WEDDINGS, ROUNDABOUTS & THE GARDEN CITY

The roundabout in area 18 is favoured by newlyweds.

The average roundabout in any city in Europe or in America looks boring and practical, it is simply a way to ease the flow of traffic. Very rarely any thought is put into the structure itself, to make it a feature or a landmark. Not so in the City of Lilongwe.

In Lilongwe roundabouts are part of the landscape and some of them have a very practical purpose - they serve as a backdrop for wedding photos. Almost every Saturday it is possible to see wedding parties getting ready to take photos of the happy couple and relatives. The most popular roundabout is in area 18, in front of the Petroda building, which houses (amongst other offices) the European Union. Less used, but an equally good spot is the Capital hotel roundabout.

To get into the middle of the roundabout on a busy Saturday morning takes some courage - traffic is normally quite heavy and dashing across the road in your white wedding gown and high heals, followed by flowergirls and boys plus groom, relatives and the photographer requires some planning. The advantage is that the roundabout can be used for free for wedding photos, a massive saving not to be ignored. Passersby often congratulate the couple by honking their car horns and waving to the assembled wedding party, always a very festive sight. Since any passing lorries can be airbrushed from photos these days, who would ever know that the pic was taken on a roundabout?

The newly constructed Parliament and its immediate environment will transform the whole city centre when the landscaping is finalised.

When building of Lilongwe city started in 1969, landscaping was very much on the agenda. Lilongwe was to be a "Garden City". In the original master plan for Lilongwe, there was supposed to be parks and a lake with recreation grounds in the city centre. Compared to Blantyre, Lilongwe is still very green with roads lined with quick growing trees, but beautiful landscaped public parks have never really taken off as a permanent feature. The only place which ever came close to being a public park, was a small area opposite the Capital hotel where the Taiwanese built a pagoda and which, in theory, would have been a nice place for a stroll but in practise was not always a safe haven and thus best to be avoided.

In 1969 the population of Lilongwe was approximately 20 000 people, now it is over 950 000. The city is growing and fast: roads have been widened, we even have traffic lights now! We should also not to forget about the massive new conference center and a 5 star hotel which are currently being built in the city centre by the Chinese. There is supposed to be a large garden in connection with this development (the old pagoda is still there) and it will be interesting to see, if it becomes a reality. A place, where everyone can enjoy some peace and quiet in beautiful surroundings.