Mkazi (woman)

I have no idea who the lady in the picture is, in fact I didn't even take this picture. She is simply a typical Malawian woman on the roadside. On top of her head is most likely Maize flour, though it could also be water or something else in the bucket. The cloths, both the one around her waist, and the one holding the baby on her back, are called chitenje.

The chitenje is an all purpose cloth women use to carry children, tie things up in a bundle, and wear around their waste to keep their clothes clean. Like I said, she is typical of a Malawian woman. Often times they have a much bigger bucket on their head (or bundle of sticks) and many of them have a baby or two strapped to their back. I would say 2/3 of them carry all this down the road without shoes on.