The Market

The Market

This is what the aisles of the market are like.

Everything seems to be made from found wood.

We went to the Market today.  It was very crowded.  As we squeezed through the aisles, each “store” seemed to be made of old pallets taken apart and put back together. Each stall was full of junk like old baby dolls and gum.  In front of the stalls were people sitting with spices, grasshoppers, and a series of fruits I did not recognize.  People were staring at us and pushing to get past, sometimes putting their hands on my pockets.  An entire group of Americans was a novelty but the white people were definitely a fascination.

Here is some of the cloth the other people bought.

            Before we left for the trip, we were told that Malawians loved to haggle.  Our professor went so far to say that if we didn’t try to negotiate, they would be insulted.  Our experience in the market was totally different.  At first I took a picture of the "nice” old ladies selling spices and they asked for money.  I brushed it off and kept moving, afraid to get separated.  When we got to our destination, I saw makeshift tables full of beautiful cloth.  Our goal was to buy cloth to use as chitinjes.  The women of Malawi all wear a piece of cloth wrapped around them.  It can be used as a apron, baby wrap, etc.

Here is what the cloth looks like.  This lady agreed to have her picture taken because I bought the cloth form her.  She does no look happy about it though.

            We made it through the crowd, squeezing between stalls to arrive at the area where cloth is sold.  It is all women selling things and they seemed very angry with us.  They showed us their cloth but never changed their price. We bought cloth and found tailors, all men, at the far end of the shop. The men took our measurements and we picked out styles we liked.  Some of the women with me chose dresses but I found a skirt I liked.  I gave the man who was going to sew my skirt the fabric and we agreed on a price k3500 (about $10.00).  He said he would make that night and I could pick it up in the morning. 

This is the man who made my skirt

            It was about 4:45 and the sun was setting so we had to get out of the market as quickly as possible.  We waited in the parking lot for the rest of our group, however it is hard to get a group of 16 to go anywhere fast.  I had my camera out so another woman asked me to take a picture of the entrance to the market.  When I did this, the flash went off and the whole group started yelling at me.  

This is the infamous photo.  The two guys who started
fighting are in the bak on the left.

Two guys came over and came right up to me.  They were screaming in Chichewa and I was very scared.  I side-stepped over to Dr. Vokhiwa and Dr. Gyagenda and they stepped in.  I don’t know what was said but eventually the two guys started fighting with each other.  They were ripping off clothes and punching each other.  We all pilled into the van as people started to mob around the two guys fighting.  The other people with our group cam out of the market and quickly got into the van.  As we drove off, we saw one of the guys run behind a shed and come back with a rock.

Here is my new skirt

We got out of there just in time.  I was very shaken up and was not looking forward to going back there to pick up my skirt.  We did go back the next day, this time leaving all bags and purses in the car.  We went through the market in groups of 3 with a Malawian guide’s help.  We went in, found our clothing we had made, paid, and got out.  The skirt turned out great and it was al fine in the end.

When I came out of the market, I showed everyone in the van the beads that I had bought.  I thought it was a necklace.  My professor told me that they were for “when you are waiting for your husband.” In Malawi, they wear them around their waste under their clothes. I basically just bought lingerie.