Chitenge

The key to looking like a Malawian woman is to wear a Chitenge. A Chitenge is a light cotton material 2 meters in length and is worn similar to a wrap or an apron. The chitenge’s main purpose is to keep your skirt clean while you go about your daily activities. The Chitenge patterns are usually wild and colourful and you can buy them almost anywhere in Malawi and Zambia (I am not sure about the rest of Africa as I have never been anywhere else…yet!) I wear a Chitenge on a daily basis and I love it. I can sit anywhere that I want to, I don’t have to worry about the children at the orphanage getting me dirty, and I don’t get chalk all over myself when I am teaching, it is a great idea! I have also had many positive comments made to myself and to my host family regarding the fact that I wear a Chitenge. People tell me that I look like a real Malawian woman, and they really appreciate that I am trying to dress like them. I was walking in the market with my sister Dephin and my niece Tapiwa. I was wearing a skirt with a Chitenge and Dephin was wearing trousers. Two middle aged men started yelling at us in Chichewa saying, “You look like a proper Malawian woman, you should teach your sister how to wear a Chitenge!”

Another important use to the Chitenge is using it as a “baby carrier.” It seems as if every Malawian woman has a baby on her back, and the baby is held there by a Chitenge. At first I thought that this had to be bad for both the baby and the mother. It looks to be putting a lot of strain on the mother’s neck and back as well as not very supportive for the baby. I had to test the Chitenge baby carrier out for myself. I found a willing mother and a not so willing 2 year old girl. I thought the 2 year old girl was a little big for the Chitenge, but I was told that children up to the age of 4 are placed in the Chitenge. I was a little nervous to put the child on my back, but everyone was anxiously a waiting for the Mzungu to carry around the Malawian baby. I leaned over so that my back was level, grabbed the little girl by her one arm, swung her around and she landed perfectly on my back. When she was on my back she grabbed my shoulders and just hung on and tried to settle in. I put the Chitenge over my back making sure to that it was underneath the girls bum, and over her shoulders. Once I had the Chitenge placed properly on my back I put one end of the Chitenge over my right shoulder and the other end underneath my left armpit and tied a tight knot over my collarbone. It was time for me to stand upright. I was a little hesitant and slowly leaned back. IT WORKED! She was settled in very comfortably on my back. I wanted to do some things around the local market so the mother of the child escorted me to the market with her child on my back. People were literally stopping in their tracks starring at us. It was very easy to see why the women would put their children on their backs. It allows the women freedom to carry on with their daily tasks without having to worry about where their baby is. I have yet to see a baby stroller in this country that is actually being used. I saw a stroller in Zambia, but a Mzungu was using it. It is also very common for children to carry their siblings around in a Chitenge. I have seen a girl as young as 6 carrying a small baby on her back. The babies seem to be very comfortable and enjoy going on the mother’s backs. My niece Gertrudi loves going on her mothers back. Whenever she wants to have a nap she tries to get onto her mother or her aunts back.

A few nights ago Jason and I had to go to the market to get a candle. My new little neighbor, 1 year old Emalee, wanted to go with me. I asked his mother if I could take him and she said that I could. I put Emalee on my back and off we went. People were saying, “Here comes the Malawian Mzungu!” It was funny, but I expected it. What I didn’t expect was people to say, “Madonna and David Banda!” Emalee has really taken a liking to me and I plan on taking him to more places so that I can “stir the pot” a little more.

A Chitenge is proving to be a very important part of Malawian culture and I am looking forward to figuring out if there are more uses for it. I don’t know if I will carry a child on my back with a Chitenge when I return back to Canada, but it could be interesting. What do you think Isabel, Nancy, and Elizabeth? Try it out and let me know!