At the end of summer 2021, my whole family left Belgium, where we had lived for many years, to move to Malawi. This small, densely populated country in East Africa is located between Mozambique and Zambia. It was a major change—and a culture shock—for all of us. Once settled, I began doing the one thing I truly love: practicing Shiatsu. Before then, almost no one in Malawi had heard of Shiatsu, except for a few passing tourists.
When we moved into a house in the capital, Lilongwe, I set up a room with shelves for my Shiatsu and Eastern medicine books and laid out the straw tatamis that accompany me everywhere in the world. I then offered my services to the expatriate community, which is quite large, as organizations like USAID, UN agencies, and the European Union are present, amounting to around 4,000–5,000 foreigners in the country. But compared to Malawi's population of 18 million, this is a tiny fraction. The start was slow, with weekly Qigong classes proving more popular. These classes helped me meet people like César Seigneurgens and Julia Lemer, who quickly asked for regular lessons along with two other individuals.
Bodies and Cultural Differences
For this article, I was asked to write about the differences observed and felt regarding bodies in Malawi and Shiatsu treatments. I am not an anthropologist, just a Shiatsu practitioner. I will do my best to share my experience as neutrally as possible.
After three years in Malawi, I came to realize that while we are all human, with two arms, two legs, and a head atop our bodies, our physical forms can vary greatly. Drawing on my European experiences and those in West Africa (Senegal), India (Tamil Nadu near Pondicherry), and now in the Balkans (Bosnia-Herzegovina), I was once again struck by the nuances within the human body. I cannot provide scientific explanations for these differences, though it is evident that our environments play a significant role. What I can share are my observations.
Broadly speaking, Western European bodies are soft, with tissues that are nearly supple and less muscular. In Senegal, I encountered thick skin, pronounced muscles, and relatively tall individuals. Once past the skin barrier, everything seemed technically possible, and people would relax without difficulty. In Malawi, skin was often very thin, with stretch marks commonly seen on both men and women. Beneath the skin, muscles were dense, difficult to work with, and resistant to relaxation. Once a session ended, clients would quickly return to their usual state, thank me, and leave promptly. Few lingered, drowsy on the tatami, enjoying the session’s aftereffects. Once again, I observed that Africa is not a monolith but comprises multiple nations, cultures, and even civilizations, each with distinctly different bodies. Consider, for instance, the tall and slender Ethiopians compared to the pygmies of Congo’s forests. In Malawi, people are generally shorter, sturdier, and gentle-natured—though, of course, exceptions exist.
Most Malawians are engaged in agriculture, and those fortunate enough to have land or a job work hard. Their bodies are in constant activity, performing physical tasks. This is typical across much of Africa, where few people work in tertiary sectors seated in front of a computer screen all day.
Culturally, Malawians don’t often discuss their aches or problems. As a former British colony, they seem to have adopted certain traits from their English colonizers, valuing stoicism and emotional restraint. In Senegal, a former French colony, the approach is quite the opposite—people are expressive and openly discuss health issues when asked. In India, I also encountered little verbal expression, which I attribute partly to their colonial British heritage. One might hypothesize that colonial influences shaped not just the culture but also physical expressions within these regions.
Unique Cultural Influences in Malawi
There are, however, cultural aspects uniquely Malawian. One notable example is that most locals complain of lower back pain. After much observation of their daily gestures and historical explanations, I understood the root of this issue. Men and women in the fields work bent at a right angle, faces toward the ground, as all their tools have very short handles. Curious about this, I once bought a long-handled broom for our housekeeper and a hoe for our gardener. These two individuals were assigned to us along with the house, ensuring employment opportunities. I explained how standing upright would relieve their back pain. Finding the tools impractical, they promptly sawed the handles down to their customary size—returning to their bent postures and back complaints.
Malawi is home to three main groups of people who migrated long ago from Botswana in the south, Zimbabwe and Zambia in the west, and Tanzania in the north. The country’s original inhabitants, primarily pygmies, were gradually displaced or eliminated by these newcomers. Historical records confirm that the conquerors inherited pygmy tools (which were smaller of course) and have used them unchanged to this day. This illustrates how historical and cultural influences shape physical forms.
The Impact of Diet
The phrase “you are what you eat” has never resonated more deeply than through my Shiatsu experiences abroad, particularly in observing physical and pathological differences. In southern India, liver issues were almost universal, marked by yellowed eyes and pronounced red veins at the corners, due to a heavily spiced diet. In Senegal, hypertension was prevalent, linked to the breakfast staple among the less affluent: a baguette of poor-quality French bread (per person), sliced lengthwise and filled with mayonnaise, instant coffee powder, and soup cube powder—essentially fat, salt, and caffeine.
In Malawi, I consistently observed distended stomachs linked to dietary habits. The primary food, n’sima, is a type of cornmeal porridge consumed morning, noon, and night, starting from childhood. Variations include n’sima with tomatoes, dried fish, or chili. Occasionally, dessert might be a banana or mango, though less often than one might think. This dense porridge creates the sensation of a full stomach. My cook resisted my requests for a light salad at noon, insisting instead on potatoes and meat—even in 35°C heat. Eating meat is considered a sign of wealth, as the majority of Malawians (98%) cannot afford it.
The consequences of this diet are stark: frequent stomach problems (inflammation, acidity, abdominal distension), post-meal fatigue rendering workers inactive for at least an hour, and severe developmental issues in both brain and body. I’ve been told by UN employees, that a study by the World Food Programme (WFP) demonstrated that the brain requires a diverse array of nutrients to develop properly during childhood and adolescence. Malawi’s maize, one of the poorest varieties nutritionally, coupled with n’sima as the primary food, hampers brain development and stunts physical growth.
Currently, I live in Bosnia, where people consume a diet rich in meat and dairy, especially creams. Consequently, they are tall and robust. Most men range between 1.80 and 2 meters in height. Despite low incomes—three times less than the French minimum wage—and limited car ownership, Bosnia’s mountainous terrain ensures that people walk a lot and rely on manual labor. The result is tall individuals (comparable to the Dutch) with tender European skin but formidable muscle mass that’s challenging to relax. Chronic intestinal inflammation and Dampness or Phlegm are common, yet people readily discuss their health problems.
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