Holding hands

People holding hands in Malawi is a very common sight, men, women and children all do it. I have done it quite a lot too. There would be times when greeting a person I would shake their hand and my hand would be held onto as we walked wherever we were going. Like the lost child I walked through schools holding hands with the headteacher, through the prison with the governor and through a car showroom with the sales manager as well as many other times with people I met.Here holding hands is quite simply a sign of regard and respect.

When I first arrived I was quite surprised by the high number of teenage boys walking around holding hands with each other. I wondered how this could be in a country where homosexuality remains illegal but soon came to realise that it was a lovely symbol of acceptance of the other person.

My visitors, all 14 of them, very quickly had their hands held as soon a they walked into the village with little ones vying for hand holding position and sometime 3 or 4 of them holding on to each of the visitors hand