Linda had been looking for a man to marry. She went to clubs, churches and different events hoping to meet someone she would call ‘the one’. Unfortunately, it was not to be.
One time her colleague told her she had a nephew who would look good with her. New to blind dates, she was sceptical, but gave it a try.
They met and clicked instantly. Nine months later, they got married, and a year after, they welcomed their first child. Now with two children, they are still happily married six years later.
Local woman Ruth Kamuna is a gifted matchmaker with 12 marriages from her efforts.
“It, actually, started as fun. While working at a hotel, I befriended a Cameroonian who stayed in Malawi for about a year. He told me he was looking for a wife. I asked him the qualities of the woman he was looking for and wrote them down.
“A month later, I met a certain woman, while travelling from Blantyre to Lilongwe, who I felt matched his requirements. I got her number and after a few meetings, I set up a date and the rest is history. They are now married and based in Ireland,” she explains.
She continues: “My other male friends started asking me to help them find a girlfriend or wife. I would study single ladies and would set up dates, first by describing the man to the woman and vice-versa. At the point of going on a date, they would have already spoken to each other on the phone, making it easier on their first date.”
Kamuna often finds out the woman’s likes and dislikes; the places/restaurants she can be comfortable with and then helps the man make bookings to sweep her off her feet.
“It is important to match people who will easily complement each other. I also ask personal questions such as beliefs, career aspirations, lifestyle and family background, to get a clear idea of the kind of person I am dealing with. I don’t know what’s with me, but somehow, people open up to me about themselves, so, I can make a perfect match,” she adds.
She stresses that she is always tactful when approaching women, knowing that if she does not explain herself properly, they may think she wants to prostitute them.
“The bottom line is helping people get into stable relationships and offer them support along the way, if need be. And it’s important to be truthful so that none of the parties feel short-changed on the first date,” she says.
It is difficult to find a stable partner these days and Kamuna marvels at seeing relationships develop from strangers to being a couple.
Blind dates and matchmaking are possible if one trusts their matchmaker and keep an open mind.
“Honesty is also important. If one party is not honest from the word go, the matchmaking might fail. But having facilitated a dozen relationships, I have seen that there are potential bachelors and spinsters who just need to be introduced and supported to develop a relationship. It’s that simple,” she says.
She now thinks of launching an online dating site and still has a few men asking for possible matches.
