Malawi

Around Lake Malawi and the Mulanje Massif, a rich flora and fauna thrives in this small country in south-east Africa. Many wild animals were once almost wiped out; today elephants, lions, rhinos and crocodiles are back. The country also has a great deal to offer culturally: its traditional dances, which symbolise a connection to the ancestors, are part of UNESCO’s World Heritage.

Episode 1: Life on the great lake

Small country, big nature: Malawi is home to no fewer than five national parks, savannahs, open woodland and, not least, the vast Lake Malawi. At 560 kilometres long and up to 80 kilometres wide, it is the ninth-largest lake on earth and the third-largest in Africa. The lake lies in the middle of the African Rift Valley, reaches depths of up to 700 metres in places, and its clear waters are home to hundreds of endemic fish species.

Malawi has not only a great lake but also a “great dance”, the Gule Wamkulu, performed in honour of the ancestors with elaborate masks, richly painted faces and feather headdresses. It is on UNESCO’s list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In Liwonde National Park on the Shire River, rangers patrol every day to track down poachers and remove snares; the park has set new standards in the reintroduction of elephants.

Episode 2: The green heart of Africa

Small but diverse: landlocked Malawi impresses with savannahs, rainforest, bushland, mountains and the continent’s third-largest lake. A special natural wonder is the Mulanje Massif in the south. At 3,002 metres, it rises as the country’s highest point. It was once covered in cedar forests; today conservationists are fighting to replant them.

Since 1951, a floating landmark has been plying Lake Malawi: the ferry MV Ilala. Every week it follows its fixed route from Monkey Bay to Chilumba in the north and back. For many people along the shores, it is still their only link to the outside world. For more than 70 years, the Ilala has held the country together.

The film is in German.