Mulu Bwanji?

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Every interaction or conversation begins with the statutory greetings; which have quickly become referred to as mulu bwangying amongst ourselves.
• Moni Achemwele / Amayi / Abambo (hello sister, mother, brother)
• Mulu Bwanji?
• Ndili Bueno, kaya inu?
• Ndili Bueno, Zikomo
Often that is the interaction in its entirety; people in the street call out to you as you pass Moni achemwale, mulu bwanje…..yesterday a man I passed on the street waved as many people do (there are relatively few white people here and we stand out like beacons and have some kind of strange celebrity status) and shouted his customary greeting and when I replied he broke into a huge grin and got up walked from where he’d been relaxing with his daughters and shook my hand went through the whole process and then of course we had nothing to say; except thank you and we acknowledged that with a smile and parted. The interaction cannot be cut short; and can be extended over a fairly prolonged period of time enquiring after inconsequentials before it is possible to get down to business.
Everyone must be greeted always, in the morning there is a slight variation - madzuka bwanje; meaning did you wake well? And later in the day, if you are meeting for a second time, maswera bwanje? Are things still going well? Or words to that effect. Most of the time the mulu bwanjeying is accompanied by a customary African handshake - starting in the one we are used to, you then slide your hand up and around the thumb and back into the handshake, often your hand is held onto for some time, and often as soon as you’ve let go someone will say something with a big smile and exaggeratedly shake your hand again, to emphasise their positive intentions or to emphasise a joke or warm feelings; it’s not uncommon to have shaken hands half a dozen times in the space of a few minutes of welcoming and smiling.
Our first week of orientation to the Zomba Mental Hospital has largely consisted of a week of mulu bwanjeying ……..that and waiting.

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