"Friendly city" a Lilongwe Travel Page by Ramonq

Lilongwe is the capital city of Malawi, which proudly calls itself "The warm heart of Africa". Malawi is one of the smallest countries in Africa and its people are one of the friendliest. I thought this slogan would be a cliche, but it is true that Malawians are quick to smile and offer help when in need. This is despite that Malawi is one of the poorest countries on earth. Lilongwe, its capital city is a small town with a population of about 500,000. Even though it is the capital city, it only comes second when it comes to population size, Blantyre being its largest.

Lilongwe, located in the central midlands of Malawi, is low rise with only a few buildings that rise above 10 floors. The administrative civic buildings are far removed from the commercial heart. In fact the city is divided into areas. Areas 1, 2 and 3 lying near the Lilongwe river are called the Old Town where markets and shopping centres are located. Here, small modern arcades have been built next to traditional craft markets. In the Old Town, there is a beehive of activities where people buy and sell wares which come from Malawi's agricultural hinterlands. Lilongwe has become the agricultural dropping point where farm produce are bought and sold especially in Area 2 where the biggest markets are located and its largest mosque. Although Malawi is 70 % Christian, a substantial 20% are Islamic mainly from the Yao tribes.

The administrative centre where all the ministry and parliamentary buildings are located north of the Old Town. This area is called the City Centre and it looks modern and relatively affluent if not soul-less. Banks, offices, and government buildings dot the place, but they are far apart from each other. Even its shopping area looks functional and boring.

Between the two major regions is a vast park called the Nature Sanctuary where one can take respite from the humdrum of the city, however, this area has quite a lote of muggings.

At the beginning of the 20th century, he city was a merely small village on the banks of the Lilongwe river. Because of its strategic location which falls along the main north-south route, British colonialist made Malawi an important agricultural centre. Lilongwe grew to become Malawi's second largest city in Malawi. However, in 1974, was chosen to become the capital of the country replacing Zomba now the country's fourth largest.

Ever since this move, Lilongwe has grown rapidly and may take over Blantyre. There is a friendly rivalray between Lilongwe and Blantyre each trying to outdo each other as to which one is more modern. At the moment Lilongwe is the political centre of Malawi, but Blantyre remains the economic capital owing to the latter's proximity to the trade routes from South Africa.

I walked around Lilongwe with much ease and little concern about security. It is a pleasant place to stopover in between trips between the game parks of Zambia to the Lake and beyond. Lilongwe is relatively modern and affluent compared to the abject poverty in Malawi's countryside. Since Malawi is an agricultural country, most of its population live in rural villages. The modern life in Lilongwe is far removed from your average Malawian. Yet problems in the countryside affect Lilongwe. Thousands of orphans from AIDS-ravaged countryside move to Lilongwe and they eke out a living from the charity of others. It is a sad reality of Southern Africa, and Lilongwe cannot isolate itself from it. The politicians and non-government organisations are based here, and they are the ones who could offer solutions to the problems of Malawi