Into Africa
Part 1: We landed with a thump!
Photos and story by Sydney Kornegay

Malawi is a tiny African nation of mountains and mud huts.

Editor’s note: Sydney Kornegay, a Columbia Star Cub Reporter and a senior at A.C. Flora High School, spent two weeks in Malawi, Africa, last summer with her father, mother, and sister. They were on a personal mission with the Ministry of Hope. This is her story.

Africa is a continent shrouded in mystery. For some, it invokes images of adventure, danger, and exploration. For others, Africa is a place of untamed beauty with its wild animals, thundering waterfalls, and spectacular sunsets. Still others see quite a different picture: Africa is the pit of human suffering, starving to death and dying of AIDS. This summer, I discovered that Malawi, Africa, was all of that, and more.

Malawi is a tiny country in Sub–Saharan Africa and is certainly a country of contrasts. That was evident the second our plane descended below the clouds of dirt and dust. At first, all I could see were a few scattered mud huts and a thin, winding road. Soon, though, the villages gave way to the bustling capital of Lilongwe, and I watched as sprawling neighborhoods, busy streets, and even a golf course rushed by underneath the plane.

An azungu shops for cloth in the open–air market of Lilongwe's Old Town.

Once we landed, we went straight to a house near the center of the city where we planned to stay for most of the trip. The house was the headquarters of Ministry of Hope, an organization that provides care, nourishment, and education to AIDS orphans. We planned to make day trips out to several villages, where we would help out at the ministry’s feeding centers and assist in a blanket distribution program.

The first couple of days were spent getting acclimated to the house and the city of Lilongwe. The capital is divided into two sections, Old Town and New Town. New Town houses the recently built government buildings, but Old Town is by far the busiest and liveliest section. It’s home to a crowded and bustling open–air market, where the streets are lined with vendors selling fried potatoes, vegetables, electronics, and used clothing.

We spent most of our time, however, in the wood market down the road. Business at the market is consistently slow. When we approached it for the first time, the vendors were all sitting around playing board games, tapping on drums, and chatting amongst themselves. However, the moment they caught sight of the white azungus , they immediately sprang into action. We were soon swarmed by a sea of eager sellers, each trying to lure us to his stand first.

They were fairly creative in their marketing strategies. One came up and, shaking my hand, introduced himself and his brother as Coconut and Mr. Fantastic.

“Come and look, sista! Looking is for free!” he cried, pulling me aside. “Come sista, you must share the wealth.”

After a few minutes of browsing, we saw hundreds of elephant, giraffe, and rhino carvings, as well as figurines of native women. There were intricately carved machetes, decorative bowls, beautiful wood boxes, and just about every other wooden souvenir that might appeal to an azungu.