MALAWI
 I travelled to Malawi in 2013.

Dance is an important social element across Malawi, and most dances are rooted in traditional beliefs and customs.  On Likoma Island, I recorded the singing of a Muslim group.*

Missionary graves mark the last resting place of the missionaries who attempted to establish the first Livingstonia Mission here in 1875.  Named Livingstonia after Dr. David Livingstone, the mission was built in 1884 under the direction of Dr. Robert Laws.*
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Kids demonstrate their drawing skills on Likoma Island.

The most notable traditional dance in Malawi is Gule Wamkulu, indigenous to the Chewa people, but also enjoyed by some other tribes.  The dance reflects traditional religious beliefs in spirits and is connected to the activities of secret societies.  Leading dancers are dressed in ragged costumes of cloth and animal skins, usually wearing a mask, and occasionally on stilts.*

The small town of Monkey Bay is a port and ship repair centre hidden behind the Cape McClear headland.*



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Between 1903 and 1905 the huge cathedral was built and dedicated to St. Peter -- approximately a fisherman.  Today it remains one of Malawi's most remarkable buildings.*


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Supported by an entourage of drummers and singers, the dancers achieve a state through which they can summon up the spirits of animals or dead relatives.  As the drumbeats quicken, they perform dances and movement with incredible energy and precision.*

Slicing through the landscape in a trough formed by the Great Rift Valley is the third-largest lake in Africa -- Lake Malawi.  A shimmering mass of crystal water, its depths swarm with clouds of vivid cichlid fish and its shores are lined with secret covers, pristine beaches, lively fishing villages and dark, forested hills.*

Choir practice happens frequently at the Cathedral of St. Peter on Likoma Island.

*These captions are from Zambia and Malawi -- Lonely Planet's tour guide.