I have done quite a bit of traveling in the last little while and have visited a handful of countries, but out of all of them there are two places that I have fallen in love with (one of which has become my new home) – Mali and Malawi!

Mali is an amazing country - point blank. In December I spent about five weeks traveling around with a friend, embarking on all sorts of adventures, encountering all types of people. Now reflecting on it all what really sticks out in my mind is the country’s beautiful diversity in people and landscape. But what was amazing was that I got the impression that this diversity was paralleled with a strong sense of unity. Moreover, what makes Mali beautiful is that it has a well promoted culture, producing some incredibly talented artists and musicians (Amadou and Mariam, H. Koita, Salif Keita, Ali Farka Toure to name a few) and preserving its history so much that there are four UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Mali is also home to the fabled town of Timbuktu. What a magical place! Although today it is an impoverished town, what I found exciting is Timbuktu’s status as a place of cross-roads – it is still an intersection of the east-west north-south trans-Saharan trade (gold, salt and now tourists!) and a meeting point of the African populations of the south and the Arabs of the North.

And today, it is a peaceful place. While there I went on a four day camel ride into the Sahara desert staying in Tuareg villages. What really struck me was what seemed like such seamless integration between the southern African tribes and the northern Tuaregs. When in so many Sahelian countries there is conflict between the African and Arab populations (Niger, Chad, Sudan) it was inspiring to see that racial clashes don’t have to exist.

In short, the whole trip was wonderful. And my holidays were very unique with Christmas in a village in Dogon country (gorgeous ancient villages on cliff walls) and New Years in the Sahara with a Tuareg community. I definitely recommend anyone to visit Mali!
And…(I’ll throw in one last plug) if you want to make your trip extra special go in January for the annual Festival in the Desert – a music festival celebrating Tuareg culture, drawing musicians from Mali, Mauritania, Niger and thousands of visitors from all over the world! (There is a BBC slideshow on it at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6310685.stm)



So, now I find myself in Malawi – the warm heart of Africa. It is very much the opposite of Mali in geography, history, and culture, but equally magical. Malawi is a tiny land locked country wedged between Zambia, Tanzania and Mozambique and it is visited for its beautiful landscape and parks - towering 3000 meter mountains, a huge fresh water lake with ocean-like colorful fish and thick forests full of wildlife. The capital, Lilongwe is extremely green and it even has a huge nature reserve right in the middle of the city!

I have not yet had any opportunity to leave the city, and therefore can’t paint as much of a tourism picture of Malawi. But staying in one place, I feel that so far I have been able to have a very different but in the end equally positive experience

During my first days in Malawi I was feeling a little bit sad. I was feeling nostalgic and struck by how different Malawi was from the other places I had seen in West Africa. The cities are very different, the people are very different, their views and perceptions are different, how they enjoy themselves is different …everything. I think I was obstructed by a lens that had bias filters of how things are done in other places and how things should be as I know them. All I saw was no dancing, less traditional clothes, very reserved people no night life and so on. But looking back on this I can’t help but laugh at myself and ask what was I expecting?

This has made me realize just how easy it is as a foreigner to homogenize Africa. Totally unaware, it’s as if our experience with the media back home spoils our imaginations by always telling us the same oversimplified story but with different names and in different places. The African farmer, the African tribe, the African safari, the African dancing, the African children, the African smiles. And slowly Congo becomes Ghana becomes Chad becomes Zambia becomes one uniform Africa. And yes, deep down people are people, just like people from Vancouver are like people from Kansas…but cultures are not cultures. And Africa is an incredibly rich and diverse place.

As I spend more time here and make new friends I am slowly starting to unravel and discover all the subtleties of Malawian culture. It really does take time. And it reminds me how much I miss out when just visiting a place for a short time or not engaging with the local people.

I am living with a family here. I decided to do this for these exact reasons; that being to learn from and better understand Malawians. It is a household of 11 – a widow (Stelia), her children, her deceased brother’s children, her deceased sister’s children, her orphaned neighbor, her cousin’s daughter and a Rwandan refugee. Considering the Aids pandemic that has ravaged the country I am only guessing what happened to all these people…but I don’t want to ask. I figure it doesn’t really matter in the end. The family is happy and functional, a house full of such wonderful, wonderful, really wonderful people! And Stelia has the warmest and most patient heart, I really feel lucky to have crossed paths with her.

With my set up, I am learning so much and enjoying Malawi. And enjoying how different it is from Mali…and Ghana and Burkina! Although I have not yet had the chance to physically travel, I am happy in this experience of getting to know the people and travel through their stories, their experiences and everything that shapes them and their culture.

Mali and Malawi – two beautiful places that I have gotten to know in two very different ways. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to explore some countries on this continent and to still be here today. I feel even more fortunate to have been able to live with and build friendships with the local people which has allowed for quite the eye opening journey. And lastly, I look forward to the rest of my stay in Malawi and am excited for all the adventures to come!