourful textiles, pottery, beadwork, cane and raffia items. The standard of woodcarving is one of the highest in Africa. The Mua Mission, south of Salima, where carvers are trained, has an excellent shop. Traditional musical instruments are also sold throughout Malawi. Shopping hours: Mon-Sat 0800-1700. Markets and roadside stalls function every day.
Special Events: Dance plays a part in most ceremonies in Malawi, an important dance being the Gule Wamkulu, with its heavily carved masks, feathers and skin paint. It is performed by the Chewa and Mang’anja, and this and other national dances can be seen at the annual Malawi Republic Day celebrations held the first week in July.
Social Conventions: Despite the large number of tribal backgrounds in the Malawi population, integration is well established and the visitor need not be aware of any social differences. The white population is very small in number. There are some religious differences, most noticeable among the muslim population and especially as far as alcohol consumption is concerned. Malawians place emphasis on the importance of shaking hands on meeting and departing. The special handshake, which includes grasping the thumb and putting the other hand on the forearm, is best avoided unless practised. Children and some women may curtsey as a greeting or if being made a presentation. Offering a soft drink to a visitor is common at meetings. Malawians tend to be conventional rather than casual in their dress, especially in formal gatherings. The stict dress code of Dr Banda’s days are gone but modest dress should be worn unless at the beach or when playing sport. Tipping: Generally not expected, but some employees who are very poorly paid might appreciate a small tip for good service.
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