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Suspect this may be Delagoa Bay, Mozambique.

The paddle steamer looks like one of our family photo's of the ALC fleet that plied from Chinde on the India Ocean coast, a British Enclave just over the sand bar on the only navigable tributary of the Zambezi River, to the Shire River - later to Chindio they went up to Chindio Delagoa Bay is down by Muputu so why did they put that place on a card with Zambezi River photo's? Oh what a puzzle.

Erica, if that was the route taken into Nyasaland (Malawi) by early settlers, missionaries and administrators (although I know some had to walk from the coast, perhaps when the Shire was in flood). Maybe the ship from Europe only disembarked passengers at Maputo on this occasion. It's a pity there isn't a journal.

I have never heard the word 'Slamer' so wonder if that is correct? I have also never heard of early travellers having to walk due to flooding. The main problem was low river levels which meant the deeper hulled boats were no good and they had to use primitive punt like boats of very low draught to get up the river in the dry season. The Society of Malawi has been producing a journal twice a year since 1948 covering such matters. It also has a very fine photographic archive including many photos on this Flickr site.

It looks more like Sh..... to me - Sharmer, perhaps, Mike. Will look at the SM site - thanks.

I think these are Nyao dancers - the Vinyau (there are various spellings) is a male secret society in present day Malawi, or Nyasaland at the time of these photos.

Agree. The left hand one seems to be supported on a post. The "nyau" masks, of a great variety, are used in the performance of the "gule wamkulu" (great dance) at funeral, commemoration and girls' initiation ceremonies among the Chewa, Nyanja and Mang'anja in eastern Zambia and central and southern Malawi.

The caption, I think, is Mr Bowkirk. The mountain could be Zomba, so there might be a link to the earlier Zomba pictures.