What is Malawi?

OUR JOURNEY AT THE SEOUL AFRICAN FESTIVAL

Maryam Kaisi      Published on 22 September 2025 | 12:48 PM

It’s a question every Malawian living in Korea knows by heart: “Where are you from?” And before you can finish saying “Malawi”, the follow up arrives like clockwork, “Ah! You mean Mali?”

For a country so often confused with its West African counterpart, and with no official embassy in Korea to represent us, this has long been our reality. We often have to explain that we're a landlocked nation in South East Africa, bordering with Zambia.
This is what inspired us (Malawians Living in South Korea and Associates-MALIKA) to participate in the 8th Seoul African Festival on the 13th of September 2025. This historic first for Malawi was our chance to put our home on the map.

THE SPIRIT OF MALAWI, SHOWCASED GLOBALLY

Stepping into our little booth was like stepping directly into the "Warm Heart of Africa." Visitors were greeted with a vibrant display of Malawian culture, from traditional crafts to unique flavors. We proudly offered samples of our most celebrated meals and spirits:

• Spirits & Beverages: Guests got a true taste of our country with Malawi Gin and Malawi Premier Brandy, as well as our rich, aromatic Malawian tea and coffee.
• Cuisine & Snacks: We shared the heart of our food culture, with samples of nsima, the national staple, and the sweet potato porridge (futali). Our popular snacks included nutritious macadamia nuts and the superfood baobab.
• Arts & Fashion: The booth was alive with color from chitenje fabric, and we showcased traditional crafts like ziboliboli carvings and the classic board game bao.
• Interactive Learning: Our custom stickers, featuring famous Malawian landmarks, dances, and tribes, became a fun way for people to take a piece of our culture home.
The booth attracted lots of visitors who engaged with our culture in a fun and interactive way, and over 500 visitors tasted Malawian spirits, cuisine and snacks.

💡 POWERED BY PASSION AND TEAMWORK, NOT FUNDS

What made this possible wasn’t a big budget, we had neither funding nor official resources. MALIKA is made up of a small group of Malawians living in Korea, most of whom are students with limited resources. The idea to participate in the event only came about five weeks beforehand. Yet, through determination and teamwork, in a short time came together and raised about $800 and leveraged the arrival of newly admitted students for the Fall 2025 semester to bring products from Malawi.
Despite the challenges, we managed to put Malawi on display in a vibrant and authentic way.

🎯 FUN, FOOD, AND KNOWLEDGE

To keep the energy high, we hosted a mystery box quiz with questions about Malawian history. The prize? A special souvenir from our country. Guests had to answer at least two out of three questions correctly, and the competition was fierce. We only had nine gifts like Malawian t-shirts, our famous chili sauce, baobab, and coffee but the winners were super happy and excited. That really showed us why we do what we do!

The atmosphere was electric with many visitors wanting to buy Malawi Gin, brandy, crafts, and macadamia nuts, but unfortunately, we had none to sell this time.

💡 LOOKING AHEAD

The 8th Seoul African Festival, held annually, was also filled with color and energy. Highlights included a vibrant parade, Rwandan dance performances, and a premium African fashion show.

The event was organized by Africa Insight, a nonprofit corporation under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, designated as a donation organization by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and an NGO with special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). It was also supported by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

References & Resources

• The Korea Herald
• MW National Publication Ltd