Shire River, Liwonde, Malawi
In Liwonde, the Shire River provides life sustaining fish to those willing to work its waters. It is also a place for bathing, washing clothes/dishes, and siphoning water for crops. On the eastern banks lies Liwonde National Park, home to a vast array of wild animals… many of which can be seen at one time or another drinking from the shores of the river. You almost can’t go ten feet without running into a hippopotamus or a crocodile, or watching the elephants on the distant plains.
![Documentary Photography Patricia Fortlage Malawi Shire River Africa Fishing Nets](http://images-pw.pixieset.com/elementfield/913290951/2_DSC03422_Shire_River_Fishermen_3-de9fcc96.jpg)
Working the Nets
![Documentary Photography Patricia Fortlage Malawi Shire River Africa Fishing Nets Canoe](http://images-pw.pixieset.com/elementfield/623290951/3_DSC03432_Fishing_the_Shire_River-9450bac1.jpg)
As the Sun Hits the Water
Fisherman here take pride in their tools… canoes they have dug out themselves, nets for casting, hooks and line attached to sticks. Up at dawn, out until they can feed their family and hopefully more. Not phased by the hippos and crocodiles, they get the job done.
![Documentary Photography Patricia Fortlage Malawi Shire River Africa Fishing Nets Canoe Hippo](http://images-pw.pixieset.com/elementfield/743290951/4_DSC03467_Hippos_and_Humans-09715836.jpg)
Hippos and Humans
![Documentary Photography Patricia Fortlage Malawi Shire River Africa Fishing Nets Canoe Crocodile](http://images-pw.pixieset.com/elementfield/453290951/6_DSC03642_Shire_River_Crocodile-2432ad72.jpg)
There is a Hierarchy Here
![Documentary Photography Patricia Fortlage Malawi Shire River Africa Fishing Nets Canoe Impala](http://images-pw.pixieset.com/elementfield/163290951/15_DSC03033_Malawi_Safari_2016_2-277407a8.jpg)
Impala on the Plains
![Documentary Photography Patricia Fortlage Malawi Shire River Africa Fishing Nets Canoe](http://images-pw.pixieset.com/elementfield/811390951/5_DSC03459_Fishing_the_Shire_River_2-1657d77e.jpg)
Up at Dawn
![Documentary Photography Patricia Fortlage Malawi Shire River Africa Fishing Nets Canoe](http://images-pw.pixieset.com/elementfield/473390951/7_DSC03476_Fishing_the_Shire_River-20e3bb58.jpg)
Getting Into Position
![Documentary Photography Patricia Fortlage Malawi Shire River Africa Fishing Nets Canoe](http://images-pw.pixieset.com/elementfield/183390951/8_DSC03529_Fishing_on_the_Shire_River-b991d8d9.jpg)
A Solitary Effort
![Documentary Photography Patricia Fortlage Malawi Shire River Africa Fishing Nets Canoe](http://images-pw.pixieset.com/elementfield/510490951/9_DSC03488_Washing_Clothes_2-d70c4f08.jpg)
Washing Up
![Documentary Photography Patricia Fortlage Malawi Shire River Africa Fishing Nets Canoe Siphon](http://images-pw.pixieset.com/elementfield/695390951/12_DSC03516_Malawi_Life_2-fdb28661.jpg)
Siphoning from the River
![Documentary Photography Patricia Fortlage Malawi Shire River Africa Fishing Nets Canoe](http://images-pw.pixieset.com/elementfield/306390951/10_DSC03480_Fishing-f3761881.jpg)
Life on the Banks
![Documentary Photography Patricia Fortlage Malawi Shire River Africa Fishing Nets Canoe Family Kids Community](http://images-pw.pixieset.com/elementfield/891590951/11_DSC03509_Malawi_Life_5-4df24629.jpg)
"He Ain't Heavy..."
A scene that exemplifies so much of life here in Malawi. The boy commanding an audience in order to sell his wares. The little girl whose clothes are too small, an example of the sweeping poverty. And the teen mother with her baby… young marriages and multiple pregnancies are the norm. The t-shirt that says “He ain’t heavy, He’s my brother” emblematic of the many who practice Christianity here. Bicycles, the main mode of transportation. The older boy walking hand in hand with the younger one, taking care of each other. And all too obvious, no one of middle age. Almost an entire generation is missing in Malawi due to HIV/AIDS.
![Documentary Photography Patricia Fortlage Malawi Shire River Africa Fishing Nets Canoe Trap](http://images-pw.pixieset.com/elementfield/697490951/13_DSC03547_Shire_River_Fisherman-e4dc3109.jpg)
A Different Kind of Net
![Documentary Photography Patricia Fortlage Malawi Shire River Africa Fishing Nets Canoe](http://images-pw.pixieset.com/elementfield/308490951/DSC03526_Fishing_the_Shire_River_2_crop-eb4d6bf0.jpg)
A Simple Line Attached to a Stick
![Documentary Photography Patricia Fortlage Malawi Shire River Africa Fishing Nets Canoe](http://images-pw.pixieset.com/elementfield/949490951/16_DSC03555_Fishing_the_Shire_River-c40c6f75.jpg)
Not for the Weak
![Documentary Photography Patricia Fortlage Malawi Shire River Africa Fishing Nets Canoe Crocodile](http://images-pw.pixieset.com/elementfield/659490951/DSC03594_Crocodile_on_the_Shire_River-e895aa1d.jpg)
Coexisting
![Documentary Photography Patricia Fortlage Malawi Shire River Africa Fishing Nets Canoe Hippos Huts Humans](http://images-pw.pixieset.com/elementfield/687973673/01d3440b159e0e687b3cfe0297f4bd8d-f52fa8a9-300.jpg)
Hippos and Humans 2