Ladies and gentlemen, I’m a married man! My partner Chimwemwe “Chimz” and I got married on Valentine’s Day this year. Four and a half years ago we first met at Lake of Stars in Malawi, stayed in touch, met up when I travelled Africa in 2017. After that, Chimz would come to join me in Jo’burg as often as was possible (here and here and here), and we’d travel quite a bit through Zim and Zam (here and here), and of course through her homeland Malawi, last in September 2019. Two trips to Germany later (here and here and here), we’d made it happen – against all odds. For us.

Mind you, it was quite a journey, and especially the past year leading up to our wedding was very much dominated by – paperwork. That is, where other couples discuss who to invite, what to wear and so on, we were busy begging permission from the German authorities to be allowed to get married, and for Chimz to be allowed into the country.