Every setting sun takes with it wild animals and forest reserves persecuted during the day, leaving shadows of regrets where, once, strong roots held rain water at bay.
As Malawi's natural resources get slowly wiped out, it vindicates perceptions that long-gone are the days when wildlife and natural resources meant little more than nobody’s property. Today, everything- ranging from trees , game, to wild-products- is nobody's property, meaning that they are meant to be plundered,m a familiar sign of that long-held prejudice that there is nothing ‘human’ about being in the wild.
But this might have been the case before the missionaries brought the Bible and Koran to Africa because things changed as evidenced by the introduction of fences around national parks, game reserves and nature sanctuaries; and communities felt they were meant to deter them from accessing their own endowment, a part of their inheritance.
Today, people from the area of Traditional Authority (T/A) Ng’ambi in Machinga, the abode district of Liwonde National Park, are leading the way in conserving natural resources. All because they have chosen to believe otherwise now, and have quickly adapted to the reassuring reality that wild life is for us and posterity; that the fences are meant to contain problem-animals from wrecking havoc among human beings and not otherwise.
New thoughts are beginning to emerge, too, with some of the community members like Michael Jalasi now beginning to believe that, perhaps, in the early 1900s our ancestors might have been rattled by current events and the unbeatable logic of despair among wild animals and had to go out in the woods for a while and think about the consequences of depleting natural resources faster than they could be replaced.
For 74 year old Ali Zalimu, there never, at first, was a story told to his children without mentioning wildlife- it was either about the cunningness of Kalulu the hair, the unscrupulous behaviour of nocturnal fisi (hyena), the courage of the chameleon as to win a long-distance marathon against the likes of mighty Cheetah and Lion, and the beauty of the countryside.
But he recalls that, as early as the 1980s, he began to tell stories that begun with the end, a sure sign of dreadful fascination with doom and demise, his faith in imminent extinction of the once beautiful wildlife getting stronger by the day.
Zalimu is one of the people who, once or twice a year, flocks into the National Park to harvest mushrooms as his wife, Miriam, collects firewood.
“We are always happy to come into the (National) park and get firewood that keeps us going for three weeks or a month on end- something we do periodically when wildlife officials see it fit,” he says.
His once lost his best friend (Ali Itimu) to a marauding lion when he (the friend) went poaching on May 17, 1991.
“But things have significantly changed today that there are very few cases of poaching and abuse of resources in protected areas; communities surrounding these areas are increasingly becoming aware that the fences are not meant to deter us from visiting these places. They are for problem animals that wreck havoc in neighbouring villages from getting out of the protected areas,” attests Alick Prescott Makanjira, senior assistant Parks and Wildlife Officer in the Department of Parks and Wildlife, South. The department is now divided into four: administration, research, wild life management and wildlife education and extension.
It hasn’t been easy, though, as he observes. Some villagers have a negative attitude that hinges mainly on memories of domestic animals that might have been killed by the problem animals- these are hyenas, elephants, lions and other predators.
“We have also come around this problem through Collaborative Wildlife Management. Through this initiative, natural resources are managed alongside villagers around Majete Wildlife Reserve, Mwabvi Wildlife Reserve, Lengwe National Park and Michiru Nature Sanctuary. These areas fall within the four divisions,” says Makanjira.
That is why, for instance, the Nyika/Vwaza project helped national park officials to work together with community members. Schools built for these communities still stand today, tidy and strong- a living manifestation of how deep unity of purpose can dig.
For people around Michiru Nature Sanctuary, this sort of unity has a shape and taste. It comes in the form of a mushroom, which they are allowed to harvest after maturity. The taste is thus that of mushroom. Officials say this has been of tremendous benefits, as people no longer cut trees (live wood), waiting to harvest dead wood at the right time.
As they wait for the right time, another right time comes: The time between waiting and hoping happens to be the same grass for thatching houses matures- so they get an occasional reward of thatched grass.
“This reward doesn’t come from parks, game reserves or nature sanctuary officials; it comes from nature itself, every year- we just orchestrate accessibility to these resources at the right time,” he said.
A question of a little late, but not too late. Malawi used to have that fastest running animal in the world, the Cheetah, in Kasungu National Park. No more.
Wild dogs (mimbulu); no more.
Malawi has started to sing funeral hymns for wild game that once was, and is not.
It pains the likes of Makanjira that, while Malawi can only lay claim to the fact that we once had such great animals of the wild through the fossils dug from the ground- animals that once were part of the warm-heartedness that is us- go to Zambia, and you will get them.
Yet, Zambians and Malawians call themselves brothers and sisters; their father and mother being that border line in Mchinji.
While this should have been a wake up call, some community members see no doom and gloom in this but continue to undo the prospects of their own posterity.
Though positive strides have been made to curve around the problem of abuse of natural resources, the risk remains for indigenous trees , says Daulosi Mauambeta, Wildlife and Environmental Society of Malawi (Wesm) executive director.
This abuse has a name, and a tag: Charcoal trade. Mauambeta finds it shocking that this form of trade has a well established cost structure, but no action is taken to control it as one way of promoting sustainable management of natural resources. With his finger, he points to Lilongwe. Retailers there enjoy 33 per cent of the production costs, private taxes eat 12 per cent, market fees 3 per cent, transport 25 per cent, labour 6 per cent and the producer gets 41 per cent from the sales.
Blantyre’s charcoal sales’ cost structure reads like: The retailer (the last seller, who packs charcoal in small plastic bags) gets 24 per cent, private taxes ‘eat’ 20 per cent, market fee claims 3 per cent, transport 20 per cent and producers take 33 per cent to themselves.
In both cases, the producer- who is often the destroyer of trees- gets the large chunk of money.
“Buying charcoal means encouraging such people,” said Mauambeta.
Blantyre District Forestry Officer, Geoffrey Kanyelele, agrees, but offers remedies. People in cities are encouraging this sort of behaviour by buying these products.
But because electricity tariffs are so high for the average citizen, because only 6 per cent of the country’s population is connected to electricity and the rest of the population stays in darkness, these people must grow trees as well.
Kanyelele says most people in urban areas shun away from planting trees. The reason, he adds, is that some people simply never want to do something- like planting a tree- no, they fear that that will benefit someone else!
“That spirit is killing our forests. However, my office is happy that, in Blantyre, for instance, people come to realize the importance of replacing trees. It doesn’t matter whether a tree has been felled in Mwanza or Neno, you can plant one (tree) wherever you are. Surely, that tree will have an impact,” he said.
The reason, perhaps, is that Blantyre residents have already planted over 2 million trees half way though the Tree Planting season. He is so sure that by April 15, official closing date for the exercise, which started on December 15 and was officially opened by president Bingu wa Mutharika, things will work out- beyond expectations.
“We are coming closer to natural resources again, in terms of tree planting. Soon, this problem will be behind us. That will happen if we all become part of the solution,” said Kanyelele.
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Sunday, February 2, 2014
Tired of Life Without a District Hospital, Phalombe District Residents Call for Justice
...The case for Phalombe District Hospital
The living suffer, and the dead still pay the price.
This is how Simeon Mawira, chairperson for Phalombe Multi-stakeholders Committee, sums the situation in Phalombe.
“We have never had a district hospital ever since Phalombe was declared a district hospital,” Mawira says.
However, Mawira says the situation has been compounded by the fact that the government has, since the 2007/08 fiscal year, allocated funding to go towards the construction of the hospital but nothing seems to materialise.
Letter from Phalombe residents
Feeling shortchanged, Phalombe residents have taken the initiative to follow up on what has been, or not been, happening. One of their strategies has been to write a letter, thus reads as follows:
Kuchokera ku: Phalombe Multi-Stakeholders Committee
Phalombe District
27th May 2013
Kupita Kwa: The District Commissioner
Phalombe District Council
P/Bag 32
Phalombe
Bwana,
CHIPATALA CHACHIKULU CHA BOMA LA PHALOMBE
Ife a Phalombe Multi-stakeholders Committee tachita kafukufuku wa mavuto a mdera la boma la Phalombe, tapeza kuti tilibe chipatala chachikulu cha boma la Phalombe.
Choncho tili kukupemphani kuti mutiuzire anthu awo kuti tikomane nawo.
Bwana DC, DPD, DHO, DSWO, DCDO, Umunthu Project Ambassador, T/A Nkhumba, T/A Nazombe, t/a Jenala.
In short, this summarises the perplexity of Phalombe residents.
Promises without action
Traditional Authority (T/A) Kaduya, one of the traditional leaders concerned with delays to construct the hospital, wonders why the government is failing to make good its promise despite compensating people who used to cultivate the land allocated for the hospital.
“Now, these people cannot cultivate on that land, yet the land is staying idle,” Kaduya laments.
During the 2007/08 budget, the hospital was allocated K350 million, while K262 million went towards the same cause in the 2010/11 budget- a trend that continued to the 2012/13 national budget.
Still, shrubs thrive at the piece of land allotted for the hospital.
It is not surprising, therefore, that even T/A Nazombe and Mkhumba have joined the fray.
Nazombe says pregnant women have been highly affected, citing rising cases of women who die on their way to the hospital.
“We need a hospital as soon as possible. Our lives are in danger,” Nazombe says.
Official version
However, Phalombe District Health Officer, Dr. Alexander Chijuwa, while acknowledging that some budgetary allocations have been made towards the hospital, says plans to construct Phalombe hospital are still alive.
“From my understanding, the hospital is supposed to be constructed using funds from an international bank. I understand that there were issues to do with consultants, and this is what delayed the process,” Chijuwa says.
The DHO says after some challenges in hiring consultants, things had now reached an advanced stage, hoping that the hospital would still be constructed.
Chijuwa reveals that his office pays K5 million each month for people to access services at Holy Family Hospital.
He, however, says Holy Family is sometimes overwhelmed with patients that some are sent to Phalombe District Hospital or Zomba Central Hospital.
“In the end, you see that we spend more on fuel, taking people to Mulanje and Zomba in our ambulances. All of us will benefit from the (district) hospital,” Chijuwa says.
On why nothing has been done with the funding that has been allocated towards the construction of the hospital, Chijuwa says sometimes budget allocations are mere projections. This means that, “sometimes, the government may allocate some funding but fail to get the funds from the sources it hoped would give it the funds”.
The situation in Phalombe has prompted Diocesan Secretary for the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (Blantyre Arch-Diocese) to ask Phalombe communities not to give up on the hospital.
“Since people have identified the lack of a hospital as one of the greatest challenges facing them, there is need for collaborative efforts so that this dream is realised,” Kampango says.
Kampango’s sentiments are echoed by CCJP’s National Monitoring and Evaluation Cordinator, Paul Sakanda. He says there is need to enhance citizens participation for accountable responsive governance in Malawi, lauding the people for taking the initiative.
“In the 12 districts where we are running a Tilitonse-funded project called ‘Enhanced Citizen Participation for Accountable and Responsive Governance in Malawi’, we have seen community members take necessary action to ensure that development is realised,” Sakanda says.
But, while the Phalombe people are still waiting for the day they will have a district hospital, Enock Masasa, one of the residents, says he will never get used to the idea of sending dead bodies to either Mulanje or Zomba for storage.
“Why should we, as the living, suffer, as well as the dead? It’s very unfair,” Masasa says.
The living suffer, and the dead still pay the price.
This is how Simeon Mawira, chairperson for Phalombe Multi-stakeholders Committee, sums the situation in Phalombe.
“We have never had a district hospital ever since Phalombe was declared a district hospital,” Mawira says.
However, Mawira says the situation has been compounded by the fact that the government has, since the 2007/08 fiscal year, allocated funding to go towards the construction of the hospital but nothing seems to materialise.
Letter from Phalombe residents
Feeling shortchanged, Phalombe residents have taken the initiative to follow up on what has been, or not been, happening. One of their strategies has been to write a letter, thus reads as follows:
Kuchokera ku: Phalombe Multi-Stakeholders Committee
Phalombe District
27th May 2013
Kupita Kwa: The District Commissioner
Phalombe District Council
P/Bag 32
Phalombe
Bwana,
CHIPATALA CHACHIKULU CHA BOMA LA PHALOMBE
Ife a Phalombe Multi-stakeholders Committee tachita kafukufuku wa mavuto a mdera la boma la Phalombe, tapeza kuti tilibe chipatala chachikulu cha boma la Phalombe.
Choncho tili kukupemphani kuti mutiuzire anthu awo kuti tikomane nawo.
Bwana DC, DPD, DHO, DSWO, DCDO, Umunthu Project Ambassador, T/A Nkhumba, T/A Nazombe, t/a Jenala.
In short, this summarises the perplexity of Phalombe residents.
Promises without action
Traditional Authority (T/A) Kaduya, one of the traditional leaders concerned with delays to construct the hospital, wonders why the government is failing to make good its promise despite compensating people who used to cultivate the land allocated for the hospital.
“Now, these people cannot cultivate on that land, yet the land is staying idle,” Kaduya laments.
During the 2007/08 budget, the hospital was allocated K350 million, while K262 million went towards the same cause in the 2010/11 budget- a trend that continued to the 2012/13 national budget.
Still, shrubs thrive at the piece of land allotted for the hospital.
It is not surprising, therefore, that even T/A Nazombe and Mkhumba have joined the fray.
Nazombe says pregnant women have been highly affected, citing rising cases of women who die on their way to the hospital.
“We need a hospital as soon as possible. Our lives are in danger,” Nazombe says.
Official version
However, Phalombe District Health Officer, Dr. Alexander Chijuwa, while acknowledging that some budgetary allocations have been made towards the hospital, says plans to construct Phalombe hospital are still alive.
“From my understanding, the hospital is supposed to be constructed using funds from an international bank. I understand that there were issues to do with consultants, and this is what delayed the process,” Chijuwa says.
The DHO says after some challenges in hiring consultants, things had now reached an advanced stage, hoping that the hospital would still be constructed.
Chijuwa reveals that his office pays K5 million each month for people to access services at Holy Family Hospital.
He, however, says Holy Family is sometimes overwhelmed with patients that some are sent to Phalombe District Hospital or Zomba Central Hospital.
“In the end, you see that we spend more on fuel, taking people to Mulanje and Zomba in our ambulances. All of us will benefit from the (district) hospital,” Chijuwa says.
On why nothing has been done with the funding that has been allocated towards the construction of the hospital, Chijuwa says sometimes budget allocations are mere projections. This means that, “sometimes, the government may allocate some funding but fail to get the funds from the sources it hoped would give it the funds”.
The situation in Phalombe has prompted Diocesan Secretary for the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (Blantyre Arch-Diocese) to ask Phalombe communities not to give up on the hospital.
“Since people have identified the lack of a hospital as one of the greatest challenges facing them, there is need for collaborative efforts so that this dream is realised,” Kampango says.
Kampango’s sentiments are echoed by CCJP’s National Monitoring and Evaluation Cordinator, Paul Sakanda. He says there is need to enhance citizens participation for accountable responsive governance in Malawi, lauding the people for taking the initiative.
“In the 12 districts where we are running a Tilitonse-funded project called ‘Enhanced Citizen Participation for Accountable and Responsive Governance in Malawi’, we have seen community members take necessary action to ensure that development is realised,” Sakanda says.
But, while the Phalombe people are still waiting for the day they will have a district hospital, Enock Masasa, one of the residents, says he will never get used to the idea of sending dead bodies to either Mulanje or Zomba for storage.
“Why should we, as the living, suffer, as well as the dead? It’s very unfair,” Masasa says.
Governance: Embracing Issue-Based Politics in Phalombe District
Mathews Kaliwe, 75, from Traditional Authority (T/A) Mkhumba in Phalombe is so sure that Malawi’s old generation would have been “younger” than they are had multiparty politics remained outside the realm of life in the country.
As if that is not enough, Kaliwe vows that the advent of multiparty politics in 1994 has fast-tracked the pace of his ageing.
“I remember that, in 1992, I could till over five hectares of land without getting exhausted easily. But, today, I can hardly till one hectare of land, and this is because democracy has increased my worries. Multiparty politics has given crooked politicians the leeway to cheat us, and I feel like a victim of multiparty politics,” Kaliwe says.
Kaliwe, a father of 12 children and 16 grandchildren, says the past 19 years have seen him getting worried over so many things, ranging from the lack of potable water, road infrastructure, electricity, to food.
“I blame it on politicians, who have been cheating us since 1994. They promise the moon, but cannot offer even the stars. In my village, Mkhumba (Village), for instance, there is only one borehole, yet almost all the Parliamentary candidates in the 2004 and 2009 Parliamentary and Presidential Elections promised to drill three boreholes in this village,” Kaliwe says.
Kaliwe says he has become increasingly worried in the past five years because, every evening, his wife goes out to look for water. He says he stays awake until his wife comes back home, a development that has made his marriage lose its early allure.
All these factors have forced him to undergo a rapid modification, a development he partly attributes to his diminishing faith in politicians.
As things stand, however, Kaliwe is not the only one from Phalombe who has become angry at the political governance system. Traditional leaders, too, have joined the fray.
T/A Mkhumba, one of the handful female leaders in the district, acknowledges that politicians’ tendency to abandon their promises was the biggest enemy facing development programmes in the district. She says, left unchecked, the situation would fuel voter apathy.
“The main problem is that some unscrupulous politicians and even Non-Governmental Organisations have been taking people for a ride, promising what they cannot deliver. In some cases, politicians relocate to urban areas once elected into office, while some NGOs just want to use people when wooing donors, only to disappear once they get what they wanted,” Mkhumba says, adding:
“This is dangerous because people are getting frustrated. The problem with these politicians and NGOs is that they do not realise that the rural voter is no longer ‘backward’ in their thinking. People are now ‘awake’ and ready to choose people who represent their aspirations. Gone are the days when politicians and NGOs used people as a transmission belt into power.”
Indeed, as part of the political awakening, people re now demanding that politicians who are serious about improving people’s livelihoods and bringing infrastructural development initiatives should sign Social Contracts, replete with a chapter giving constituents powers to terminate their contract with the elected leaders and “fire” them from power.
Thanks to the British Department for International Development, which is funding local NGOs through the National Democratic Institute, the people of Phalombe have started consolidating ideas which will form part of the Social Contract.
The contracts will be enforced in all the five constituencies in the district, namely: Phalombe Central, Phalombe East, Phalombe North, Phalombe North East and Phalombe South. Mkhumba has vowed to make sure that Local Government and Parliamentary Elections’ candidates put their promises in black and white.
She says this will be done to avoid a replica of the 2009 Parliamentary elections, in which over 10 candidates contested in the constituency during primary elections conducted by various political parties, and so many promises were made by the aspirants.
“But people have been taken for a ride, time and again,” she said.
It will not be the first time for Mkhumba’s subjects to ask their political representatives to put their promises in ink as, in 2011, her subjects came up with ‘The Mkhumba Citizens’ Charter’, a development blueprint outlining the aspirations of her subjects. It categorised development goals into six sectors, namely: Agriculture, education, infrastructural development, cultural development, health, and youth development.
The charter reads in part: “However, like in many parts of the country, Phalombe has not been spared from social-economic challenges, by and large emanating from the state political and economic systems, which leave the citizens out of the policy-formulation and programming of development project plans at different levels of the social structure.”
This state of affairs contradicts the vision of Mkhumba subjects, which is to be a “leading community, far advanced in all aspects of social and economic development in Malawi”.
Growing calls for transparency
The Mkhumba Citizens Charter has inspired not only Mkhumba’s subjects, but Traditional Authorities Jenala, Kaduya, Chiwalo, Nkhulambe and Nazombe as well.
No wonder, other voices have joined the chorus of people calling for social contracts with their elected representatives. For instance, Group Village Headman Chimenya agrees that it was high time elected leaders were compelled to “eat their words”.
However, as Phalombe people bang heads on what to include in the social contracts, some community members have turned the heat on district assemblies and councils.
One of the people of Phalombe, Jonathan Jenala, says calls for transparency should not only be extended to politicians and NGOs, arguing that district assemblies and local councils should also be forced to be transparent in their dealings.
“In most cases, we struggle to get information on financial transactions from local councils. So, we should not just focus on politicians, leaving aside district commissioners and those responsible for development initiatives at area and local level,” Jenala says.
Area Development Committee chairperson for the Mkhumba area, Frank Meiwa, concurs, and says it would be important for community members to include issues of transparency and accountability in social contracts.
Meiwa says, for unknown reasons, community members struggle to have access to information pertaining to development projects.
“But, so far, we have had no big problems with LDF projects, where a minimum of K7 million is used to fund the construction of houses and other micro projects. We only have problems with CDF, where funding is controlled by MPs and accountability has always been a problem,” Meiwa said.
While all eyes are focused on transparency and accountability, one of the organisations working with the National Democratic Institute in Phalombe, Umodzi Youth Organisation (Uyo) sees more benefits in signing social contracts.
Uyo programme director, Shy Ali, cites the issue of violence, saying social contracts would help reduce cases of violence perpetuated by the youth.
“For a long time, our youths have been used as instruments of perpetuating political violence. But I don’t see any Parliamentary candidate of local councilor signing documents in which he promises to use youth to perpetuate violence, and this means politicians will be trying to disassociate themselves from violence. Violence negatively affects people’s participation in development,” Ali says.
Ali adds that, sometimes, voters become their own worst enemies when they abscond political meetings addressed by those they don’t like. He says this denies voters the opportunity to hear from all sides and make informed decisions.
He says people should learn to make decisions based on issues and not personalities, arguing that hatred for some individual persons with good development plans leads to underdevelopment, as people lack basic social amenities even when the financial resources are there.
“We need to change the way we run our affairs. We should avoid perpetuating political violence. Chiefs should stop giving a cold shoulder to other political parties by realising that there is a difference between a ruling party and the government. And, more importantly, we must learn to follow up on development projects, and that is where the issue of social contracts comes in,” Ali said.
While it is true that social contracts could also strengthen the bond between voters and their elected representatives, nobody knows if that would be enough to make Kaliwe “younger” again.
Neno erases HIV testing fears with soap
...Local NGO adopts U.S. NGO's initiative
...Gives out two tablets of soap for HIV testing
The ploy, premised on the idea of extending soap’s detergent capabilities beyond the manufacturer’s intentions and use it to ‘erase’ fears associated with going for voluntary HIV counseling and testing (VCT) in Neno district, was certainly ballsy.
But, looking back, people who came up with the idea say they are impressed with the response from community members.
“Two years ago, we had no idea that the initiative would work wonders and encourage people who were reluctant to go for VCT. How things have changed,” says Partners in Health spokesperson, Samson Njolomole.
Njolomole, who also chairs Neno District Aids Coordination Committee (Dacc), says what has fascinated district health officials and community members is the fact that the initiative was introduced just when doubts started lingering over the effectiveness of HIV awareness strategies employed between 2000 and 2010.
Not that Malawi is the first country to offer soap tablets as an incentive for people to do things they would, normally, be afraid to do. The initiative’s first shoots sprung up in the United States of America, some 12, 717 kilometres away from Malawi, where the idea was generated at an organisation called Global Soap.
Now, the shoots have grown stronger in Neno, a remote district without a tarmac road. Njolomole says the fears previously associated with the term HIV have disappeared, and the anxiety associated with an HIV+ diagnosis has largely been diluted, thanks to two tablets of soap.
“Almost every Neno resident knows about the initiative now, and the results are there for all to see. Coupled with efforts made by the Dacc, we have managed to reverse a situation that was getting out of hand,” says Njolomole.
Foam of hope
“Right now, the HIV prevalence rate for Neno has gone down from 14 percent to 10 percent. We are making headway and, while the trend cannot be attributed to the two-tablets-of-soap initiative alone, efforts like these have lifted the veil of fear and raised the hope that we can get to zero HIV-infections,” added Njolomole.
One of the women who have undergone voluntary counseling and testing, 42-year-old Ruth Chisidze, says she went for VCT because she realised that she could kill two birds with one stone.
Chisidze says she always wanted to go for VCT, but testing centres were far between. The district has 11 health centres, one community hospital at Lisungwi, and the state-of-the-art district hospital.
“So, it was a bonus for me to get the opportunity to know my HIV sero-status and, at the same time, get two tablets of soap,” says Chisidze.
She, however, feels that incentives defeat the purpose of voluntary counseling and testing and may, in the long run, “corrupt” people’s minds, inflicting damage to the national psyche in much the same way as politicians’ hand-outs.
She also claims that some people have been going for VCT more than once, lured by the prospect of getting two extra tablets of soap.
But these ‘distractions’ are like mere bubbles in an enormous sea of hope, suggests Neno’s Director of Administration, Alick Milanzi.
Speaking during the 2013 World Aids Day commemorations, which the district held on December 19 at Neno Community Centre Ground, Milanzi was sure that initiatives put in place by stakeholders had helped district officials achieve their “general goal” of stemming the district’s HIV infection rate.
“To say the truth, HIV and Aids remain the biggest challenge to development endeavours here, especially because Aids-related illnesses continue to eat into the fabric of Neno society. More so because youths, who are the most productive age group in the country, are the worst affected,” says Milanzi.
Milanzi says youths aged between 18 years and 30 years are the most affected, a development he attributes to the construction of a railway line. Neno is one of the districts benefitting from the Nacala Corridor Railway Development.
“We have seen youths from various parts of the country flock to Neno between 2012 and 2013, and this is because of the railway project. This is a challenge to us because unprotected sex and other behaviours may contribute to rising HIV infection rates,” says Milanzi, pinning his hopes on organisations working in the district.
Some of the organisations working in HIV and Aids service delivery include Partners in Health, World Vision International, National Association of People Living with HIV/Aids, and community-based organisations.
Milanzi says district officials now want to take care of the population living positively with HIV and Aids, apart from scaling HIV prevention efforts. At least 6000 people are on Anti-retroviral drugs.
Dim prospects
But, just when the HIV mist was clearing out, one of Neno’s most influential traditional leaders says things are about to get worse.
In fact, not only does Senior Chief Symon fear for the future; he curses the “luck” of the railway construction project in the district, saying it may leave more social victims than beneficiaries of economic returns when all the work is over.
“Kubwera kwa chitukuko cha njanji chimenechi kwabweretsa mavuto mdera langa. Anthu amenewa (okonza njanji) abweretsa ndalama zambiri ndipo ana athu aakazi akukanika kudzisunga akaona ndalama zochuluka zedi. Ndikunena pano, pa Zalewa pokha pali amayi osiyanasiyana ochokera m’maboma monga Mchinji, Salima, Nkhotakota, Dowa, Dedza, Zomba, Chiradzulu, Thyolo, Mulanje. Iwowa atsata ndalama zomwe zikupezeka zambiri tsopano (The railway project has brought about morality problems among my subjects because the construction workers have wards of hard cash on them. Our women are finding it difficult to resist such temptation. As a result, we have seen Commercial Sex Workers from districts such as Mchinji, Salima, Nkhotakota, Dowa, Dedza, Zomba, Chiradzulu, Thyolo, Mulanje arrive here. They are after the readily-available cash here),” said symon.
Symon says he is disappointed that, just when the HIV situation was about to improve, a dark cloud now hangs over Neno. For lack of a better term, he describes it as “The curse of human beings”.
What is “The curse of human beings”?
“As with all human affairs, there are those who are good-humoured and tolerant of change, while others remain intolerant and snobbish; I mean, those who take note only when things annoy them or take a bad turn.”
And the people of Neno are not an exception!
...Gives out two tablets of soap for HIV testing
The ploy, premised on the idea of extending soap’s detergent capabilities beyond the manufacturer’s intentions and use it to ‘erase’ fears associated with going for voluntary HIV counseling and testing (VCT) in Neno district, was certainly ballsy.
But, looking back, people who came up with the idea say they are impressed with the response from community members.
“Two years ago, we had no idea that the initiative would work wonders and encourage people who were reluctant to go for VCT. How things have changed,” says Partners in Health spokesperson, Samson Njolomole.
Njolomole, who also chairs Neno District Aids Coordination Committee (Dacc), says what has fascinated district health officials and community members is the fact that the initiative was introduced just when doubts started lingering over the effectiveness of HIV awareness strategies employed between 2000 and 2010.
Not that Malawi is the first country to offer soap tablets as an incentive for people to do things they would, normally, be afraid to do. The initiative’s first shoots sprung up in the United States of America, some 12, 717 kilometres away from Malawi, where the idea was generated at an organisation called Global Soap.
Now, the shoots have grown stronger in Neno, a remote district without a tarmac road. Njolomole says the fears previously associated with the term HIV have disappeared, and the anxiety associated with an HIV+ diagnosis has largely been diluted, thanks to two tablets of soap.
“Almost every Neno resident knows about the initiative now, and the results are there for all to see. Coupled with efforts made by the Dacc, we have managed to reverse a situation that was getting out of hand,” says Njolomole.
Foam of hope
“Right now, the HIV prevalence rate for Neno has gone down from 14 percent to 10 percent. We are making headway and, while the trend cannot be attributed to the two-tablets-of-soap initiative alone, efforts like these have lifted the veil of fear and raised the hope that we can get to zero HIV-infections,” added Njolomole.
One of the women who have undergone voluntary counseling and testing, 42-year-old Ruth Chisidze, says she went for VCT because she realised that she could kill two birds with one stone.
Chisidze says she always wanted to go for VCT, but testing centres were far between. The district has 11 health centres, one community hospital at Lisungwi, and the state-of-the-art district hospital.
“So, it was a bonus for me to get the opportunity to know my HIV sero-status and, at the same time, get two tablets of soap,” says Chisidze.
She, however, feels that incentives defeat the purpose of voluntary counseling and testing and may, in the long run, “corrupt” people’s minds, inflicting damage to the national psyche in much the same way as politicians’ hand-outs.
She also claims that some people have been going for VCT more than once, lured by the prospect of getting two extra tablets of soap.
But these ‘distractions’ are like mere bubbles in an enormous sea of hope, suggests Neno’s Director of Administration, Alick Milanzi.
Speaking during the 2013 World Aids Day commemorations, which the district held on December 19 at Neno Community Centre Ground, Milanzi was sure that initiatives put in place by stakeholders had helped district officials achieve their “general goal” of stemming the district’s HIV infection rate.
“To say the truth, HIV and Aids remain the biggest challenge to development endeavours here, especially because Aids-related illnesses continue to eat into the fabric of Neno society. More so because youths, who are the most productive age group in the country, are the worst affected,” says Milanzi.
Milanzi says youths aged between 18 years and 30 years are the most affected, a development he attributes to the construction of a railway line. Neno is one of the districts benefitting from the Nacala Corridor Railway Development.
“We have seen youths from various parts of the country flock to Neno between 2012 and 2013, and this is because of the railway project. This is a challenge to us because unprotected sex and other behaviours may contribute to rising HIV infection rates,” says Milanzi, pinning his hopes on organisations working in the district.
Some of the organisations working in HIV and Aids service delivery include Partners in Health, World Vision International, National Association of People Living with HIV/Aids, and community-based organisations.
Milanzi says district officials now want to take care of the population living positively with HIV and Aids, apart from scaling HIV prevention efforts. At least 6000 people are on Anti-retroviral drugs.
Dim prospects
But, just when the HIV mist was clearing out, one of Neno’s most influential traditional leaders says things are about to get worse.
In fact, not only does Senior Chief Symon fear for the future; he curses the “luck” of the railway construction project in the district, saying it may leave more social victims than beneficiaries of economic returns when all the work is over.
“Kubwera kwa chitukuko cha njanji chimenechi kwabweretsa mavuto mdera langa. Anthu amenewa (okonza njanji) abweretsa ndalama zambiri ndipo ana athu aakazi akukanika kudzisunga akaona ndalama zochuluka zedi. Ndikunena pano, pa Zalewa pokha pali amayi osiyanasiyana ochokera m’maboma monga Mchinji, Salima, Nkhotakota, Dowa, Dedza, Zomba, Chiradzulu, Thyolo, Mulanje. Iwowa atsata ndalama zomwe zikupezeka zambiri tsopano (The railway project has brought about morality problems among my subjects because the construction workers have wards of hard cash on them. Our women are finding it difficult to resist such temptation. As a result, we have seen Commercial Sex Workers from districts such as Mchinji, Salima, Nkhotakota, Dowa, Dedza, Zomba, Chiradzulu, Thyolo, Mulanje arrive here. They are after the readily-available cash here),” said symon.
Symon says he is disappointed that, just when the HIV situation was about to improve, a dark cloud now hangs over Neno. For lack of a better term, he describes it as “The curse of human beings”.
What is “The curse of human beings”?
“As with all human affairs, there are those who are good-humoured and tolerant of change, while others remain intolerant and snobbish; I mean, those who take note only when things annoy them or take a bad turn.”
And the people of Neno are not an exception!
Is death Mafunyeta’s ‘new style’? Eulogy to Mafunyeta!
There were no signs of fainting lights in musician Patrick Magalasi, a.ka. Mafunyeta,’s eyes last Sunday, August 11, as the lights of his promising life faded after crawling into death’s concealed trap. It was a sudden bout of asthma that, inexplicably, gagged the free-thinking dancehall musician’s mouth. He says nothing, feels nothing, sees nothing, thinks nothing, breathes nothing, composes nothing, and hears nothing.
Who could have ‘seen’ the fading lights in a country where some people still believe that asthma, which Area 18 Health Clinic confirmed to have been the cause of Mafunyeta’s death, is perpetuated by cool weather – despite the US-based National, Heart, Lung and Blood Institute reiterating that “You can’t prevent asthma. However, you can take steps to control the disease and prevent its symptoms”? It was virtually impossible!
How could the lights be ‘read’ when the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services announced, in its weather forecast covering five days from August 10 to August 14 that Lilongwe- where the talented artist succumbed to death, would record an average minimum temperature of 11 Degrees Celsius and a maximum temperature of 26 Degrees Celsius. This weather forecast, said the weather department, applied to Lilongwe and districts such as Mchinji, Dowa, Ntchisi, Kasungu and part of Mzimba district.
Nobody could, indeed, read the signs, as Mafunyeta’s lights crawled towards death’s selfish arms!
Who could have read the signs when the artist, born on March 27, 1988, was in the morning of his life? A life nipped in the bud at 25 years.
Of course, there is a moment- always a moment- when the voice of New York-born psychologist, William James, chimes true again. Sure, nobody recognises his voice now, he being dead for 103 years, but, still, the voice rings true.
“There is life; and there, a step away, there is death,” James said.
Granted, but not when death comes in the ‘morning’, when the sun’s rays are still tender. When death pounces upon life’s morning, not even British poet Geoffrey Hill’s observation that “…artists must be dead to earn a decent wage” makes sense or provides any comfort.
However, the only comfort there is, and there only hint that there was someone who, somehow, saw the signs of the fading lights could be Mafunyeta himself. In his latest music projects, his last acts before he made the untimely bow, Mafunyeta offers uncharacteristic hints about the dead, and death.
Of course, the name Chiwembu Village- his final lasting place- does not feature in the lyrics of some of his recent and telling songs that include ‘Come Again’, in which he, somehow, develops the canny ability to share his foresight about what could happen after his demise. Among other things, the prophetic lines allude to the fact that the late Vic Marry (May his soul rest in peace) was a gem of a musician.
He also talks of the tongues that wagged fears that, Vic being a gem, his gem would become a cold dish on his demise: irreplaceable, irretraceable, and unmatched. But a man, unknown to Vic, unknown to himself, later rose from the ashes of obscurity with a new genre, and equally mesmerised the Vic-deficient souls. The persona in the song calls this man Mafunyeta!
But Mafunyeta is not an immortal man, enthuses the masked persona who has no voice of his own and uses Mafunyeta’s voice to pass the message along, before plunging into what would happen at the end of Mafunyeta- the musician-‘s turn in the Tropical sun . Another gem of an artist will sprout from the cold ashes of Mafunyeta’s memory, and grip the nation’s attention with his lines!
However, while ‘Come Again’ is surely a prophetic song, it is yet another song, ‘Jacxy b Janta’, which has come to be known as ‘R” among those who have listened to it, that, really, foreshadows Mafunyeta’s death, and his task in the after-life!
Mission revealed
Expertly hidden in ‘Jacxy b Janta is a message of three missions, namely: Updating a dead persona, a father figure, about current affairs, moving away from Dancehall, as we call it, and introducing a new genre, and; foreshadowing the task that lies ahead for him, that of a conduit of information for all the dead.
There is yet another hint in the lyrics; that of choice of topic. Why did Mafunyeta (the individual, and not the personas that invade his songs) choose to address the dead in ‘‘Jacxy b Janta’?
Some of the lines go thus:
“…Mutamwalira/Anthu ena analira/Anthu ena ananyadirira/Komanso ena zidawayipira/Ife monga ana anu zinatiyipira/Amayi owapeza chuma akuchikakamira/Koso Ra/ Vuto la kusowa kwa mafuta linapitirira/Kenaka kandalama kaja ndikudzanditsitsira/ Madzi osamba aja kuwapisilira/Ndalama yolandira inasiya kukwanira/Kamba koti bonya adakwera/Mafuta oyezanso adakwera/Mafuta oyendera adakwera/Ma minibasinso anakwera, Ngati akazi umagulanso, nawo anakwera”
While it is clear that the father-figure being addressed is clearly the late president, Bingu wa Mutharika, it is also clear that Mafunyeta is showing an uncharacteristic trait; that of informing the dead about the goings-on in the world.
Mafunyeta is concerned about the information gap that plagues the after-life. Was he afraid of falling into this information void; that, somehow, he saw through the veil and saw himself blank about world affairs?
In a way, he is accusing Earthly mongers of starving the dead, in terms of information provision, and imploring them to take some time to fill the information gaps. First mission accomplished!
His second mission is achieved in the chorus, where the music lover is informed that ‘Jacxy b Janta’ marks the launch of a new genre called ‘Ra’. Forget about Dancehall, he implies. Ra is the new baby in town. He sings thus: “I have a new style, what we call Ra.”
He then says, on the strength of the new genre, he is the real Shaka, raa (meaning, real king). And a king he was, the musician-cum-journalist.
The one speaking is Mafunyeta (and not the persona), because it is him who introduces the new genre. After the first chorus, the Ra lyrics continue like this: “Ine monga m’modzi wa ma labourer/ Zidandivuta kungokhara/ Tinaika masamba munseu tinayara/Kuyenda mu nseu staaa, starakaaa/Kenaka malipiro anakwera/Kenaka zotsatirano za infa yanu zinabwera/Abambo aang’ono BP inakwera/Pipiiii! Tinabwerera/ Munseu tinagwetsa mbendera/Amalume ndi azinzawo atawatsekera/Potsatana ndi zisankho zomwe zikubwera/Ana pano angokhalira kulira/Akusowa owayamwitsa, azimayi pano akulamurira”
What is clear from the lines is that ‘Ra’ is being mentioned even against the rules of Chichewa grammar which dictate that ‘a’, ‘o’ and ‘u’ have to be followed by an ‘l’ instead of ‘r’.
The ra message continues in the last stanza of the song.
‘Ndati kupita kwanu, pano mwamuna yekhayekha akhoza ku ma ra/Kupita kwanu, atsikana okhaokha raaa!/Ndati kupita kwanu/Pano mwamuna mzanga akonza kumandi raaaaaaaaaa!/Ndati kupita kwanu/Akazi okhaokha raaaaaaaaaaaa!”
What an introduction. Mission accomplished.
But the sum total of the lyrics is that Mafunyeta might have been rehearsing; yes, getting familiar with his lines, so he could recite them before the father-figure and all the people he has come to know in the world-of-no-information.
Mafunyeta was telling the world the message he would deliver at the call of his turn. He might have known what was coming. That is where the foreshadowing comes in. When the lyrics and added to ‘Come again’, it is the message of death, and what happens after death, that rule supreme.
Nipped in the bud
However, it must be said, also, that, while the artist might have talked about death, and made thin-veiled mention of death, there are indications that he did not expect it too soon. And indications that he wanted to carry his mission on.
The chorus in ‘Jacxy b Janta’ is a telling example of his hope. How can one die after introducing a new genre? No, he wanted to continue. He was hopeful.
But death came in the morning (of his career), nipping the promising flower in the bud.
Ingenuity defined
And that is why Malawians will live to remember Mafunyeta.
He was talented, and always employed a rhythmical surge at the end of his lines. The surge followed the pattern of the apotheosis of a traditional poem.
In most cases, his lines inhabited the space between fiction and fact, creating a mess of translation shadows as listeners fell upon themselves chasing the shadows that appealed to their taste of translation. That is art, after all; it is universal and served in different dishes of tastes.
He was an extraordinary ordinary man! He was a man who had the knack and ability of choosing incidents and situations common to life and, in a selection of language really perfected by modern youths, married them to poetic reality.
Mafunyeta painted life with the charming ‘colours’ of his voice. He could paint words with bright colours when he talked of hope, and love, and oneness. He was also able to paint words with dark colours when he addressed the dead, and talked of the time he would be gone, and someone comes to take his place. He took Vic’s place with his genre and, now, someone will have to take his place.
As he lies peacefully, but dead, anyway, somewhere under the deep soils of Chiwembu Village, he has become like the heroes and heroines in classical mythology: He comes to life through music now. He is, simultaneously, both living and dead.
Still able to shake human souls by the memory of his life, and able to shake human souls by his refreshing, ever-living voice!
Malawian Artists Struggle to Leave International Mark
...Bigger at home, obscure abroad
It remains a national mystery. Whenever local artists clinch awards, furies seem to pursue them day and night that, finally, when the truth dawns on them that they remain global nonentities, pangs of their dissatisfaction become greater than the exaggerated euphoria that marred their happiest moment of triumph.
So bad is the situation that, as the artists’ frustration grows, there seems to be a winding down of the artists’ psyche to a point where they cultivate permanent peace, resigned to the fact that their celebrity status will, like tilapia saka (Chambo), be confined to Malawi.
May be it was written in the stars that most artists who win various awards locally would end up being anonymous individuals in the wider world. To make matters worse, this predicament seems to befall all categories of artists in the country, be it poets, creative writers, film makers, sculptors, musicians, among others.
In the end, reigning Miss Malawis end up being just that: human beings who cannot extend their sphere of influence beyond the borders. And, during the past four years, only Ella Kabambe and Susan Mteghacan can claim to have carried the brand name ‘Malawi’ to the world, thanks to their participation at Miss World Pageants held in 2010 and 2012, respectively.
But things have not been rosy for the majority of those who have served as Miss Malawi as they found chances to parade on the international stage hard to come by. And talking of failure to take local glory abroad, Miss Warm Heart of Africa Aisha Chiwanda summarised the catalogue of pageant exposure problems well when, instead of taking the ‘Warm Heart of Africa’ brand outside the country, the best she could do was to embark on a national tour in 2012.
In her “capacity” as Tourism Ambassador (after being endorsed by the Ministry of Tourism), she toured such districts as Salima, Mzuzu, Nkhotakota, Mangochi, Lilongwe, Blantyre, Mulanje, visiting tourist attraction places.
And it is no use talking about Miss Blantyre, or Miss Malawi Schools Victoria Mhone. She will be lucky if the typical villager in Rumphi, Nkhotakota, or Nsanje come to know even her name. The international scene is like the moon to her; an alien world she will never get to visit.
Not that theatre and drama groups sing a different song; a song of international tours. It is the same, old story. For instance, after scooping top positions in awards such as the dead-and-forgotten Malawi Broadcasting Corporation’s Entertainers of the Year programme, groups such as Kwathu have yet to take the Malawian story abroad.
Talking of poets, chances that the likes of Dede Kamkondo Poetry Contest winner Paul Sezzie Phiri will find local associations that may raise their profile abroad seem slim, thanks to the national ailment of ‘stunted’ fame. Thus, chances of making the best of his winning poem, ‘Bitter Tale’, by clinching a publishing contract with international publishers seem slim.
As of musicians, little is expected of award winners at the inaugural Malawi Music Awards held on Friday, January 17 this year. Award winners included Tiwonge Hango as Up-and-Coming Musician of the Year, Anthony Makondetsa as Best Male, Best Acoustic musician, Giddes Chalamanda, Best All Time Band Alleluya Band, Best Reggae Artist, the Blank Missionaries and Sally Nyundo, Best Gospel Artist Mlaka Maliro, among others.
After these come Life Time achievers that include Sir Paul Banda, Bernard Kwilimbe, Wambali Mkandawire, Overton Chimombo, Rev. Chimwemwe Mhango, Lucius Banda, Wyndham Chechamba, Lucky Stars, Maria Chidzanja Nkhoma.
Save for the Life Time achievers (who have mesmerized Malawians for years and some of whom are known beyond the borders and have won international awards), it remains doubtful whether the others will take advantage of their awards and spread their wings across the borders.
Why is this the case when artists from South Africa, Nigeria, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe or Botswana have made a name in Malawi? Is there anything wrong with local awards?
Structural holes
Award-winning film-maker Shemu Joya says there is nothing wrong with local awards.
“The problem is exposure. Even after winning local awards, our artists are not exposed to the outside world, and I blame this on structural problems. We do not have the necessary structures; structures such as production companies,” Joya says.
Joya says, for instance, that quality problems and structural problems such as the lack of production companies negatively affect the availability of local music, films, and other creative works on the international scene.
Joya, whose films ‘Seasons of a Life’ and ‘The Last Fishing Boat’ count among local productions that have won international awards, adds that, due to these challenges, local works of art find their way onto the international market through unconventional means that border on piracy, thereby affecting their market value.
“The problem with artistic works sourced through piracy is that most radio stations, television stations may not play or beam them, inevitably affecting the exposure of local products on the international scene. In the end, people in those countries are denied the opportunity to sample our artistic,” Joya says.
But the multi-award winner maintains that there is nothing wrong with local awards, including the awards organised by the Film Association of Malawi a couple of years back. What is needed, he says, are the structures that will help saturate the international market with local artistic works.
“In my case, I am working with a well-known production company in Zimbabwe, and this company has been distributing my films using the legal means. Through that arrangement, my films are shown in cinemas in Zimbabwe and, from he feedback, it seems like Zimbabweans have fallen in love with them. We will see if the arrangement will be beneficial to us, and map the way forward,” Joya says.
Organisational lapses
Musicians Association of Malawi president, Rev. Chimwemwe Mhango, concurs with Joya, saying there is nothing wrong with the awards.
Mhango observes that what is needed are initiatives that would help award winners take their artistic works beyond the borders.
“For example, we can take advantage of our affiliation to international organisations such as the Federation of International Musicians, where we are a member. We also work with individual countries such as Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, France, Zimbabwe and other countries that are in the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) council of artists,” Mhango says.
However, Mhango concedes that the inaugural Malawi Music Awards did not include modalities on how to help the triumphant artists take their works to the international audience.
“Let me acknowledge that it (the idea of promoting the triumphant artists internationally) never cropped into our minds. But there is always next time, and I hope we will do better next time. We will include this issue on the list of things we have to improve on during the next awards. We have already received overwhelming feedback on this, and next time we will do better,” Mhango says.
Tall order
Malawi Writers Union (Mawu) president, Sambalikagwa Mvona, says lack of international exposure has been a long-time thorn in the flesh of local artists.
Mvona also concedes that, for creative writers such as poets and short story writers, there is no imminent solution in sight.
“It is very difficult to expose winners of creative writing awards to the international community at the moment because international publishing contracts are hard to come by, and we do not have agreements with those publishers at the moment,” Mvona says, adding:
“At the moment, the best we can do is to work with regional bodies such as the Sadc Council of Writers and hope that the works of our creative writers get exposed. But, get it from me, getting our writers exposed to international readers is one of the objectives of Mawu when the organisation was founded in 1995. We still keep that in mind.”
The multi-award winner creative writer adds that it cannot be difficult to expose local writers because they are few in number, making it easy to analyse and expose their works.
“At the moment, we are trying to promote local writers by posting on Twitter and other forms of online media whenever they win awards. That way, the international community knows what is happening in Malawi,” Mvona says.
Saving Malawi's forests from extinction
The action furnishes a scene that may pass for an object of satire. Two teenage brothers, aged 12 and 15, respectively, try to water a Muomba (Brachystegia) tree probably five times their age. The tree had suffered for years under the barbarous persecution of their father, Willard Salim Somba,’s axe, before he finally fell it down over 10 years ago.
“Our mother told us that it was our father who fell it down because the family had run out of money and wanted to sell it. To our surprise, no shoot sprouted from it all these years until last year. We don’t want it to die, we want to take care of it now,” says one of the teenagers.
It is Saturday, November 23, 2013. This is Mwingitsa Village in the area of Senior Chief Symon in Mwanza. A group of youths- about 20 in total- gather under a baobab tree close to the church in an area the locals simply call Lisungwi.
Today is the day villagers want to demonstrate their love for forests. Each one of them is holding at least two trees from the nursery, one of them being Moringa (Cham’mwamba), the life-saving tree that, in the wake of HIV and Aids, has become an easy source for nutritious food.
Symon, who is here to bear witness that the trees his subjects say they will plant are really planted, is all smiles.
“Trees are a source of life. They turn carbon dioxide into the life-giving oxygen. They are the manufacturing machine for fresh air. They hold the soil together, and help organic matter decompose. I am old enough to know that, and I encourage my subjects to plant trees,” says Symon.
Where he got all this information, nobody knows. Perhaps he has banks of all this knowledge because he is old enough.
Changing perceptions
While outsiders may think that the case has always been like this, and that the people of Neno have always loved their trees, Symon acknowledges that this has not always been the case; “it’s just that things are changing now, as people realise that charcoal burning- the main source of income for some people here- is not sustainable.”
He points at the surrounding area, now devoid of natural trees and replete with fruit trees such as mangoes, tangerines, guavas, and says that that bare land there, that farm land, once was a thriving forest.
“Our people used to hunt there. I have been fortunate enough to have been there then and now. I can see the difference. I can tell the difference. Where did all the trees go? Charcoal!” says Symon.
He blames the situation on the senselessness” of charcoal burners. He calls them “senseless” because, as he puts it, they would have helped avert the catastrophe had they only thought of “planting two trees where they fell down one”.
However, Neno District Forestry Officer Emmanuel Ngwenya says this is no time to play blame-games. He urges communities to move forward with a vision.
“We can do something, that is the main thing. We can, for example, plant trees where there are no trees. Most importantly, we can promote regeneration; that is, letting trees we once fell down recover, letting them come back to life. It is not just through planting trees that we sustain natural resources. Permitting regeneration is another method ,” says Ngwenya.
But Ngwenya is not blind to the plunder, the signs of deforestation, all around. He just wants the community members to recover from the shock, and let the forest cover recover, too.
“Of course, the rate of trees being planted and allowed to regenerate does not match the rate at which trees are felled down. But, by allowing the trees to regenerate and planting trees every planting season, we can avert the crisis, the can cover the distance. So far, community members are trying their best, and their commitment to the cause is a positive thing,” Ngwenya says.
National catastrophe
One of the factors influencing charcoal burning is poverty in the areas where trees are harvested, and lack of alternative energy sources in the urban and peri-urban areas that serve as a ready market. With the world’s population rising at an alarming rate, raising fears that, without instituting mechanisms aimed at striking a balance between growing energy needs and a booming population, energy sources will be overstretched.
Malawi is one of the countries with the lowest access to electricity, with Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi records indicating, on one hand, that only 6 percent of the national population has access to hydro-electric energy. On the other hand, a feasibility study conducted in 2012 by mobile service provider TNM, as part of its ‘TNM GSMA Green Power for Mobile’ initiative, revealed that only 7 percent of the national population has access to hydro-electric energy.
Of these, only 25 percent of urban dwellers has access while in rural Malawi, only 1 percent has access to hydro-electric energy. This unfortunate development has led to over-dependence on charcoal burning, thereby leading to deforestation in the main forest harvesting and charcoal-burning districts of Mwanza and Neno in the Southern Region of Malawi.
According to the latest State of the Environment Report for Malawi, there are at least 19 distinct vegetation communities that are recognised in Malawi, with miombo dominating. As a consequence these forests are used by the local people predominantly for fuel wood.
Reads the report in part: “The forestry resource is under threat due primarily to increasing population. This is worse in the Southern and Central regions where 90 percent of the population is concentrated while half the forest resource is in the northern region. In the Central and Southern regions there is a substantial gap between fuel wood supply and demand from customary land, the deficit being met from forest reserves. At the same time, demand for wood products, mainly fuel wood, is increasing due to increased population.”
The report estimates that about 70 percent of the demand for wood originates from urban and rural households (10 percent and 60 percent, respectively) and from tobacco and tea estates (30 percent), with land clearing for agriculture further accelerating deforestation.
As a result, the report says, extensive forests, which previously covered vast areas of the country, have, over the years, been subjected to considerable pressure from human activities.
“The Southern Region, which has the highest population densities (up to 235 per km2 in Chiradzulu district), continues to face critical wood shortages, while most wood is found in the north, where only 11 percent of the population lives. Land clearing for agriculture, coupled with high wood demands, has led to increased deforestation. Between 1972 and 1990, total forest cover declined by 41 percent, representing an average loss of 2.3 percent per annum. The heavy reliance on wood energy is threatening the sustainable exploitation of forest resources.
“Biomass energy accounts for over 90 percent of Malawi's primary energy consumption, of which 37 percent is derived from customary forests, 26 percent from forest reserves, plantations provides 11 percent and crop residues 10 percent and other sources provide the rest (sic)16 percent. Expressed in aggregate terms this represents clearing of 50000 hectares per year.”
Information sourced from the Malawi Natural Forestry Programme, a Malawi Government initiative, reveals that natural forests are largely the remainder of the miombo forests that once covered almost the whole country. These forests are on customary land under the control of local authorities. They are also in protected forest and wildlife reserves.
On threats to Malawi’s forestry reserves, the report says “The ability of the Forest Department to protect forests from fires has been greatly reduced by recent limited financial allocations from the government. Fires burn and destroy considerable amounts of the forest resource every year. In 1995 alone, over 13,000 hectares of timber plantations were destroyed by fire”.
Clearing the skies
All is not lost, however.
Wildlife and Environmental Society of Malawi executive director, Daulosi Mauambeta, says the country can recover from all this by prioritising sensitisation campaigns.
“When all is said and done, the most important thing is public awareness. This will help community members realise that by saving the forest reserves that are still intact, we can avert a lot of challenges. After all, the trees we plant today, especially the natural trees, may take between 30 to 50 years to mature,” says Mauambeta.
Mauambeta says Malawians should realise that it may take time, “may be 30 to 50 years”, to mitigate the negative impact of climate change.
“Meanwhile, we can save the forests we have by helping people realise that it is better to save what we have than plant trees when the damage has already been done,” says Mauambeta.
A stitch in time, as they say, saves nine
REPORT BY THE CHAIRMAN, MALAWI ELECTORAL COMMISSION JUSTICE MAXON MBENDERA SC, TO THE NECOF MEETING, 31ST JANUARY, 2014
Fellow Commissioners
Chief Elections Officer and all members of staff of the
Commission Secretariat
The Chair of CMD, Mr Levison Ganiza
Secretaries General of Political Parties present
Directors of Elections of Political Parties
Representatives of Development Partners
Distinguished Members of the Press
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good morning and Happy New Year to you all.
I am pleased to welcome you all to the fourth meeting of the National Elections Consultative Forum (NECOF) in this brand new year, 2014. Welcome to NECOF, this continues to be a meeting place for the Commission and all electoral stakeholders as we prepare for the 2014 Tripartite Elections.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the fourth meeting that we are having. We are now moving towards having these consultative meetings frequently. The last one was on November 29, 2013. Since then several activities have taken place.
The Commission wants to give a report about them. The Commission will also provide status report on other activities which are ongoing and planned activities for immediate implementation.
1. REGISTRATION OF VOTERS
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, you would recall that registration of voters started on July 22 and ended on December 18.
This was, as you would recall, one phase earlier than initially planned.
The Commission had planned to have ten phases of voter registration which were ending on 4 January 2014. However, this was revised to nine after considering fears that registration might be hampered in some areas because people would be busy in their
fields and some areas would be inaccessible due to effects of rains.
At the end of the exercise, a total 7,537,548 voters were registered nationwide. This represents 94.10 percent of the projected total for the exercise which was put at 8,009,734 registrants.
Of the total registered voters, 3,481,365 are men representing 46.19 percent while 4,056,183 are women representing 53.81 percent.
Before I leave the issue of voter registration, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to clarify to the public and stakeholders that during computerisation, there might be some changes to the figures.
This is because the figures were based on raw statistics on daily registration records which could have introduced in human error.
Whatever will come out of the computerisation will also be shared with you all. Let me make it clear here that the output of the computerisation should never be linked to the advantage or disadvantage of any political party or individual.
The Commission wishes to thank:
all persons who presented themselves for voter registration,
civil society organizations that mobilized people to register,
traditional leaders for their active participation in motivating
people to register,
political parties that mobilized people to register,
development partners for procuring voter registration equipment sets that enabled the Commission to increase coverage from phase four
the Malawi Police Service for offering security,
the media for reporting about the exercise,
all registration staff (District Elections Supervisory Teams, Quality
Control Managers, Camera Operators, Supervisors and Clerks)
and all other stakeholders too numerous to mention.
2. NOMINATION OF CANDIDATES
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to inform you that,
as planned, the Commission started issuing nomination papers on January 16, 2014. Independent candidates for Parliamentary and Local Government Elections are collecting their nomination papers from their local councils while independent presidential candidates are collecting the papers from the Commission’s head office in
Blantyre.
We arranged with Centre for Multiparty Democracy (CMD) to facilitate distribution of nomination papers to political parties. For the presidential race, as we meet today, 16 political parties have collected nomination papers while two forms have been collected from the Commission by aspiring independent candidates bringing the total to 18. A total of 22 political parties have collected nomination papers for Parliamentary Elections while 21 political parties have collected papers for Local Government Elections.
Presentation of nomination papers will be from 10 to 14 February, 2014. For all Parliamentary and Local Government Elections aspirants whether political party sponsored or contesting as independents will submit nomination papers to their respective councils.
Therefore, all candidates are encouraged to get in touch with the District
Commissioners or Chief Executive Officers to indicate the date and time they will be comfortable to present their nomination papers within the 5-day period set by the Commission.
All councils will come up with timetables for candidates to avoid clashes.
Presidential candidates will submit their nomination papers to the Commission sitting at the COMESA Hall. A timetable will be drawn for all candidates who have collected nomination papers and the Chief Elections Officer will be in touch with the Secretaries General on the details.
The Commission is also encouraging candidates to present their filled nomination papers for pre-inspection before the day of submission.
Candidates can contact the District Commissioners, the Chief Executives, District Election Clerks or Constituency Returning Officers just to check if the nomination papers have been filled correctly. This will save on time and avoid inconveniences on the day of presentation.
Candidates should also ensure that their nominators are registered voters from the ward or constituency they intend to contest and that they have not nominated anyone for the same election.
At this point, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to express my profound gratitude to our development partners.
Through the UNDP basket fund, the Development Partners have procured for us 105 laptop computers, printers and other associated accessories. This equipment will be used to capture details of candidates in the councils during presentation of nomination papers.
Would I ask the meeting to give a round of applause to our development partners for this assistance?
3. CODE OF CONDUCT FOR TRADITIONAL LEADERS
Colleagues, as was discussed at the last meeting, the Commission
have started a process, developing a code of conduct for traditional leaders. This is considering the crucial role they play during an electoral period like mobilising people to register, to attend campaign meetings and also allocation of venue.
The law is very clear that persons or political parties seeking to address a meeting should notify the District Commissioner with a copy to the Police. It is also clear that all public servants are supposed to give equal treatment to all contestants in an election.
However, we have received reports in the past where some chiefs have been creating no-go-zones for particular political parties or candidates. This contributes to un-levelling the play field more especially when it is the most-sought after venue. This is uncalled for and the Commission hopes that coming up with the code of
conduct will help deal with this.
Ladies and Gentlemen, just like all other codes of conduct developed, the Commission will consult the traditional leaders on the code of conduct for their input. It is planned that the code of conduct should be finalized before the campaign period kicks off.
The code of conduct will also be presented to this meeting before implementation.
4. INSPECTION OF THE PRELIMINARY VOTERS ROLL
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, the Commission has planned
that the inspection of the voters roll should take place from 24 – 28th March 2014.
This is the period all registered voters will go and verify the correctness of their details in the voter’s roll.
The Commission will re-open all registration centres across the nation. All changes will be processed there and then.
Apart from verifying details, this is the period that those who lost their certificates will be given duplicate certificates. Those who have lost their certificates will have to go to the centre where they registered and report to the supervisor about the missing voter certificate.
The supervisor will then check the details of the person and if they exist in the register, the supervisor will issue a duplicate voter certificate which will be used on the voting day. If the name is not found in the register, the supervisor shall check in the permanent record book which was used during registration.
If the name is not found, it shall be concluded that the person did not register.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, there are also some people who might have changed places of permanent residence to the extent that they will be unable to go and vote to the centre they registered. This is the time they will process transfers.
When centres open these registrants should just go to the centre where they wish to
cast their vote and ask the supervisor to transfer them to that centre.
Those processing transfers will be required to produce their voter certificates to facilitate the transfer. Without a certificate it will not be possible to arrange the transfer. We risk transferring wrong persons. I repeat, without voter certificate, the transfer will not be processed.
During the verification period the Commission will also request the public to report deaths of beloved ones so that they can be deleted from the register. Relatives can bring the voter certificate of the deceased and a death certificate or letter from a village head or church leader testifying about the death.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, on the logistics side, the
Commission has planned to place one Quality Control Manager (QCM) at one central centre in every ward.
If a picture of a registrant is missing they will be referred to the central centre where the QCM will be stationed.
As you might all be aware, during the registration of voters, there were cases of theft of registration materials reported.
The Commission is informing the meeting that only those that presented themselves in the registration centres will appear on the voters’ roll.
The Commission will be on the lookout. Anyone who comes for voter verification with voter certificates not in our database will be asked to explain where they got them by the Police.
Ladies and Gentlemen, voter verification is a very crucial exercise as
we prepare for elections. The Commission needs the support of all stakeholders for this to be a success.
Let me call upon political parties and all interested stakeholders to monitor and observe the process.
For political parties, I would like to repeat and urge you to appoint monitors who are literate and numerate who would be able to follow the process objectively.
As we conduct rallies, let us remind and encourage our supporters and members to participate in this exercise. This is the opportunity for the public to know that they will take part in the elections through voting for candidates of their choice.
5. BORROWING OF GAS LAMPS FROM ZIMBABWE
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, the Commission has planned to borrow gas lamps and tents from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
The gas lamps were observed during the past elections in Zimbabwe where they were effective and provided excellent lighting to the process in Zimbabwe.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has agreed to our request. They will lend us
10,500 gas lamps and 350 tents for polling. The Commission will use a mixture of the lamps and generators we already have. Easy to reach places where backup can easily be provided will use the generators.
In remote and hard-to-reach places we will use the gas lamps only.
6. STAFF TRAINING AND REPORTING BACK TO POLITICAL PARTIES
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, the Commission wishes to encourage political parties to take interest in some training which it conducts for poll workers. On the eve of starting voter verification, there will be training for all staff who will be conducting the verification exercise.
The training will take place in all the registration centres. The Commission is encouraging all political parties to send their people especially those placed as monitors to attend these training sessions.
By attending these meetings party monitors will learn more about the verification exercise. This will help them monitor the poll workers to ensure that they are doing everything per training they received. This will enable them intervene or report objectively from a process and knowledge point.
The Commission has also had some complaints that in some cases members who attend NECOF do not escalate upwards or cascade down to the rank and file of respective political parties.
We must insist that you find an effective means of sharing with your party presidents and everyone about issues discussed and agreed upon during NECOF. It would not help matters if you attend this meeting and keep it to yourself.
The issues discussed here are for your organisation and the entire nation.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I wish you all a successful 2014
as the country clocks 50 years of independence and20 years of return to multi-party democracy.
We all have a responsibility to ensure that the gains of independence and multi-partyism are guarded and the fruits enjoyed by generations to come.
We need to preach peace and tolerance. Violence will not take us anywhere but bring destruction and misery.
With these remarks, I have the honour to declare this meeting open.
May God Almighty
Bless you all
Thank you very much
Saturday, February 1, 2014
MISA MALAWI APPLAUDS GOVERNMENT FOR ADOPTING A POLICY ON ACCESS TO INFORMATION
The media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Malawi Chapter would like to commend government for adopting the Access to Information (ATI) Policy. This means that Malawi now has a policy on Access to Information.
MISA Malawi believes that Access to Information is a fundamental right that supersedes all other rights and government’s adoption of the ATI Policy is commendable progress in Malawi’s efforts to have legislation on ATI.
The campaign to have Access to Information legislation started in 2003 but stalled when government in 2009 indicated that there was need for a policy on ATI before the Bill could proceed to Parliament for debate. MISA Malawi and various civil society organisations have been lobbying government since then to adopt a Policy on ATI. This is the more reason why MISA Malawi applauds the Joyce Banda administration for taking such a positive step and we have hope that Members of Parliament will pass the ATI Bill once tabled in the House.
Section 37 of the Malawi Constitution states that:‘Subject to any Act of Parliament, every person shall have the right of access to all information held by the State or any of its organs at any level of Government in so far as such information is required for the exercise of his right. ‘
Despite this Constitutional provision, Malawi has no legislation on Access to Information to compel those in authority to release information proactively or upon request. The absence of such an Act basically means that citizens cannot easily access information held by the State and public institutions as provided for in the Constitution. In other words, there is no enabling framework to compel public officials to provide people with the necessary information to make informed decisions.
MISA Malawi believes that adoption of the ATI Policy by Cabinet will pave the way for enactment of legislation on Access to Information and create a conducive environment for its effective implementation.
Commenting on the development, MISA Malawi Chairperson Anthony Kasunda said the adoption of the policy was a milestone but could not have been possible without support from the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) and most recently Tilitonse.
“This is a very commendable development. We applaud government for adopting the Policy and we now look forward to enactment of the ATI Bill but we could not have managed to get this far without the support that we received from OSISA and Tilitonse. We would like to thank these partners for their financial support and we hope they will continue to support us. Our next step is to make sure that Members of Parliament support the ATI Bill once tabled in the August House,” Kasunda said.
Adoption of the ATI Policy is a major success and lip forward in Malawi’s efforts to have legislation on Access to Information. Among others key priority areas, the Policy provides for enactment of legislation on Access to Information, improved networking amongst government departments, systematic storage of public information, awareness/civic education for people to appreciate the relevance of ATI, and promotion of transparency and accountability.
Aubrey Chikungwa
National Director
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Fr. James Chizuma No More
21st January, 2014
Death Announcement
The Catholic Secretariat of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi regrets to announce the death of Fr. James Chizuma, a priest of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lilongwe. Fr. Chizuma passed on at St Gabriel Mission Hospital-Namitete on 20th January, 2014.
The late Fr. James Chizuma was born on 20th October,1959 and hailed from Mbedza Village, in Dowa District. He was ordained priest on 23rd July, 1988 and served in the following institutions and Offices: Nambuma Parish, Bishop’s Secretary(1990-1992), Likuni Print (1992-1994), Namitete Parish, Mtima Woyera Parish, Nathenje Parish, Kachebere Parish and Ludzi Parish.
Burial Mass will be on, 22ndJanuary, 2014 at Likuni Parish starting from 10.00am.
May the Soul of Reverend Fr James Chizuma Rest in Peace
Fr George Bulleya
SECRETARY GENERAL
Death Announcement
The Catholic Secretariat of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi regrets to announce the death of Fr. James Chizuma, a priest of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lilongwe. Fr. Chizuma passed on at St Gabriel Mission Hospital-Namitete on 20th January, 2014.
The late Fr. James Chizuma was born on 20th October,1959 and hailed from Mbedza Village, in Dowa District. He was ordained priest on 23rd July, 1988 and served in the following institutions and Offices: Nambuma Parish, Bishop’s Secretary(1990-1992), Likuni Print (1992-1994), Namitete Parish, Mtima Woyera Parish, Nathenje Parish, Kachebere Parish and Ludzi Parish.
Burial Mass will be on, 22ndJanuary, 2014 at Likuni Parish starting from 10.00am.
May the Soul of Reverend Fr James Chizuma Rest in Peace
Fr George Bulleya
SECRETARY GENERAL
Thursday, January 16, 2014
STATEMENT BY HER EXCELLENCY DR JOYCE BANDA PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MALAWI ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE HIGH LEVEL DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL (HLDC) SANJIKA PALACE, BLANTYRE
THURSDAY 16TH JANUARY 2014
Hon. Ralph Jooma, MP, Minister of Economic Planning and Development;
Mrs Hawa Ndilowe, Chief Secretary to the Government;
Prof. Mathews Chikaonda, Chairman of the High Level Development Council;
Distinguished Members of the Council;
Government Officials here present;
Ladies and Gentlemen.
Addressed members of the High Development Council: Banda
Good morning and welcome to Sanjika Palace, Blantyre.
As you are aware, last week Thursday, 9th January 2014, I announced the establishment of the High Level Development Council which will provide leadership in reflecting on the past 50 years and advise us on the strategic options the country should consider in ensuring that our long term development goals are realized.
I am overwhelmed with the enthusiasm with which you have accepted the invitation to serve on this Council. I really wish to thank you all for accepting to serve your country in this capacity.
I have taken time to reflect on my life journey and how this has influenced my Presidency. As a human rights and development activist, I have learnt that it is possible to break the barriers of development. I know it is possible to transform our economy. It is possible for our country to prosper.
Through the economic empowerment programmes that I have been involved in, such as the National Association of Business Women (NABW), the Council for the Economic Empowerment of Women in Africa (CEEWA), the African Federation of Women Entrepreneurs (AFWE) and the African and American Business Women Alliance (AABWA), I have seen the poor become rich; I have seen the forsaken loved; I have seen abandoned children become heroes; I have seen the illiterate get educated; I have seen failed and abandoned businesses recover and flourish. Yes, this has been mostly because of keeping focus, proper planning and appropriate networking.
What I have learned most from this experience is the impact of income into households. It has taught me that income is critical in the overall development of individuals and families. I have seen women gain more respect in their homes and in communities when they earn incomes into their households.
In this journey, when I became President of the Republic, as many of you are aware, I inherited a battered economy, angry citizens and bankrupt treasury. Many prophets of doom said that the country would collapse and saw only disaster for Malawi. Others argued that a woman President would not be able to run this country. The two years have taught us that these challenges can be overcome.
During this journey, in my State of the Nation Address to Parliament on 18th May 2012, I told the nation that, “Malawi has to identify development tablets that will guide our development agenda regardless of which government or political party is in power”.
Banda: Malawi has to identify development tablets
This journey reminds us of the National Dialogue on the Economy soon after I took office where we developed the Economic Recovery Plan. We followed up with a review workshop in 2013 facilitated by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). During the two years, I have asked myself many questions trying to understand the challenges that this country is faced with.
With all these efforts, we have since witnessed many reforms in Government. Our economy was expected to grow at 5 per cent and now we are looking at 4.5 per cent due to other emerging issues, a jump from 1.8 per cent in 2012. Today, our foreign exchange reserves are at more than two months cover from under weeks in 2012. Today, our industries are operating at more than 75 per cent production capacity from 30 per cent in 2012. Today, our electricity generation capacity is at 352 mega watts from 287 mega watts in 2012. Today our people enjoy more freedoms and exercise more rights than they were in 2012.
I have noted that the main disjoint in our development efforts stems from lack of national ownership of our development plans. There is also a gap between our development plans and implementation as a result the country has not been focused and consistent with its development plans. These development plans have lacked institutional ownership to remind Government to remain focused on the long term perspectives as planned, even though situations may be difficulty.
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Council
On 6th July, 2014, Malawi will be attaining fifty (50) years of independence. A critical assessment of the outcomes over the past fifty (50) years reveals that our country is failing to meet most of its development goals and aspirations.
Last year, I had an opportunity to meet many people including the Pastors Fraternal with whom I shared my vision on the clocking of 50 years and entering another jubilee this year. As an outcome of our meeting, I told them that what we need as a country is a Master Plan to guide us on the medium and long term development perspectives.
Many other stakeholders including the interfaith body, Public Affairs Committee, through their All-inclusive Stakeholders Conferences have also noted the need for the country to have an Agency to steer our development plans which must be insulated against negative political influences.
Indeed, there is consensus that most Malawians today are poorer than was the case at independence. We have a situation where more than 65 percent of our people are living below the poverty line of less than $2.00 per day.
It is evident that our growth so far has not been sufficiently inclusive as evidenced by the too many people that remain poor and marginalized. This is a clear indictment on the development agenda of our country.
Our primary education though free, many of our children learn under trees and in some cases in open air. We have witnessed public outcry on the quality of education in public schools.
Despite having district hospitals all over the country – except in Blantyre, Zomba, Lilongwe and Mzuzu where we have referrals only – our people still die unnecessarily of curable diseases due to shortage of essential drugs and facilities.
Yes, even though we are a hard-working people, more than 1.2 million of our people are facing severe food shortages. Fifty (50) years down the line, our agriculture remains less developed, characterized by low technology absorption levels and low productivity and very little value addition.
As a country, we have the resources needed for development however we need a complete change of mindset in order for our country to develop.
Good political and economic governance is a pre-requisite for economic and social development. Our nation’s development agenda needs to be reorganized in order to strike a strategic balance that will effectively harness our development aspirations.
As your President, I have come to the conclusion that a business-as-usual approach is unacceptable. We must change the way we do business. There is need to define the architecture of our development agenda as a driver of socio economic transformation for our country. As we have noted the past 50 years have failed to stimulate development and the transformation of our country’s economy.
Therefore there is need for a new configuration in driving Malawi’s transformation in the next 50 years. This will therefore entail urgent review of the Core Function Analysis of the work of various ministries and related development institutions with a view to identifying their contribution and current challenges in the transformation of our economy. Of importance is to focus on “game changers, paradigm shifts” that will make a difference in fast tracking socio economic transformation of our economy.
Our special focus should be on enhancing rural transformation including wealth and job creation, hunger reduction, improving living conditions in our villages and the role of the private sector.
As a country, we need to identify mechanisms that will spur the nurturing of Malawians entrepreneurs. We can draw from the experiences of the emerging economies such as the Asian Tigers and other countries of the south such as Brazil, India and Malaysia.
And here back home in the 1990s, we had a programme that provided skills and capital to small and medium enterprises. It was called Small and Medium Enterprises Fund and was housed in Reserve Bank of Malawi. We also had organizations like Small Enterprise Development Organisation of Malawi (SEDOM) and Development of Malawi Traders Trust (DEMAT) which sponsored and mentored small and medium enterprises.
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Council
I am of the view that Malawians are now ready to participate in a transformational agenda to realize our destiny as a nation and to define our strategic advantage in the region.
I am optimistic that Malawi has the capacity and capability to tackle its development challenges. However, this will require an inclusive approach and a strong transformational framework anchored on the support and determination of all Malawians and sectors of society. In any case we have human resource base which has built the economies of other countries.
It is against this background that I have established a High Level Development Council. The Terms of Reference for the Council are:
Analyse the status of our development after fifty years of independence: identifying lessons, successes and challenges;
Based on the above, provide strategic direction on the next long term vision;
Advising Government on strategic options as well as quick win strategies for implementing development reform programme in the short and long term;
Advising on the road map for policy and development programmes’ implementation;
Consider and advise on emerging issues on social and economic policies affecting national development;
Advising on the linkages and synergies on country development frameworks;
Strengthen national effort in resource mobilization to support national development;
Facilitate national consultations with all interest groups on socio economic development to bring change of mindset in order to strengthen ownership and adherence to implementation of national development plans, and;
Facilitate institutionalization of the culture of national debate and dialogue on development issues.
The Council consists of 23 part-time members appointed because of their expertise, experience, ability and potential to contribute to a long-term, dynamic and sustainable development plan for the country. The Chief Secretary to Government and the Principal Secretary of Economic Planning and Development will serve as Ex-officio Members.
The mandate of the Council is to take a broad, cross-cutting, independent and critical view of Malawi’s development needs, to help define the Malawi that we seek to achieve over the next 50 years; prescribe the necessary and sufficient conditions for achieving the desired outcomes; and clearly outline the path and implementation; monitoring and evaluation strategies to achieve those objectives and the aspirations of our people.
This Council is a high-level advisory body which is tasked with preparing proposals and recommendations for the State President and ultimately Parliament, after being legislated, on issues affecting Malawi’s long-term development needs. Taking a long-term and independent view will add impetus, focus and coherence to our work. It is my hope that the Council will be able to take a bold stand for accountability of all the three branches of Government: the Executive; the Legislature; and the Judiciary in the delivery of services to the nation.
The Council is expected to put forward clear recommendations for Government based on solid research and sound objective evidence against the backdrop of international best practice.
The Council will work with broader society to draw on the best expertise, consult the relevant stakeholders and help to shape a consensus on what to do about the key challenges facing Malawi.
The establishment of the High Level Development Council is, therefore, our promise to the Malawi nation that we are extremely serious about building a just and fair society and a state that will grow the economy, reduce poverty and improve the quality of life for all our citizens.
As I said during the announcement of the Council, the immediate task for the Council will be to convene sector specific consultations that will input into a National Forum on Malawi at 50 to be held from 4th to 5th March this year. The conference will then draw up a Plan that will harmonise and inform the implementation of our various development frameworks. It is my hope that this will be a living document and can be improved upon.
In closing, Mr. Chairman and Members of the Council, I wish to remind you of my State of the Nation Address to Parliament where I said that indeed “I also have a dream. I see a Malawi where her citizens enjoy their freedom, dignity and a sense of pride. Yes, I see Malawians maximise their capacity to realise their social, political and economic empowerment. I see Government eradicate poverty of its people through economic growth and wealth creation.”
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Council,
Yes, it is possible to realise this dream as we journey on. I see a village with a clinic. I see a village with clean water. I see a village with a modern school. I see a village with a micro-finance bank. I see majority of my people becoming financial citizens. I see a village growing enough food and cash crops. I see a village whose people are empowered and take charge in shaping their destiny.
Yes, I see a community that decides where they want to be and get involved in getting there. I see justice and fairness upon our land. I see freedom upon our people.
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Council,
This dream is still alive. I see children going to school and not spending time in their parent’s gardens during school time. I see the girl child excelling in her education like her brother. I see more students accessing higher education. Yes, I see our education system delivering quality education. I see our health system delivering quality health care. I see more women and youth in decision making positions.
Finally, as we continue to reconstruct Malawi and reclaim the whole country for all, we break down the divisions and attitudes of the past. We free everyone from the last forces of oppression and cynicism. The emerging period must be a period of all Malawian peoples, to continue working together, building the nation.
For it is only when we strive towards this unity, as a people with one destiny, that we will release our energies, enabling us to fully rebuild this great nation. It is our task to make the most of our freedom, to entrench it as a fundamental and permanent feature of our existence. It is our task to continue to work for democracy and good governance in the coming years ensuring that peace, stability and development prevail throughout this country.
The appointing authority: President Joyce Banda
It is our task to manage the economy with prudence and diligence to ensure inclusive growth and prosperity. The challenge facing each and every one of us is to contribute to a complete and rounded picture of the emerging period.
I wish to congratulate all of you on your appointment to this High Level Development Council. It is my hope that you will live up to the expectations of all Malawians in the discharge of your duties.
I call upon all Malawians to give support to this Council so that together we can realize our dream of becoming a middle income economy.
May God bless you all.
I thank you for your attention.
Cash-in-Transit Vehicle on Fire At National Bank Ginnery Corner Branch Right Now
The Blantyre City Assembly fire brigade at the scene.
Tight security.
First time this (a Cash-in-Transit vehicle being gutted by fire) is happening in 32 years.
Tight security.
First time this (a Cash-in-Transit vehicle being gutted by fire) is happening in 32 years.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Malawi Editors Forum Statement on State House's TREATMENT OF Joy Radio
Sunday, January 12, 2014
MALAWI EDITORS FORUM (MAEF)
COMPLAINT FROM JOY RADIO
The Malawi Editors Forum (MAEF) has received a complaint from Joy Radio Limited against State House regarding the manner in which it handled its press conference on Tuesday, 7th January 2014 at Grace Bandawe Conference Centre in Blantyre.
It is the view of the radio station that it was wrong for State House to personalise its Press Review programme by mentioning names of the presenters because that exposed them to danger.
The station also views the approach as intimidation “of the highest order” and claims to have information suggesting that “party zealots” are planning to harass Joy Radio journalists whenever they meet them.
MAEF would like to inform the public that it has since engaged the Presidential Advisor on Politics and Communication, Mr Elias Wakuda Kamanga, who held the press conference in question, to get his side of the story and his view is that while he fully understands the concerns, Joy Radio was only cited as an example and not necessarily targeted.
Mr Wakuda Kamanga also reiterated the stand he presented at the press conference that State House and, indeed, government has no intentions to intimidate or frustrate the media because it is regarded as an important organ in furthering democracy and promoting government programmes.
Mr Wakuda Kamanga also pointed out the need for formal interaction between State House and the country’s media organisations to agree on some common ground and possible ways of handling similar misunderstandings in future apart from the policy structures that are featured on the country’s radio stations.
MAEF would like to emphasise that the country has several media bodies where people, institutions or organisations can refer their grievances if they are offended by the conduct of any media house or practitioner. There are functional structures within the media which have the capacity to help correct errant media conduct and these should be explored at every opportunity.
MAEF also feels messages from State House, and government in general, need to be presented carefully and with a lot of sensitivity to avoid sending the wrong message to the public. In an election period like this one when emotions are bound to run high, government must avoid any suggestions that it is targeting some media houses or individuals because that exposes such people to danger and government may be held responsible for any mishap befalling those people.
MAEF stands for both professionalism and media freedom as a democratic value in Malawi and is ready to mediate where there are differences between media houses and any member of the public, including State House.
CLIFTON KAWANGA, CHAIRPERSON
GRACIAN TUKULA, SECRETARY GENERAL
Raw Message: Can't They Be 'Diplomatic'?
The message here is one of the things you will come across as you travel across Malawi. It is self-explanatory, even to those not conversant with Chichewa, Malawi's commonly-spoken language. This picture was captures along the Blantyre-Zalewa M1 Road on Thursday.
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