Last weekend I left Zach in Lilongwe and headed two hours east to Kungoni Lodge. This is a town that originated as a Christian mission and now houses an artists guild that produces beautiful carvings. It also has a museum that outlines the history of Christian missionaries in the area and traditional culture of Malawi's tribes (opposing topics eh?). Many of the original structures, including the church, are still standing.
The carving below depicts people suffering from leprosy. The view below that is from the thatched roof open-air dining room. Local people use this water for bathing and washing and children yell at you across the small ravine to please give them your left over plastic bottles (for what? I don't know). The children in this picture are hurrying over to collect ours.
The place was especially beautiful because many of the beautiful trees
that filled Malawi 100 years ago were still standing. This is rare;
Malawi suffers from extreme deforestation. I can't imagine how gorgeous
this place was when outsiders first appeared.
Finally, here's a look at the inside of one part of the museum. The other parts were much cooler but because they include depictions of the spirits (Gule Wamkulu) no photography was allowed. If you want to see it all you'll have to come visit!
More pictures from the weekend to come...
I have just discovered that if I click on your pictures within the blog post I can view them in a larger format. I'm a genius!---not.
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