Chimwemwe means Happiness

The more I travel the more I enjoy the unexpected. Just do stuff and see what happens. Invariably it’s an adventure and at the very least you meet fascinating people.

Today we met Chimwemwe. He lives about 1km down the road in a gorgeous brick house with a green corrugated iron roof he and his father have just finished building. He would be in his mid 20’s at a guess, super fit and descended from the Tumbuka chief who gifted the land for the Livingstonia Mission. He was our guide today.

Chimwemwe means Happiness so I will be lobbying for that name for my next grandson.

Today’s adventure was a visit to the tallest waterfall in Malawi, the Mantchewe. The main cascade is 125m but the full drop is 1077m into the valley below Mushroom Farm. In my mind it was going to be a 2km stroll to the falls, a visit to the cave behind the main cascade and then home for a beer.

I was wrong. Apparently the plan was to scramble the full 1000m to the bottom first! This was not a manicured path and it was soon clear that my shoes were not up to it as I slid my way down. Chimwemwe very kindly helped me, almost tossing me across a rock cutting with a fast moving tributary that we had to jump! About half way down I realized I wasn’t up to it. I stopped and let Grant and Macdonald carry on. A good decision as Grant was absolutely knackered on his return and he’s significantly fitter than me.

We scrambled up again and across until we came to a path leading behind the main waterfall. There, a cave had been dug in the 18th century by the Agoni people. They hid there to escape the Arab slave traders or their native agents, the Yeo. Despite the Agoni being brutal warriors (a breakaway group from Shaka’s Zulus) they were no match for the Yeo as the Arabs had provided them with guns).

It was an excellent hiding place as the slavers never discovered it. This was significant rock to have chiseled away and you can see the tool markings in the roof. The boys had a nice cooling wash under the falls. Quite magic sitting in the dark looking out through thundering water.

More scrambling and a wander through a village and suddenly we were at the top of another waterfall- there are two that meet in the valley and power the hydroelectric generator that provides electricity to this region. Not being a fan of heights this was a bit terrifying but the view was amazing.

The day was rounded out nicely with an almost cold beer at the Lovers Nest cafe perched on the cliff edge in the local village.

We returned with very tired legs but a lovely sense of having had a chance to connect with local people and place. Being with Chimwemwe meant lots of interactions with people in the village and the groups of kids walking back from school.

The missions in Malawi played a very important role in stopping the slave trade. That was the reason Livingstone wanted them established here. He believed that the presence of the missions would provide a protective buffer for the people. Importantly the other role was to provide them with education and the missions were responsible for building hundreds of schools. The Overtoun Institute built in Livingstonia was built before proper houses or even the church, so important was education to the missionaries.

Chimwemwe didn’t know I had any association with the mission so it was very special to hear him talk about the importance of them for freeing Malawi from slavery and for educational opportunities right to this day. He was educated in mission schools and was proud of the fact that his great grandfather was the person who gave Robert Laws permission to use the land to establish Livingstonia.

I have always carried a bit of personal conflict with the whole ‘white man imposing values on the native’ scenario, but in this particular situation it seems as if the positives outweigh the negatives. Certainly these missionaries devoted their lives in service to the African people and I have yet to encounter any locals who have issue with it.

After a boiling hot day clouds are forming over the plateau and things are cooling down. Possibly rain later. One more night in this magic place and then we head down to the Lake and new adventures.

Addendum. It’s now evening and we are in the open air bar looking down into the valley as the lights slowly appear like stars in the sky. There’s a young man from Europe who we haven’t met yet who is in a bicycle! Two young Canadians and a Polish girl who have been traveling using public transport all around Africa. There is also a very vibrant group of locals here for a drink and a chat. How good is traveling?Read more