It took time for Lilongwe to win me over. During my initial visit to Malawi, I stayed in Chilobwe township, then moved to Mphemba, a village near Blantyre city. Later, I explored Ekwendeni in Northern Malawi, a mix of village and township, where I first learned about Ngoni history.

However, I digress. Upon arriving in Lilongwe, its fast-paced atmosphere reminded me of Joburg and Pretoria. I soon discovered that the City Centre wasn’t the central business district I expected, but rather an affluent area with embassies, government offices, and political party headquarters. The city’s layout made me uncomfortable, but when I shared my observations with a friend, he explained that Lilongwe was built on apartheid spatial planning principles, which surprised me but made sense.

After spending sufficient time here, I’ve started to appreciate Lilongwe for its unique character, beyond comparisons to South Africa. Lilongwe is a beautiful city with fascinating contrasts. I’ll be writing more about Lilongwe in the next few weeks.

I’ve posted a few images of Lilongwe below.