tansali paparazzi

By Rita Dominic
first published in What's New Magazine 

Oftentimes, Nigerians travel out to the west for vacation, ignoring some of the beautiful spots in our great continent.  Prior to this trip, I had never been to South East, Africa, so this was indeed a fantastic opportunity for me to start visiting those parts of our continent.  The advert promoting my trip to Malawi was on television for a while so workers at the Muritala Mohammed International airport were especially nice to me on my way out.  I felt all fuzzy and teary eyed when about 10 immigration officials called me aside to wish me a safe trip.

Malawi has been in the news lately because American music star Madonna adopted a child from there, and is currently trying to adopt another one.  I applaud Madonna for her good works but Malawi is so much more and I can understand why she and other celebrities choose to go there on vacation.  The country was originally known as Nyasaland and is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Malawi also shares a boarder with Zambia to the Northwest and the official languages are English and Chichewa.

Accompanied by my manager Mildred, my personal assistant Chioma and celebrity photographer Buki Tijani, we flew to the capital city of Lilongwe via Johannesburg on South Africa Airways (SAA).  We had to fly 5 hours to Johannesburg to catch a connecting flight to Lilongwe which was only a 2 hour flight from Jo-burg.  The coldest month of the year in Malawi is June, so I made sure I packed some warm clothes to protect my hot West African body.

My arrival to Lilongwe was memorable.  There were plenty of people at the airport to welcome me including some Nigerian women who live in Lilongwe.  I secretly wished they would prepare some local Naija dishes to bring to my hotel room.  Don’t laugh, I always long for Nigerian food especially Afang soup no matter where I go. 

The warmth of the ordinary Malawian was evident right from Lilongwe airport.  They are laid back and full of smiles for the anxious visitor.  The motorcade ride from the Airport to Sunbird Capital Hotel was nice and I enjoyed looking out the window to see the wild flowers and tobacco farms along the road. The air was very clean and something about Lilongwe reminded me of the Irish country side.

The Sunbird hotel is well maintained, beautiful and appealing to the discerning eye.  I was especially impressed by the lush green grounds, something that is often lacking in many Nigerian hotels today.  We were welcomed by a friendly manager and a smiling waiter with a tray filled with glasses of refreshing fruit cocktail. My suite overlooked a beautifully manicured landscape which included a very inviting sparkling pool. 

After an hour of rest, I was off to a radio station for interviews, then to dinner at the Crossroads and then more interviews.  There is only one local television station in Malawi and it started operations only 8 years ago.  I was informed elections were only a few days away so images of my visit were indeed a welcome distraction from the various political programmes on the local TV.  The current president Dr Bingu Wa Mutharika had served for 5 years and was facing some competition from the opposition but as I write, he has been declared the winner in a mostly free and fair election.

The first president of Nyasaland and Malawi was Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda.  Many people in Malawi hold him in high esteem as the founding father of the country.  In 2006, a mausoleum was erected in President Banda’s honour.  I visited the Banda mausoleum on the morning of my second day in Malawi, May 14.  During the tour around the expansive complex, I was informed that President Banda’s body was preserved to last 99 years.  It was heart warming to know that Malawians appreciated the contributions Banda made to the country and even paid tribute to him by celebrating his birthday which coincidentally was same day I visited.

After my visit to the mausoleum, I attended a press conference to meet and mingle with members of the Malawian press.  There were many questions about Nollywood, women empowerment and the fight against AIDS.  I sensed that the media were doing their part to encourage women to excel in society.  HIV/AIDS is very prevalent among the adult population in Malawi so my answers to questions about the disease seemed very important to them.  It can be nerve wracking meeting members of the press but I most say that this was a pleasant and informative meeting all around.

After the press conference and a special interview with Studio 53, a popular show on MNET, it was time to meet the fans.  My heart was pumping as I saw so many fans waiting at the multi-choice offices for autographs.  I meet fans all the time but I am always filled with anxiety each and every time.  Are you surprised?  Well I will let you in on a little secret, actors are generally shy people in their regular lives and not as brave as people think they are.  Malawian fans were so excited and cheerful which made it easier for me that afternoon.  I signed so many autographs, my fingers went numb but nevertheless it was nice to see lots of smiling faces. 

My final event in Lilongwe was a cocktail party for subscribers of Africa magic. The subscribers won a contest by cutting out adverts in the local newspaper and correctly identifying several Nollywood stars. A public lottery was then conducted and the winners announced.  My entrance into the cocktail venue was choreographed with two Malawian actors acting a comedy skit.  My character in the skit was Rita Dominic, the Nollywood actress. I thought it was quite funny and the audience seemed to enjoy our performance.  We called it a night after food, drinks and beautiful music from gospel singer Ethel Kamuwendo Banda.   

I woke up early the next day to fly 45 minutes to Blantyre, the largest city in Malawi.  I am informed that it is the oldest urban centre in East, Central and Southern Africa. Blantyre is to Lilongwe what Lagos is to Abuja except it is not quite as chaotic as Lagos.  The city sits on various residual hills surrounded by several mountains.  Even though the weather was colder than in Lilongwe, I fell in love with Blantyre at first sight. There was a constant bustle of people and it was easy to figure out why it’s called the commercial capital of Malawi. I am naturally drawn to the hustle and bustle of big cities which obviously explains why I love living in Lagos.

In Blantyre, we checked in to the Sunbird Soche Hotel and they gave us VIP treatment all the way.  We ate lunch in a private dining room upstairs away from the prying eyes of the public.  The staff members were friendly and motivated me to try local food Nsima with pumpkin soup and Chambo. Nsima can be compared to our local fufu in Nigeria but it is made from maize not yam or cassava. Chambo is the most popular fish in Malawi. The meal was delicious and I must add that they make wonderful deserts at the Sunbird Soche; it took all my will power not to go back for seconds.

The most emotional and heart tugging part of my trip was my visit to the Chambo Orphanage Mission later that afternoon.  To whom much is given, much is expected.  It has been a real struggle to reach the heights that I have in the industry today but I cannot begin to imagine how I could have done it without the help of my late parents and my loving siblings.  Imagine then what hope little orphans have to make it in the world. 

When Multi-Choice Malawi approached my management about this trip, we requested that a visit to an orphanage be added to the schedule.  Having been to other orphanages in Nigeria, war torn Liberia and Sierra Leone, I make it a point now to go see the kids everywhere I go in Africa.  I was grateful when my hosts graciously accepted our request and even went as far as donating DSTV equipment and subscription for life to the orphanage.

I was overwhelmed by the beautiful faces of these orphaned children and the courage of the owners and workers.  The children danced and sang and I must say many of them do have a future in entertainment. Thanks to the kind gesture of multi-choice, I officially handed the equipment and subscription to the orphanage.  Now the children can watch the educational channels on television just like other children.  Children are our future and it’s our duty as adults to encourage African children to strive to succeed.  I am working towards my dream to start a scholarship fund for less privileged children in our society.

Thanks to Odette and Tatanya of Multi-choice, I got some personal time from the schedule.  We drove up to the Zomba Plateau which is over 2000 meters above sea level.  Zomba town used to be the capital of Malawi until 1974 when Lilongwe became the capital.  It is an hour drive from Blantyre and it gave me the opportunity to see the Malawian countryside.

When we got to Zomba, there were political pamphlets littering the roads. We were told it was left by politicians making their last hour political campaigns.  It took us another 20 minutes to drive up to the beautiful Sunbird Ku Chawe mountain resort.

The plateau is covered in African Juniper and Widdringtonia trees, and many beautiful streams and lakes.  The stunning scenic views atop the plateau made me so happy but I must warn you if you are afraid of heights, do not attempt it.  You can head to the beach instead.  Buki Tijani, our official photographer and over confident Manchester United fan is afraid of heights and I believe she must have held her breath all the way up this gorgeous plateau.

After a sumptuous buffet at the Ku Chawe, we drove higher up the plateau in a massive hummer looking utility vehicle. We saw more tranquil lakes and beautiful waterfalls in the middle of this dense forest but also saw many trees that were cut down by locals.  We saw some of them transporting firewood down the plateau on their bicycles.  I was assured by our guide that the Malawian government regulates the cutting of the trees in hopes that this beautiful place will be around for generations to come.

My trip to Malawi ended with a huge concert at Blantyre Sports Centre on Friday, May 15.  My hosts were excited because the show had sold out hours before the show, something I guess does not happen often.  Apparently, Malawians prefer buying their tickets on the day of the event not unlike Nigerians.

For years to come, I will remember the faces of the children at the Chomba mission orphanage especially the little boy who suffers from HIV.  Whenever I remember the calming effect the Zomba plateau had on me, a little smile will appear on my face.  All in all, I hope Multi-Choice will do this again; it is a wonderful way of giving back to the subscribers and the countries that they operate in. 

To the warm heart with love!!!!