Chikwawa Shopping

The Women’s Desk Coordinator from Zambia Synod is in Blantyre for three weeks of information exchanges. Yesterday was the only free day on her schedule so we decided to take advantage of it to take her to Nyala Animal Park in Chikwawa. Thomas was in Blantyre for the day as well, so he joined me, our guest Rose Haraba and Maxwell, who was eager to drive. We set off in a light rain, with confidence that as we drove down to the lower Shire that the clouds would clear. We were correct. As we started the descent on the winding road, each turn brought a better view of the landscape and clearer skies. We could see the charcoal venders along the side of the road. Thomas said he had promised Terse, my housekeeper, that he would get her charcoal, since it is cheaper in the rural areas. I said we couldn’t do for one staff member and not the others, so I would buy for each of the staff on the way back. Maxwell was thrilled. But this introduced a discussion of other goods that are available at a good price in the lower Shire, a fertile growing area. Suddenly the trip had changed from sightseeing to shopping, but on the way back, they promised.



Giraffe inspecting the car



Nyala is a small animal park located on the Illovo Sugar Plantation. It is small in the physical size and small in the animals’ sizes – antelope, zebra, giraffe and monkeys mostly. I was the only one who had been there before, so there was great enthusiasm for the sighting of animals. I drove through the park, since I know the roads. Maxwell and Thomas took advantage of the sunroof of the car by opening it and standing with their heads out to get a better view of the animals. They took the pictures from their enhanced vantage point.  Rose sat in the front with me, delighted to have such a close view of the animals she had only seen in pictures before. The animals were cooperative and poised for us in the middle of the road at some points, just a few feet from the car.



Thomas negotiating



This was meant to be the high point of the trip and we did enjoy it, but the real delight came as we started back to Blantyre and Thomas began his negotiations with vendors all the way up the mountain. The roadside shopping commenced just a few kilometers outside the park when we stopped for maize – corn – on the cob. There were some women at the side of the road with stalks of maize. They rushed to the car as we pulled over. Thomas jumped out and engaged them in conversation, as if he had known them all his life. After about 5 minutes of discussions, he motioned for Maxwell to open the back of the car and the ladies dumped an arm full of cobs into the car. Thomas climbed in, waving to the ladies, everyone satisfied with the transaction. At the market area at the foot of the mountain we stopped again. Here the car was swarmed by vendors with all sorts of produce. The main objective was to buy small birds on a stick, a delicacy, from Thomas’ and Maxwell’s perspective. Rose was enthused for the purchase as well. I asked Thomas to negotiate for bananas, a much safer food, from my perspective. Most of the vendors moved to the back of the car with Thomas, but one persisted in ask me to buy her papayas. We finally agreed on a price and I sent her to Thomas for payment. When he finished his business, we had 10 sticks of birds, a bunch of bananas, 4 papaya, and a bag of masawu, small berries, for Maxwell’s wife. Negotiating takes time. These transactions took about half an hour.



Thomas and Maxwell with
the purchases



As we climbed the mountain, we inspected the charcoal sellers. Thomas indicated one place for Maxwell to pull over. He got out and negotiated for some time but then got back in the car. The prices were too high. We moved on to one further up the mountain. We were looking for 4 bags, one for each of my staff members and one for Thomas’ sisters. After ten minutes of discussions, he decided to buy two there, since the seller had come down in price, but not as much as he wished. But Maxwell had found brooms that he was very pleased with. The produce was moved to the back seat and the charcoal and brooms placed in the back of the car.  Further up the mountain, Thomas spotted another vendor he thought looked like he would negotiate well and we pulled over. This one was willing to come to a better price, but the problem was that he had no change. I had run out of small bills and all I had were the new MK1,000 notes. That is too large a bill for a small roadside vendor, but Thomas didn’t let that stop the transaction. He flagged down a passing car and asked the driver if he might have change for MK1,000. He did. Thomas finished the negotiations with the vendors and carefully closed the tailgate of the car. The back was loaded with charcoal. As we proceeded up the mountain, Thomas regaled us with details of the lives of all the folks he had negotiated with, including the gentleman in the car who gave him change. In the midst of his negotiation, he had made a point to make the conversations personal. While this is Malawian, it is also Thomas, my social son, who can turn a purchase into a social contact and an opportunity to witness. From his perspective, the negotiations were the joy of the trip. From Maxwell’s the purchases themselves were. From Rose’s it was the animals. From mine, it was the fun of watching all of this unfold around the car.