Salima (November 9-14, 08)

The above video is a collection of pictures and video from Elene and my trip to Salima - a kind of beach town about 150kms from Lilongwe. We went to Salima for a workshop on cultural and language training, but as you will see we also had time for some beach fun. It was a great trip, although a little hot (around 40 degrees - parts of the lake felt like a warm bath!). Our Chichewa (the national language in Malawi) is a little better, but needs a lot of work! We also visited one of the biggest monasteries in Malawi, which is headed by a Quebecois priest who has been living in Malawi for about 25 years. He apparently is quite an interesting man (likes to swear and smoke a lot) and is doing a lot of work on promoting indigenous culture in Malawi. At the monastery we were given an amazing show of traditional Malawian dances, one of which is highlighted in the video. There are approximately ten main tribes in Malawi all with a very diverse set of cultural practices including dance. All of the dances have some sort of meaning or lessons attached to them (such as fertility, don't cheat on your wife, bring a new child into the world, etc.). Hope you enjoy the video!