Malawian Greetings

One of the things I appreciate about Malawian culture is their love for formal greetings. There seem to be unspoken rules, so I will share with you what I have observed.

First of all, greetings vary depending on gender, social/ economic status, and the closeness of the relationship.

Almost everyone in the city of Zomba has some skill in English because English is the language of banking, government, and commerce.  When conversing with Malawians, even those who speak little English, they are delighted to practice their English skills. They will say, “Hello. How are you, Sir/Madam?” You dare not answer simply, “Hello,” because that could easily cause offense.  When you answer, “I am fine, and how are you?”  The response is, “I am fine. Thank you.”  A formal greeting is considered necessary.

There have been times in the market when George has been addressed as “boss” and I have been addressed as “mother.”  “Mother, come see my tomatoes.” I have no explanation for why we were picked out from among the crowd for this greeting.

Typically, the rural poor, both male and female are more likely to use traditional Malawian greetings. Greetings among the rural poor are a traditional handshake with an added feature. Each person grasps his own right arm, palm down, just below the elbow.  This is a beautiful gesture whose cultural meaning is, “I am unarmed and come in peace.” I often use this handshake when we are working out in the rural villages. Rural, poor women bow slightly at the waist, and generally avoid direct eye contact when shaking hands. Sometimes, they also bend their knees in a little curtsy.

Greetings among men usually include handshaking, but it sometimes includes sliding the palms more vertically and linking of thumbs briefly, then back down to a traditional handshake. Among male friends, it sometimes also includes holding hands. Men will greet male friends warmly with a handshake, and then carry on a conversation while standing or walking holding hands or with their little fingers linked until they part ways. This is a very common greeting among male friends.

When a man of greater status greets a woman or a man of much lower status, the one of lower status will stand, head slightly lowered with hands clasped in front of the chest and will wait to be offered a handshake. Sometimes a person of lower status will offer a forearm rather than a hand to shake if their hands are dirty. Neither women nor lower status men initiate handshakes with someone of higher social or economic status.

We have gotten to know many merchants in Zomba and the surrounding areas, and people in the merchant class are, with few exceptions, Muslims, and are always fluent in English. Most merchant shop owners are friendly, smile, and make direct eye contact. Typically, they like to offer a handshake to finalize a business transaction.

Traditionally, a woman will lower her eyes and bow to her husband when she enters a room where he is seated. For example, when a wife comes into a room to offer her husband a pitcher of water to wash before a meal, she will kneel before him and pour water over his hands. Then, when she enters the room to serve him food, she will do so on her knees. As a side note, wives sometimes eat with their children separately from their husbands. This kind of subservience of women is more typical in rural villages.

Sometimes a woman greeting a woman or man of higher status will bow in front of them. We experienced this recently at a church where George was the guest speaker. After we entered the sanctuary and were seated, a well dressed (professional looking) woman walked toward us with a basket in her hands. Her eyes were down, and she was bowing, but just as she reached us, she knelt and pulled out two bottles of water, uncapped them, and placed them on the table in front of us.  At the conclusion to the service, we were invited to the pastor’s study. This same woman opened a container of juice and poured some into glasses for me and George. She bowed in front of us without making eye contact, then knelt on the floor, and handed us the glasses of juice.

Perhaps this bit of information about proper greetings will prove useful if you should ever come to visit Malawi.