Peanuts

On an early morning trip from home to Blantyre, we watched large numbers of women from the villages making their way toward Zomba.  Huge plastic tubs on their heads were  piled high above the rim with freshly dug peanuts, each with a tiny blue bowl for measuring perched on the summit.

It amazes me how Malawian women walk so gracefully carrying their infants and toddlers on their backs  and balancing heavy loads on their heads, all the while chatting, traversing rocky, uneven terrain and avoiding oncoming traffic.  Probably because they have had constant practice since they were five years old.  Since they were very young, these women have collected wood and water for their families and  carried maize to and from the mill. Also since they were very young, they have had plenty of practice carrying infants on their backs.

One of the women  briefly stopped by the road to purchase one of Malawi's favorite fast foods,  a stalk of sugar cane. With a machete, the young man tending the stand lopped off a piece for her, maybe 20 cm long. She continued walking, peeling the tough stalk with her teeth and revealing the sweet, fleshy core. She took a few bites, then, without looking back,  she passed a short stalk over her shoulder to the reaching hand of the toddler on her back. 

When these women reach their destinaton, they will sit all day on the ground in front of a downtown shop or by a busy street, hoping to sell their produce to passersby. Then, as the sun begins to set and shops close for the day, the women will start their trek back home to their villages, many arriving home after dark.