Blantyre District Southern Malawi

Blantyre District Southern Malawi

Looking for a fixer in Blantyre district Malawi? Africa Fixers is available to provide all fixer services from acquiring filming permits, location scouting, hiring local crew, customs clearance and so much more. Blantyre District lies in the Southern part of Malawi on the eastern section of the Great Rift Valley. Blantyre town which is the main town of Blantyre District is the second largest in Malawi. it is also Malawi’s oldest Municipality a position it attained in 1895. It is referred to as the industrial and commercial city of the country. Even the political wing has a big influence on the fairs of Blantyre District. The name Blantyre was given to this area as tribute to the bath place of Dr. David Livingstone who was born in Blantyre South Larnarkshire Scotland.

In terms of position in Malawi, Blantyre District is neighbored by Zomba in the North East, Mwanza District on the northern part, Chiradzulu in the South East, Chikwawa in the west and Thyolo in the south. Blantyre District occupies land area of about 2012 square kilometers. Part of the district is used for agriculture, forestry, urban development and other activities in the district. . If you are interested in hiring a fixer in Blantyre District southern part of Malawi , please feel free to contact Africa Fixers.

Filming permit for Blyantyre district Malawi.

Filming in Chikwawa district Malawi requires you to first seek for permission and get approvals and permits the permits as a Filmmaker and television broadcaster and play the applicable fees as required. The filming permit has to be requested in a formal request letter and fees charged depend on the length of the project and also the number of crew coming. Once you write the application, our local Malawi fixer submits it and follows up the entire process until it is approved. Some locations are private and might require you to even seek for further authorization to access them and also acquire the necessary location permits. For assistance getting a filming permit for Malawi please feel free to contact Africa fixers.

Media accreditation for Malawi.

Filming in Malawi requires you to have media accreditation for everyone on the crew. Everyone that intends to be on the filming team will be required to have their media accreditation worked on and approved before they start to do any filming work in the country. Requirements for the application include; Formal application letter on company headed paper, passport copies of all crew members, a digital copy of passport photo for each crew member, and list of gear they are traveling with. Media accreditation fees for filming in Malawi is USD50.00 per person. If you are planning to film in Malawi, let Africa Fixers assist you in getting media accreditation. 

Brief History of Blantyre District

The growth of Blantyre District started in 1876 when a team of missionaries from the Church of Scotland staged their mission work her. This area was chosen by Henry Henderson who was later joined by Dr. T.T Macklin in October 1876.

When Dr Macklin took over the mission work, he started the construction work and some structures were set up. More work was done by the missionaries but they also faced backlash from the locals.

A number of leaders took over the leadership of the mission includes David Clement Scott who built the current St Micheal and All Angels church in Blantyre from 1888 to about 1891. The church was built using local man power who had no idea of how European structures were built. He also participated in creating an Encyclopedia Dictionary in Manganja language. The language interpretation has a closer resemblance to the Chichewa language.

Blantyre was then turned into the British center of trade and a consular station in 1883 and was later upgraded to a Municipality status in 1895. As a center for commercial trade, the Blantyre was used by then for Ivory trade which positioned the town as a trade center for the parts of Southern Africa.

To date, Blantyre town is a center for industrialization in Malawi where products like shoe making, grain millers, tobacco, soft drink production and others are present. To easy transportation of the goods and materials to the industrial town of Malawi in Blantyre, Railway transport extended to Blantyre. Blantyre was then merged with Limbe town to form the headquarters of Railway transport.

How to get to Blantyre District

The distance from Blantyre to Lilongwe is about 361 kilometers drive time is about 4 to 5 hours on the road. You may also charter from Lilongwe International Airport to Blantyre. Railway transport is also available from Lilongwe to Blantyre. In case you are to travel by road, the means are also available. For assistance with transport arrangements for your crew, our fixer in Blantyre is readily available.

What Is The Demography of Blantyre

The majority peoples of Blantyre district are the Lomwe Ngoni, Yao, Chewa, Tumbuka, Sena, Manganja, Tonga, Nyanja, Nkhonde, Sunkwa and others. For administrative purposes, English is the official language used in Blantyre District.

For Religious matters, Malawi has freedom of worship but some of the common religions of the district includes catholics, Church of Central Africa Presbyterian, Anglicans, Seventhday, Pentecostal and others.  

Which Accommodations To Book Around Blantyre District

A variety of accommodations are found in Blantyre categorized into up-market, mid-range and basic.  Some of the accommodations of Blantyre included Game Haven Lodge, Protea Hotel Blantyre Ryall, Malawi Sun Set Hotel, Villa 33, Sunbird Mount Soche, Crossroad Hotel Delight Lodge, Top Lodge in Blantyre, Ruby’s Guest House and others

A number of the accommodations of Blantyre offer bed and breakfast or Bed only services. There are restaurants in the different towns within the district where you can enjoy some meal as they serve a wide range of cuisines across the globe. Our local fixer in Blantyre district is available to assist you booking accommodation for your crew.

What Blantyre activities to Do

Blantyre city tour

Blantyre city a full of history and this can be seen from the structures in it that still portray the architecture of the colonial masters the British. Some of the structures include St Micheal and All Angels church and others. The name of the city Blantyre which was in recognition of the birthplace for Dr. David Livingston who routes start from Europe is amazing.

Visit the industrial sections of the city, business center and many more. You may also try out the local cuisines of the people living in Blantyre served in different Restaurants within the city.

Tour The Museum In Blantyre

Paying a visit to Blantyre Museum is an opportunity to walk into the history of this amazing town. Some antiques are preserved plus some historical facts about Malawi in this Museum. The visit to the Museum of Malawi which also referred to as the Chichiri Museum a name it uses due to the presentation of its exhibition.

The Blantyre museum was a request from the society of Malawi in 1950s and its past name was Nyasaland Museum. In 1957, through the legislative council it was established using the Museum Ordinance and it was housed in Madala House. In 1965 the present museum building was set up on Chichiri hill.

While in the Chichiri Museum, you find old transport vessels, out of the museum is the Ndiwula hut in the structure of the Chewa homestead, Michanga Meteorite, old notes of Malawian kwacha notes, iron age exhibition and others.

Do the Enchanting tour in Blantyre

A tour in the culture rich areas of the district immerses you in the traditional lifestyles of the people of this area. You may get the opportunity to taste the local food, may get the opportunity of witnessing the local dance moves, engage with a local family to learn more about what they do on a daily and others.

A visit to the crafts making center that is Pa Ziboli Boli market and Kwa Haraba art gallery is an opportunity to purchase some valuable souvenirs on a Malawian tour.

The town of Blantyre is a mixture of traditional and local life accompanied by incredible views of the surrounding features.  If you are interested in any of the activities listed above, our fixer in Blantyre district is readily available to help you arrange everything necessary for your shoot to be successful.

When is the best time to Visit Blantyre District

Blantyre district is open for a tour any time of the year however, for outdoor activities, the dry season is most preferred. The different roads in the district are better explored when the ground is dry and there is no rain to obstruct your journey. The dry season which is normally May, June, July, August, September may create perfect time to plan trip. The environment favors better sightseeing, and great photography and allows you to explore the surroundings of the district even on foot. Most of the businesses in Blantyre district are open in the dry season too.

The wet season may not be bad timing to plan a tour in Blantyre district as the environment is vibrant green. This season is normally March, April, May and November when the country experiences more rains. For agriculture, the farmers in the countryside of the district are mostly busy in there gardens during the wet season. For more information on filming in Blantyre, feel free to contact Africa Fixers.

How Safe Is Blantyre District In Malawi

Blantyre district is safe to visit because on ground there are different government security organs to keep law and order. For any queries about security, you need to contact the nearest police station in Blantyre.

As Blantyre is a city, there are also lawbreakers you need to be conscious about. On a personal level while in Blantyre, try not to move with your valuables that may attract the wrong people. In case you have to taste any local meals, ask for a safe place and do not try street food joints.

If you are booked to any accommodation within the city, in case you have to step out, inform any responsible person about where you may be heading. Move with your travel documents in Blantyre for identification purposes. Try not to break the law because you may be penalized or end in prison.

If you have to count large sums of money while in Blantyre, do not it away from the public because you may be a target for wrongdoers. Carry just what you need for the time out of your room and in case you have to use the bank Automated Machine to collect money do not give out your card pin to anyone but use the help of a security officer on ground. For more information on filming in Blantyre, feel free to contact Africa Fixers.

Choose Africa fixers

Africa Fixers is a local fixing company that assists production companies and crews to film in Malawi. Our job as a fixer company is to make sure that your shoot process is seamless. Africa fixers has been helping crews organize their shoot in Malawi and other countries in Africa for over 10 years and we have gained a lot of experience in this field. We have stable connections with several authorities that are in charge of issuing our permits that are needed for filming in Malawi. Above all, we ensure that our clients have their shoots successful.