View down 1,000 Metre Escarpment to the Lower Shire Valley
Village Life in the Lower Shire
The Lower Shire Valley is located in the very south of Malawi. It is separated from the rest of the country by a 1,000 metre escarpment, is triangular in shape and surrounded by a range of hills except on the south-eastern corner. It faces regular weather extremes because of its location, and when in rains heavily, it floods quickly, filling up like a basin.
Because it is separated from the rest of the country, it is less developed and most houses are still made of mud and thatch. The area was also steeped in witchcraft.
Dausi Village
HOUSES: Their houses are made with a timber frame which is covered with mud, The roof is thatch. The structure is similar to our wattle and daub houses of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The windows are small to keep out mosquitos and the floor is mud. A curtain may hang in their doorways. They have almost no furnishing of any kind and sleep on bamboo mats with no mattresses. A few families may have a table and some chairs. There is no running water.
TOILETS AND WASHROOMS: Their toilets, shown on the left, can be made with mud or thatch walls. There is no door and so you need to call "Hodi" before you enter. There is a narrow entrance corridor with a hole in the central square. Washrooms, shown on the right, are usually made of thatch. Again, there is no door and they have an entrance corridor leading to a central square in which families will place a large bucket of water with a plastic mug with which to pour the water over you like a shower.
COOKING: Their cooking is done with a pot placed over three large stones, and firewood pushed underneath. This is back-breaking work and women also suffer with chest problems because of breathing in the smoke on a regular basis. There is also the heat of the fire. Their staple food is called "nsima" and is made of maize flour mixed with water to make a thick porridge. To watch the videos, please click on the central arrows.
