Code mending fences with Juna
…‘Were I not evicted I would have broken the bond with Maureen’
…Juna got in touch with Richard’s estranged wife Ricki
Code talks exclusively to Malawi News’ Emmanuel Luciano
The lion roared in the den called Big Brother House. Like a typical predator, the Malawian lion did unusually good job at defending itself where necessary and sometimes killing its prey to survive in the game. There was time to be intimate to preserve sanity and time to be real. Such was the manner of the game.
The threat the lion posed to other remaining dwellers of the house was so big that in the lion’s own words “it was time he was evicted.”
But five minutes before his eviction Code was having a discussion with Maureen about how it was not making sense to be intimate. Time for reckoning had finally come for the lion in the house.
“We had to think positively because we had lost a lot. It was me re-awakening. I have to be honest with you, if I had survived I would have gone back to my room and live my own life.
“I had to break the bond with Maureen especially on the kissing. Of course I would still hold respect for her,” said Code.
That moment before eviction Maureen was talking about her plans to come to Malawi and how Code would “affiliate her to something she wanted like a vocational centre and she invited me to her country purely on a business front,” Code said.
When Code’s name was announced as the next housemate to leave the, the one he planned to break the bond with had he survived clung to him like a leech, kissing him on end yet more drama was unfolding outside the house.
“In as far as the kissing was concerned. I was giving her moment because she had asked for it. I really wanted to go but I thought if I had refused, I would have left her in a terrible situation.
Five minutes after eviction the lion was facing the facts of life.
“Outside I knew what I had done was wrong. But it was something that I had to do to be sane because in that environment you need to be attached to someone.
“I think people have a right to have their perception. But that was just good companionship. Maureen opened up to me in a major, major way.”
The confrontation was as scary as it was emotional.
“Seeing my girlfriend was pure manifestation of her deeper love.” While still in that emotional embrace, “I told her I am sorry and she said, ‘don’t worry too much’. It’s gonna be okay’. I love you still and we will talk’.”
Great expectations make frustrated men but the night Code shared a room with his girlfriend did not seem to bring any frustrations.
“She was telling me how she got to the Big Brother forum and how she started responding on the forum until the last day. She told me how she got in touch with Richard’s wife Ricki after she had left Tanzania for Canada.
“She also talked about how some of the things that were being said were affecting are. They were some bad things that were being said about me which she thought were total ridicule. On things like the pro and cons of our relationship on a multicultural basis which were basically racist comments,” said King Code.
On their relationship, Code said:” One of the things she highlighted on was trust. She asked me if she could still trust me. We are mending fences now. That’s where we are. We are mending fences.”
“She showcased a deeper love for me and I would be a fool to disappoint her and I am not fool. She is the one I love, and you know I composed two songs in the house Cry no More, and Nyenyezi. I told her before we went into the house that; look, Every time you are thinking about me just look into the sky and when you see two stars its me and representation of our unborn baby.”
Asked why on the eve of his eviction he asked Maureen that he “wanted to have quality time with her”, a thing that many viewers interpreted to mean sex, Code said: “What I meant was that we needed time for us just to rectify things that were not rightly said, to thank her for providing emotional support. Basically we needed each other for the emotional support.
“And of all the nights in the world why should she choose the night that is supposedly my last in the house to say she wanted to sleep? Instead of spending sometime with someone you were close with there she was sleeping. Because I am a person who can easily adapt, I moved on. That’s why she apologised and said sorry about last night.”
Asked what could be the first thing she would tell Maureen if she got evicted, Code said: “I would tell her thanks for the emotional support. Tell her shorty is pregnant and I am gonna be a dad. I got back to shorty and that we can still pursue the business plans.”
The Malawian representative who is fondly called King Code by his fans said ‘Guzzle’ was one way of keeping sanity in the house. Guzzle had a way of detoxing us; opening us to each other about our deeper feelings or just having fun,” he said.
‘Malawi lets guzzle at Blue Elephant’
MALAWIAN’s ambassador to Big Brother Africa II, Code Sangala says he is ready to guzzle at his homecoming party at Blue Elephant today as the euphoria of his homecoming from the Big Brother House is hitting Malawians.
Code said he didn’t expect to thousands of Malawians to receive him.
“Honestly speaking expected people to welcome me but not that big multitude that included Honourable Billy Kaunda, Roy Comsy and honourable Aleke Banda. I was even excited to meet my Chichiri Dance Troupe,” he said.
“It was a grand welcome. No disrespectful to the president, it felt like a presidential welcome, I felt like a king,” he said.
On today’s homecoming party, Code said he expects a “peaceful and joyful drinking and dancing.”
“There is a guy inside me that likes partying. I am looking forward to guzzling. Some of the hottest deals are done at guzzle places,” he said.
Tapuwa Bandawe of Mathalala Label who are bringing Tay Grin, Dan Lufani and Edgar ndi Davis to the party said all is set.
“We want it to be a hell of the party. We didn’t want it to be only a disco that’s why we brought these guys so that Code and his friends should also have an opportunity to perform,” he said.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
A bite away from death
A bite away from death
By Emmanuel Luciano
There is a killer on loose. Rabies is mercilessly decimating Malawians.
“Rabies is a very scary disease. Once signs have shown in a man it’s a death sentence. It is very dangerous unlike Aids which you can survive through ARVs. When you have signs you cannot live more than seven days. The maximum one has lived in history is 14 days. ”
That’s how the veterinary surgeon, Dr. Kholiwe Mkandawire, portrays the threat that rabies poses.
On a daily basis, dogs are biting more and more people in Malawi. The press statement from government, which Secretary for Health Chris Kang’ombe and secretary for Agriculture Patrick Kabambe signed, says “Blantyre ADD is leading in registering dog bites cases with an average of 125 dog bites cases per month.”
This staggering statistic translates into 1500 people being at risk of dying of rabies in a year in Blantyre ADD alone if they don’t access the anti rabies vaccine.
It appears all over sudden dogs are on the loose in the country as more people are dying of rabies.
The current rabies status, Dr. Mkandawire says, warrants calling it a crisis.
“One case of rabies in a dog is enough to call it an outbreak because that dog is likely bite another dog, a person and wildlife. One bite can cause 100 cases of rabies,” she says.
Of the reported deaths, Blantyre recently registered two deaths while Malawi News’ investigation revealed that seven people died of rabies in Mulanje alone.
Dr. Mkandawire believes there are many unreported deaths of rabies throughout the country. Many people, says Dr Mkandawire, who take dog bites as normal in villages and do not bother to seek medical attention.
“No where in the world are people are people dying of rabies at the rate Malawians are dying of it. Three to four people die of rabies in Viphya every month.”
But a report of the study done at Queens Elizabeth Hospital for three years beginning March 2002 and posted on the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention website, indicate that rabies encephalitis is an important cause of death among children in Malawi.
The study also showed that 14 of 133 children who died from suspected Central Nervous System infections had rabies.
The report of the study says since this was a hospital-based study, the number of rabies cases in the community was likely to be much higher.
According to the report, “in some parts of Africa, up to 100 rabies cases are estimated to occur for each 1 officially reported.”
The report further says lack of diagnostic facilities and difficulties with the system hinder national reporting of rabies in Malawi.
Dr. Mkandawire however says cases of rabies are supposed to be rare occurrences.
“I remember my university professor telling me that you will never see a rabies case because it is rare in Europe and America,” she says.
The cases of the Dowa and Dedza beasts, in the eyes of the veterinary surgeon, are a pure scenario of rabies that was transferred to wild animals.
“We don’t control rabies in the bush. The rabies virus perpetuates itself by causing the madness to attack but villagers don’t know how to explain these things,” she says.
The ministry of Agriculture’s department of Animal Health and Livestock Department has “introduced annual rabies week vaccination campaign whereby dogs across the country are vaccinated free of charge.”
But Dr. Mkandawire, says, the campaign is not effective.
“The vaccination campaign really is very cosmetic. For you to control rabies really you must have coverage of 80 to 90 per cent of the vaccination of all the population of dogs. You cannot cover that in two to three weeks.
“There are no enough funds to give the boys allowances for the two weeks that they would be vaccinating the dogs.
“Inside sources told me that those who were doing the campaign in Blantyre were only given allowances for three days. You can’t take for granted the allowances of the workers in this campaign,” she says.
The Department of Animal Health and Livestock Development hasn’t been conducting shooting campaign of stray dogs because, as Malawi News understands, of problems in procuring bullets since through decentralization, each assembly has to buy for itself bullets.
But director of animal Health and Livestock Development Dr. Wilfred Lipita told Malawi News recently that it was no longer easy to carry a shooting exercise of stray dogs.
“The dogs are being clever these days. During the day they are not seen around and probably come out at night,” he said.
Dr. Mkandawire says it is 150 times cheaper to prevent rabies than to cure it hence government should pull its resources together on vaccination of dogs.
“For instance anti rabies vaccine for dogs cost K100 while a brand of human anti rabies vaccine cost K3000 on average per dose and for one to be treated he needs five injections which translates into K15 000,” she says.
“We don’t need to wait. We can control rabies. Government needs to import veterinary surgeons from countries like Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana while we are sending our young men to school. Imagine they are only four doctors in the whole Animal Health and Livestock Department,” she says.
The rabies crisis has prompted Kholiwe to hire a Kenyan veterinary surgeon to assist her in combating rabies.
“If Kholiwe can do it what can stop government from hiring veterinary surgeons? We also want sanity in the department of Animal Health and Livestock Development. This should be government’s priority,” she said.
By Emmanuel Luciano
There is a killer on loose. Rabies is mercilessly decimating Malawians.
“Rabies is a very scary disease. Once signs have shown in a man it’s a death sentence. It is very dangerous unlike Aids which you can survive through ARVs. When you have signs you cannot live more than seven days. The maximum one has lived in history is 14 days. ”
That’s how the veterinary surgeon, Dr. Kholiwe Mkandawire, portrays the threat that rabies poses.
On a daily basis, dogs are biting more and more people in Malawi. The press statement from government, which Secretary for Health Chris Kang’ombe and secretary for Agriculture Patrick Kabambe signed, says “Blantyre ADD is leading in registering dog bites cases with an average of 125 dog bites cases per month.”
This staggering statistic translates into 1500 people being at risk of dying of rabies in a year in Blantyre ADD alone if they don’t access the anti rabies vaccine.
It appears all over sudden dogs are on the loose in the country as more people are dying of rabies.
The current rabies status, Dr. Mkandawire says, warrants calling it a crisis.
“One case of rabies in a dog is enough to call it an outbreak because that dog is likely bite another dog, a person and wildlife. One bite can cause 100 cases of rabies,” she says.
Of the reported deaths, Blantyre recently registered two deaths while Malawi News’ investigation revealed that seven people died of rabies in Mulanje alone.
Dr. Mkandawire believes there are many unreported deaths of rabies throughout the country. Many people, says Dr Mkandawire, who take dog bites as normal in villages and do not bother to seek medical attention.
“No where in the world are people are people dying of rabies at the rate Malawians are dying of it. Three to four people die of rabies in Viphya every month.”
But a report of the study done at Queens Elizabeth Hospital for three years beginning March 2002 and posted on the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention website, indicate that rabies encephalitis is an important cause of death among children in Malawi.
The study also showed that 14 of 133 children who died from suspected Central Nervous System infections had rabies.
The report of the study says since this was a hospital-based study, the number of rabies cases in the community was likely to be much higher.
According to the report, “in some parts of Africa, up to 100 rabies cases are estimated to occur for each 1 officially reported.”
The report further says lack of diagnostic facilities and difficulties with the system hinder national reporting of rabies in Malawi.
Dr. Mkandawire however says cases of rabies are supposed to be rare occurrences.
“I remember my university professor telling me that you will never see a rabies case because it is rare in Europe and America,” she says.
The cases of the Dowa and Dedza beasts, in the eyes of the veterinary surgeon, are a pure scenario of rabies that was transferred to wild animals.
“We don’t control rabies in the bush. The rabies virus perpetuates itself by causing the madness to attack but villagers don’t know how to explain these things,” she says.
The ministry of Agriculture’s department of Animal Health and Livestock Department has “introduced annual rabies week vaccination campaign whereby dogs across the country are vaccinated free of charge.”
But Dr. Mkandawire, says, the campaign is not effective.
“The vaccination campaign really is very cosmetic. For you to control rabies really you must have coverage of 80 to 90 per cent of the vaccination of all the population of dogs. You cannot cover that in two to three weeks.
“There are no enough funds to give the boys allowances for the two weeks that they would be vaccinating the dogs.
“Inside sources told me that those who were doing the campaign in Blantyre were only given allowances for three days. You can’t take for granted the allowances of the workers in this campaign,” she says.
The Department of Animal Health and Livestock Development hasn’t been conducting shooting campaign of stray dogs because, as Malawi News understands, of problems in procuring bullets since through decentralization, each assembly has to buy for itself bullets.
But director of animal Health and Livestock Development Dr. Wilfred Lipita told Malawi News recently that it was no longer easy to carry a shooting exercise of stray dogs.
“The dogs are being clever these days. During the day they are not seen around and probably come out at night,” he said.
Dr. Mkandawire says it is 150 times cheaper to prevent rabies than to cure it hence government should pull its resources together on vaccination of dogs.
“For instance anti rabies vaccine for dogs cost K100 while a brand of human anti rabies vaccine cost K3000 on average per dose and for one to be treated he needs five injections which translates into K15 000,” she says.
“We don’t need to wait. We can control rabies. Government needs to import veterinary surgeons from countries like Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana while we are sending our young men to school. Imagine they are only four doctors in the whole Animal Health and Livestock Department,” she says.
The rabies crisis has prompted Kholiwe to hire a Kenyan veterinary surgeon to assist her in combating rabies.
“If Kholiwe can do it what can stop government from hiring veterinary surgeons? We also want sanity in the department of Animal Health and Livestock Development. This should be government’s priority,” she said.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Review -- Chimombo’s ‘Aids artists and authors’:A look at creative arts responses to Aids
Reviewed By Emmanuel Luciano
The theme of Aids as a source of artistic inspiration has brought and borne many artistic products in the form of poems, short stories, novels, paintings, and even films.
Though the didactic role artists have played in the fight against HIV/Aids since its discovery in the country in 1985 is well documented, not much academic study has been done in this area so as to critically look at the artistic responses to the pandemic.
Professor Emeritus Steve Chimombo’s Aids artists and authors is the book that critically dissects the creative works that the theme of Aids solicited from 1985 to 2006.
This is the not the first time though that Chimombo, the literati, is involved in a project of this nature. Actually this is the author’s fourth book in which he is analysing popular responses to ‘selected social-political event in Malawi’.
In Malawian Oral literature the author examined the use of folklore in contemporary society while in the Culture of Democracy, a book he co-authored, the emphasis was on the society’s responses to the transition from dictatorial to democratic rule. The Epic of the Forest Creatures is an analysis that was handled in a poetic form. Other works by Chimombo need no cataloging just as the author himself need no introduction.
But in Aids artists and authors, however, the author exposes the bathos and pathos of the literary genres of short stories, poems and the novel that captured the Aids theme from 1985 to 2006. How the Aids theme was explored in the visual arts has also been tackled to a greater extent.
It is interesting to note, for instance, how the authors’ handling of the theme in their works was largely influenced by the knowledge they had about the disease. In earlier writing the writers were picking up the beliefs, misconceptions people had about Aids and incorporated them in their works.
Though Chimombo has covered everything that needs to be said about the way the works of art, it is the structural problems, the jargon used, the character employed that demonstrates that HIV/Aids might not have been covered properly after all. The language of Aids campaigns inevitably creeps in sometimes rather awkward places…It is obvious not much communication is taking place here (Page 104).
It is not surprising, therefore, that while applauding other writers in the case of short story the author says: At one end of the instinctive evaluative scale we have an almost formless mass of text masquerading as a short story because the editor published in a column labelled such (page 108).
The book also demonstrates that there was little coverage of the Aids theme in the novel and visual arts area. Masa Lemu’s Masks of Aids and The grave Diggers, and David Scot’s The Shadow of Aids seem to be the only noted paintings to have been exhibited on Aids. Aids on stone, as the book demonstrates, was also peripherally covered.
I would have loved if the author had included some recent songs from other artists other than only zeroing on Black Paseli’s contribution.
Considering that the nature of the project necessitated the author to furrow in a large volume of archive material, he needs to be commended for thus dissecting the works of art that inundated the country from 1985 to 2006.
It might as well become a recommended if not a prescribed text for studying Aids and creative arts in Malawi.
Published by Wasi Publication, this 226-paged book is available in all bookshops in the country.
The theme of Aids as a source of artistic inspiration has brought and borne many artistic products in the form of poems, short stories, novels, paintings, and even films.
Though the didactic role artists have played in the fight against HIV/Aids since its discovery in the country in 1985 is well documented, not much academic study has been done in this area so as to critically look at the artistic responses to the pandemic.
Professor Emeritus Steve Chimombo’s Aids artists and authors is the book that critically dissects the creative works that the theme of Aids solicited from 1985 to 2006.
This is the not the first time though that Chimombo, the literati, is involved in a project of this nature. Actually this is the author’s fourth book in which he is analysing popular responses to ‘selected social-political event in Malawi’.
In Malawian Oral literature the author examined the use of folklore in contemporary society while in the Culture of Democracy, a book he co-authored, the emphasis was on the society’s responses to the transition from dictatorial to democratic rule. The Epic of the Forest Creatures is an analysis that was handled in a poetic form. Other works by Chimombo need no cataloging just as the author himself need no introduction.
But in Aids artists and authors, however, the author exposes the bathos and pathos of the literary genres of short stories, poems and the novel that captured the Aids theme from 1985 to 2006. How the Aids theme was explored in the visual arts has also been tackled to a greater extent.
It is interesting to note, for instance, how the authors’ handling of the theme in their works was largely influenced by the knowledge they had about the disease. In earlier writing the writers were picking up the beliefs, misconceptions people had about Aids and incorporated them in their works.
Though Chimombo has covered everything that needs to be said about the way the works of art, it is the structural problems, the jargon used, the character employed that demonstrates that HIV/Aids might not have been covered properly after all. The language of Aids campaigns inevitably creeps in sometimes rather awkward places…It is obvious not much communication is taking place here (Page 104).
It is not surprising, therefore, that while applauding other writers in the case of short story the author says: At one end of the instinctive evaluative scale we have an almost formless mass of text masquerading as a short story because the editor published in a column labelled such (page 108).
The book also demonstrates that there was little coverage of the Aids theme in the novel and visual arts area. Masa Lemu’s Masks of Aids and The grave Diggers, and David Scot’s The Shadow of Aids seem to be the only noted paintings to have been exhibited on Aids. Aids on stone, as the book demonstrates, was also peripherally covered.
I would have loved if the author had included some recent songs from other artists other than only zeroing on Black Paseli’s contribution.
Considering that the nature of the project necessitated the author to furrow in a large volume of archive material, he needs to be commended for thus dissecting the works of art that inundated the country from 1985 to 2006.
It might as well become a recommended if not a prescribed text for studying Aids and creative arts in Malawi.
Published by Wasi Publication, this 226-paged book is available in all bookshops in the country.
Monday, July 16, 2007
'Kudikilira Mzungu':Poetry from Felix Njonjonjo
| Reviewed by: Emmanuel Luciano Gospel Kazako and Benedicto Wokomaatani Malunga’s Kuyimba kwa Alakatuli was the best thing that ever happened in the world of vernacular poetry in the country. The poetry enthusiasm of the two marked the springboard for emerging poets who wanted to fully venture into vernacular poetry. Though Gospel and Benedicto arguably made vernacular poetry popular with their recitals on the local radio station, the emergence of Nyamalikiti Nthiwatiwa and Felix Njonjonjo Katsoka as new generation vernacular poets revitalised poetry recitals altogether. But Njonjonjo and Nyamalikiti have their vernacular poetry background in what they started as ‘Chiphwelemwe Cha Msangulutso’ when they were still in college at Chanco in Zomba. A holder of Bachelor of Education degree, Njonjonjo has decided to take his poetry a mile further by releasing a 15-track album, Kudikilira Mzungu. Employing a satirical tone, Kudikilira Mzungu pours scorn on the fickleness that is Malawian politics. Politicians are ridiculed for changing party allegiance like a chameleon as evidenced in Majeremusi whose innuendos and subsequent images it creates are pleasing to the ear. The country’s currency, Kwacha is scoffed at for its instability: Iwe tandionetse khongono zako ndizotani?..Yabwera liti Euro kuti ikulikhe?.../ Khungu lako ndi lamakwinya lonyozoloka/ Fodya tikukulimirayu sakukwana…kuti ubwelere mphamvu? You would admire the alliteration, the crafting of words and the symbolism that the images carry in Ndichani Chizunguza Bongo, a poem that poses a question on what actually is in a beer or alcohol to make people go crazy: Ndichani chizunguza bongo choti njo muntonjani/..chimadensa msana mukadansana/..ndi bangalanji kam’banga/…kapena amakhala petulo ndi Rhoda Mpetuloda? The larger than life issues of HIV/ Aids are discussed in Akadakhala Malungo while Adapita Davideko makes a mockery of the NGOs that have been fighting Madonna’s adoption of David Banda. The tendency of attributing everything good to the 'Mzungu’ is discouraged in Kudikira Mzungu. I haven’t listened to good vernacular poetry for a while but this one would make those who appreciate art green with envy at the artistry of Njonjonjo. Save for the few poems that are too long for the easily distracted mind, it’s a must have for those who like ‘good things’. Recorded at Baptist Media Centre, the album is available for sale at Baptist Media Centre and other outlets throughout the country. |
Friday, June 29, 2007
Music Review: Wendy Harawa muses on Africa
Reviewed by Emmanuel Luciano
Since Wendy participated in the Music Crossroads initiative when it was being initiated a couple of years ago, her artistic prowess in music has grown in leaps and bounds.
The lady artist who is otherwise regarded as the Malawian queen of ragga has been everywhere. She featured in numerous of Lucius Banda’s songs before she went solo. She has shared the stage with the likes of Billy Kaunda, Joseph Tembo and almost everyone who matters in Malawian music. She has done music collabos with Paul Banda his brother Lucius and Coss Chiwalo. She travelled far and wide with the Zambian artist of the Yakumbuyo fame, Danny K.
Wendy’s sojourns in music have seen her releasing Nowa Kusowa, Hero and the third album, Africa, which is now on the market.
In Africa the artist talks about the aspirations, the tribulations, and the love life that defines an African (Malawian).
The influence of Lucius Banda on Wendy’s music (after all she was Soldier’s protégée) is there for everyone to see in this album. Amikayele which was originally done by Lucius Banda finds its way in this album. The gap that has been created between the vocals and instrumentation in Amikayele expresses that the redo of Soldier’s song was worth every effort.
Africa, the title-track even pronounces more the presence of Soldier in the album; it has been somewhat rendered in a manner that one would easily associate to Lucius Banda’s own genre both thematically and stylistically.
Sindilichoncho, which features Lulu, is arguably the most beautiful song in the album. Wendy’s unique touch of music is defined by Sindilichoncho and Don’t Worry. Surprisingly these two are the only songs that were rendered in Wendy’s inimitable ragga style. Umpatse, is another well rendered song though it sounds more of one of the tracks in Makoma’s Nzambe Na Bomoyi.
Perhaps the fact that some songs were recorded at different studios can explain the variation. Otherwise this album signifies that Wendy is coming of age.
Recorded at Studio 762, Rhem and Sparrow Studios, the album is available for sale in all music outlets.
Since Wendy participated in the Music Crossroads initiative when it was being initiated a couple of years ago, her artistic prowess in music has grown in leaps and bounds.
The lady artist who is otherwise regarded as the Malawian queen of ragga has been everywhere. She featured in numerous of Lucius Banda’s songs before she went solo. She has shared the stage with the likes of Billy Kaunda, Joseph Tembo and almost everyone who matters in Malawian music. She has done music collabos with Paul Banda his brother Lucius and Coss Chiwalo. She travelled far and wide with the Zambian artist of the Yakumbuyo fame, Danny K.
Wendy’s sojourns in music have seen her releasing Nowa Kusowa, Hero and the third album, Africa, which is now on the market.
In Africa the artist talks about the aspirations, the tribulations, and the love life that defines an African (Malawian).
The influence of Lucius Banda on Wendy’s music (after all she was Soldier’s protégée) is there for everyone to see in this album. Amikayele which was originally done by Lucius Banda finds its way in this album. The gap that has been created between the vocals and instrumentation in Amikayele expresses that the redo of Soldier’s song was worth every effort.
Africa, the title-track even pronounces more the presence of Soldier in the album; it has been somewhat rendered in a manner that one would easily associate to Lucius Banda’s own genre both thematically and stylistically.
Sindilichoncho, which features Lulu, is arguably the most beautiful song in the album. Wendy’s unique touch of music is defined by Sindilichoncho and Don’t Worry. Surprisingly these two are the only songs that were rendered in Wendy’s inimitable ragga style. Umpatse, is another well rendered song though it sounds more of one of the tracks in Makoma’s Nzambe Na Bomoyi.
Perhaps the fact that some songs were recorded at different studios can explain the variation. Otherwise this album signifies that Wendy is coming of age.
Recorded at Studio 762, Rhem and Sparrow Studios, the album is available for sale in all music outlets.
Convicted MPs: Speaker should seek Court's interpretation-Law lecturer
By Emmanuel Luciano
HEAD of Foundation Law at Chancellor College, Mwiza Nkhata, says the Speaker should first seek courts’ interpretation before declaring the seats of convicted MPs vacant because of an apparent lack of authoritative definition or listing of what amounts to an offence or crime of moral turpitude.
Speaker of National Assembly Louis Chimango is yet to decide the fate of Lucius Banda, Yusuf Mwawa, Maxwell Milanzi and Clement Chiwaya who were convicted of various offences.
Nkhata said it would be safe for the Speaker to tread carefully on the issue to avoid a multiplicity of litigation “by asking the courts to determine in the specific instances involving the convicted members whether the offences at hand could be deemed to be ones involving moral turpitude.”
He said the seats of the members could thus only be declared vacant if the court confirmed that the crimes are those involving moral turpitude.
“I am convinced that a reading of sections 63(e) together with section 51 (2)(c)leads to the conclusion that a member of Parliament who is convicted within 7 years prior to his becoming a member of Parliament of a crime involving dishonesty or moral turpitude will lose his seat.
“The two provisions read together lead to the conclusion that the vacancy in a member’s seat shall occur by operation of law—-vide section 63(e) of the constitution, therefore, under section 63(e) the occurrence of particular events, in this case the conviction on a crime of dishonesty or moral turpitude, will by itself create a vacancy in relation to the concerned member’s seat.
“However, the not-so clear issue presently is that, while offences involving dishonesty may be easy to circumscribe it has yet to be conclusively established which offences amount to those of moral turpitude,” Nkhata said.
The law lecturer cited the contempt of court case involving MCP president John Tembo and former MCP secretary general Kate Kainja, which led to the two MPs losing their seats before the Supreme Court ruled otherwise.
“The Supreme court in the Tembo case did not define what amounts to an offence involving moral turpitude within our local context.
“The court in that case was concerned with the question of whether contempt of court in civil proceedings could amount to offence of moral turpitude, which they answered in the negative.
“This is why I am saying, in the light of the apparent lack of authoritative definition or listing of what amounts to an offence or crime of moral turpitude, if I were the Speaker, I would opt to proceed cautiously otherwise any decision by the Speaker is bound to raise further litigation contesting whether the particular offences involve moral turpitude or not,” he said.
But Dean of Law Necton Mhura at Chancellor College said there was no need for the Speaker to seek court’s interpretation on the issue.
“Cases that are set on moral turpitude are very clear. Of all the cases that are there, it is only the one involving [Clement] Chiwaya that is doubtful. It is within the Speaker’s power to decide on the issue. Let the courts decide only when someone challenges the Speaker’s decision.
Mhura said it was surprising that the Speaker was taking time to decide on the issue.
“I am surprised that the Speaker has not declared the seats vacant but that can only be answered by the Speaker himself,” he said.
According to Nkhata moral turpitude cases are generally understood as crimes which involve conduct considered to be against societal norms of justice, honesty and good morals.
One lawyer who opted for anonymity said although the law was clear on convicted MPs, the Speaker’s delay in declaring the seats vacant could be attributed to other factors.
“Perhaps the Speaker has not been served with judgment on the cases. Those who tried the cases should first serve the Speaker with judgment because he cannot just act on media reports.
“It could also be because he hasn’t had time to allow principles of natural justice to take its course by meeting these people to hear their side because of the schedule of Parliament considering how Parliament business is conducted,’’ he said.
Efforts to talk the speaker proved futile as he could not be reached on his mobile phone.
HEAD of Foundation Law at Chancellor College, Mwiza Nkhata, says the Speaker should first seek courts’ interpretation before declaring the seats of convicted MPs vacant because of an apparent lack of authoritative definition or listing of what amounts to an offence or crime of moral turpitude.
Speaker of National Assembly Louis Chimango is yet to decide the fate of Lucius Banda, Yusuf Mwawa, Maxwell Milanzi and Clement Chiwaya who were convicted of various offences.
Nkhata said it would be safe for the Speaker to tread carefully on the issue to avoid a multiplicity of litigation “by asking the courts to determine in the specific instances involving the convicted members whether the offences at hand could be deemed to be ones involving moral turpitude.”
He said the seats of the members could thus only be declared vacant if the court confirmed that the crimes are those involving moral turpitude.
“I am convinced that a reading of sections 63(e) together with section 51 (2)(c)leads to the conclusion that a member of Parliament who is convicted within 7 years prior to his becoming a member of Parliament of a crime involving dishonesty or moral turpitude will lose his seat.
“The two provisions read together lead to the conclusion that the vacancy in a member’s seat shall occur by operation of law—-vide section 63(e) of the constitution, therefore, under section 63(e) the occurrence of particular events, in this case the conviction on a crime of dishonesty or moral turpitude, will by itself create a vacancy in relation to the concerned member’s seat.
“However, the not-so clear issue presently is that, while offences involving dishonesty may be easy to circumscribe it has yet to be conclusively established which offences amount to those of moral turpitude,” Nkhata said.
The law lecturer cited the contempt of court case involving MCP president John Tembo and former MCP secretary general Kate Kainja, which led to the two MPs losing their seats before the Supreme Court ruled otherwise.
“The Supreme court in the Tembo case did not define what amounts to an offence involving moral turpitude within our local context.
“The court in that case was concerned with the question of whether contempt of court in civil proceedings could amount to offence of moral turpitude, which they answered in the negative.
“This is why I am saying, in the light of the apparent lack of authoritative definition or listing of what amounts to an offence or crime of moral turpitude, if I were the Speaker, I would opt to proceed cautiously otherwise any decision by the Speaker is bound to raise further litigation contesting whether the particular offences involve moral turpitude or not,” he said.
But Dean of Law Necton Mhura at Chancellor College said there was no need for the Speaker to seek court’s interpretation on the issue.
“Cases that are set on moral turpitude are very clear. Of all the cases that are there, it is only the one involving [Clement] Chiwaya that is doubtful. It is within the Speaker’s power to decide on the issue. Let the courts decide only when someone challenges the Speaker’s decision.
Mhura said it was surprising that the Speaker was taking time to decide on the issue.
“I am surprised that the Speaker has not declared the seats vacant but that can only be answered by the Speaker himself,” he said.
According to Nkhata moral turpitude cases are generally understood as crimes which involve conduct considered to be against societal norms of justice, honesty and good morals.
One lawyer who opted for anonymity said although the law was clear on convicted MPs, the Speaker’s delay in declaring the seats vacant could be attributed to other factors.
“Perhaps the Speaker has not been served with judgment on the cases. Those who tried the cases should first serve the Speaker with judgment because he cannot just act on media reports.
“It could also be because he hasn’t had time to allow principles of natural justice to take its course by meeting these people to hear their side because of the schedule of Parliament considering how Parliament business is conducted,’’ he said.
Efforts to talk the speaker proved futile as he could not be reached on his mobile phone.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Unaccredited universities to graduate in Sept.
By Emmanuel Luciano
About 80 students will be graduating from University of Livingstonia and Malawi Adventist University with unrecognised certificates because government’s accreditation committee is yet to accredit the two universities.
Livingstonia University of Education is expected to graduate its first intake of 36 students in September this year while Malawi Adventist University’s Lake View Campus will graduate its first batch of 42 students in November.
But both registrars of Livingstonia University and Malawi Adventist University are hopeful that the accreditation committee will recognise the universities in time for the graduation.
Registrar of University of Livingstonia Reverend Binnie Mwakasungula said they recently met the accreditation committee on the issue.
“We met the accreditation committee in Zomba. There were a few things that they wanted us to do; things that have to do with our programmes.
“I can’t say that they wanted a, b, c, because they are technical. But all I can say is that we are hopeful that within the month of June, we should be accredited,” said Mwakasungula.
Registrar of Malawi Adventist University Steven Moyo said government was yet to visit the college on final accreditation.
“Since we are an affiliate of University of East Africa, we have just received the final affiliation document. We have submitted the affiliation document to government in preparation for accreditation,” Moyo said.
Newly-opened Catholic University, whose students are in the second semester of the first year, also opened its doors without being accredited.
The University’s deputy vice-chancellor Dr. Martins Mtumbuka said they had made significant progress towards accrediting the university.
“Unfortunately, we are not allowed to disclose but we are very close. What I can tell you is that it’s taxing. Writing the syllabus and developing the curriculum, it’s just like writing your thesis,” he said, adding he was hopeful the University would be accredited before it re-opens for the first semester in August.
“You know this [accreditation] becomes a big issue when you are graduating students. It affects worthiness of certificates of the people who go through a course process,” he said.
Member of accreditation committee, who is also Principal Secretary for Human Resources Development, Samuel Madula said they were at an advanced stage with accreditation of the universities. But he could not give a timeframe for the accreditation process.
“We are at an advanced stage but I cannot tell you where we exactly are because I was outside the country.
About 80 students will be graduating from University of Livingstonia and Malawi Adventist University with unrecognised certificates because government’s accreditation committee is yet to accredit the two universities.
Livingstonia University of Education is expected to graduate its first intake of 36 students in September this year while Malawi Adventist University’s Lake View Campus will graduate its first batch of 42 students in November.
But both registrars of Livingstonia University and Malawi Adventist University are hopeful that the accreditation committee will recognise the universities in time for the graduation.
Registrar of University of Livingstonia Reverend Binnie Mwakasungula said they recently met the accreditation committee on the issue.
“We met the accreditation committee in Zomba. There were a few things that they wanted us to do; things that have to do with our programmes.
“I can’t say that they wanted a, b, c, because they are technical. But all I can say is that we are hopeful that within the month of June, we should be accredited,” said Mwakasungula.
Registrar of Malawi Adventist University Steven Moyo said government was yet to visit the college on final accreditation.
“Since we are an affiliate of University of East Africa, we have just received the final affiliation document. We have submitted the affiliation document to government in preparation for accreditation,” Moyo said.
Newly-opened Catholic University, whose students are in the second semester of the first year, also opened its doors without being accredited.
The University’s deputy vice-chancellor Dr. Martins Mtumbuka said they had made significant progress towards accrediting the university.
“Unfortunately, we are not allowed to disclose but we are very close. What I can tell you is that it’s taxing. Writing the syllabus and developing the curriculum, it’s just like writing your thesis,” he said, adding he was hopeful the University would be accredited before it re-opens for the first semester in August.
“You know this [accreditation] becomes a big issue when you are graduating students. It affects worthiness of certificates of the people who go through a course process,” he said.
Member of accreditation committee, who is also Principal Secretary for Human Resources Development, Samuel Madula said they were at an advanced stage with accreditation of the universities. But he could not give a timeframe for the accreditation process.
“We are at an advanced stage but I cannot tell you where we exactly are because I was outside the country.
Hugh Masekela to jazz Malawi
By Emmanuel Luciano
The internationally acclaimed and South African-born Afro-Jazz music legend, Hugh Masekela, is coming to town to jazz the two cities of Lilongwe and Blantyre next month.
Celtel Malawi Limited has organised Hugh’s first ever tour in Malawi, which will see the great trumpeter performing at Lilongwe Golf Club on July 8 and Blantyre Sports Club the following day.
According to a press statement, Celtel Malawi’s Marketing Director Charles Maye said the mobile phone operator decided to organise the upcoming shows to honour its corporate customers for the support they render to the company.
“This is going to be a special treat for our distinguished corporate customers and the public. We would like to demonstrate to them that we recognise and appreciate their loyalty to Celtel,” Maye said.
The Marketing Director said they opted for Masekela of Grazin' in The Grass fame because of his repute as an international artist.
“After careful consideration on who would entertain our distinguished customers, management settled for Masekela because of his international reputation and soothing trumpeting both as a recording and performing jazz artist,” he said.
“It will be the first time that Hugh Masekela will come to Malawi. Many of our customers relate very well to his music and we found it befitting to sponsor his tour, to give them an opportunity to sample his vibes,” Maye said.
According to the press statement made available to Weekender, the July concerts have been organised in line with Celtel’s global corporate culture of promoting ethnic arts and culture in Africa.
This is not the first time that Celtel would be sponsoring a tour of African musicians. In 2004 and 2005, respectively, Celtel Malawi sponsored a tour by Zimbabwean acclaimed Mbira Star Oliver Mtukudzi and his Black Spirits Band.
In 2005, Celtel also sponsored the glamorous Luso Awards which honoured talent in the fields of arts, culture such as music, drama, sport and media.
Celtel has also launched a special SMS promotion under which lucky customers will win Hugh Masekela’s platinum double CDs as well as free entrance to his shows.
The internationally acclaimed and South African-born Afro-Jazz music legend, Hugh Masekela, is coming to town to jazz the two cities of Lilongwe and Blantyre next month.
Celtel Malawi Limited has organised Hugh’s first ever tour in Malawi, which will see the great trumpeter performing at Lilongwe Golf Club on July 8 and Blantyre Sports Club the following day.
According to a press statement, Celtel Malawi’s Marketing Director Charles Maye said the mobile phone operator decided to organise the upcoming shows to honour its corporate customers for the support they render to the company.
“This is going to be a special treat for our distinguished corporate customers and the public. We would like to demonstrate to them that we recognise and appreciate their loyalty to Celtel,” Maye said.
The Marketing Director said they opted for Masekela of Grazin' in The Grass fame because of his repute as an international artist.
“After careful consideration on who would entertain our distinguished customers, management settled for Masekela because of his international reputation and soothing trumpeting both as a recording and performing jazz artist,” he said.
“It will be the first time that Hugh Masekela will come to Malawi. Many of our customers relate very well to his music and we found it befitting to sponsor his tour, to give them an opportunity to sample his vibes,” Maye said.
According to the press statement made available to Weekender, the July concerts have been organised in line with Celtel’s global corporate culture of promoting ethnic arts and culture in Africa.
This is not the first time that Celtel would be sponsoring a tour of African musicians. In 2004 and 2005, respectively, Celtel Malawi sponsored a tour by Zimbabwean acclaimed Mbira Star Oliver Mtukudzi and his Black Spirits Band.
In 2005, Celtel also sponsored the glamorous Luso Awards which honoured talent in the fields of arts, culture such as music, drama, sport and media.
Celtel has also launched a special SMS promotion under which lucky customers will win Hugh Masekela’s platinum double CDs as well as free entrance to his shows.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Question and Answer with Kaferapanjira
An interview with Chief Executive of Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) Chancellor Kaferapanjira.
The Minister of Trade and Industry Ken Lipenga described this year’s 19th International Trade Fair as a success story; as a chamber how do you rate the success of the just ended Trade Fair in comparison to the previous fairs.
What we are doing as a Chamber is obviously to encourage businesses to focus so much on getting orders from outside Malawi. Each International Trade Fair has got a different theme and what we encourage the participants to do is to make sure that they focus on the one primary objective of the fair, which is to provide the forum for the businesses to find markets from outside Malawi and not necessarily in Malawi. And secondly we focus so much on the theme as well and this year the theme was, ‘Building capacity for export competitiveness’ and therefore we encourage participants to make sure that they look out for things that they lack in terms of their competitiveness, for example, we had a number of companies from outside Malawi that provided technology, that came up with new ideas et cetera et cetera and those are some of the issues that our businesses lack.
Comparing the 19th International Trade Fair to previous fairs, I think overall it was good because more than 50 per cent of the participants that secured deals, got deals from outside Malawi and to us that is an encouragement. There were a number of other participants that focused on getting local deals, too, because they don’t have enough capacity to produce for the export market but in as far as we are concerned our success will be judged by the achievement of the primary objective, which is to make sure that those that participated have actually secured foreign orders and since more than 50 per cent got foreign orders we are happy. And we think that is much more than what previously happened.
We have seen that though companies got foreign orders in the past, they failed to satisfy demand on the international market because of economic constraints. How can that scenario be avoided this time around?
The challenge to Malawi becoming an export oriented economy, I can say, is at a minimum of four levels. Firstly, at what is known as meta-level, which is social level thinking. In Malawi we have always believed that foreign markets are not necessary. We have always looked inside. And we think that we can survive by doing business internally. This you can tell if you look at the total exports of the manufactured products in Malawi. Out of all the goods that are manufactured in Malawi only 14 per cent is exported and that tells you that Malawian companies think that the market is in Malawi and then they are not astute enough to look for markets outside Malawi and that thinking percolates every level of society unfortunately and that is why a lot of times you hear companies complaining about liberalisation. Liberalisation opens up the market, opens up the economy and obviously it creates a lot of competition internally but it also offers a lot of opportunities to our companies to find markets outside. And one of the reasons our business have not capitalised on those opportunities is that they don’t look at export market as their market and therefore other countries take advantage of them. That is at the meta level.
We also had challenges at the micro level which are issues to do with inflation, interest rates, issues to do with lack of stabilisation of exchange rates, the fluctuation of the exchange ratee etc. And we have seen recently that those issues are being addressed and we are happy of the direction that government has taken in managing the economy.
Then at what is technically called meso level. These are issues to do with the capacity of government institutions to service the private sector. And also issues to do with the specific policies that address private sector challenges. In Malawi we still have a number of challenges to do with the capacity of institutions. We have the Malawi Bureau of Standards, which is very key to Malawi turning into an export oriented economy and yet it lacks accreditation, meaning that its standards are not accepted by some countries. We have weak institutions such as MIPA which is supposed to assist private sector, we have institutions like the Malawi Export Promotion Council, which is almost dead and yet it is supposed to find markets for Malawian products. And we have other institutions for example the police, if you count the number of roadblocks between Blantyre and Lilongwe you find that they are about eight and 16 check points that makes business very uncompetitive. If a truck leaves Mzuzu or Karonga and if it is going to Zimbabwe to export certain goods it can two or three days just travelling within Malawi because of these check points and that is not good for business. Those are some of the challenges that make our business on uncompetitive. And you asked why our companies are not able to fulfill all the orders that they get, some of the issues that make them uncompetitive are those ones.
In addition to institutions, we also have specific policies. The Malawi Growth and Development Strategy has outlined eight priority sectors. The so-called core sectors, which are the tobacco, tea and sugar. These are the existing sectors, and what we say they
There is need in those areas to find what else needs to be done. Value addition for example, so that there is more that is done here. We are selling our tea at more expensive price than what we do right now may be we are processing much further than we do right now may be the packing is done here before exports and those are the possibilities.
Then there are five other key growth sectors in addition to these three. There is tourism manufacturing, agro-processing, mining, and integrated cotton industry. If these sectors have indeed got to lead the economic revolution of this country, there is need for government to give special attention to give specific investment incentives not necessarily in the form of tax holidays and stuff like that but making sure that any equipment meant for use in that area comes duty free and VAT free for example. Of course a lot of machines now come duty free but you still pay VAT, which makes the machines very expensive.
The final level is the micro- level. This is the willingness of businesses to do something also. It is not all government that has to do things, that has to be blamed the private sector also has challenges in Malawi. And these are issues to do with levels of technology modernisation. A lot of our businesses are very old-fashioned. The machines are very old some 20 years, and one of the reasons could be that they used to make things for the local market and therefore they don’t care what quality come out that is something that has to be done by the private sector not necessarily government. We have issues related to that of quality of our products. We have issues of the asking price. When our products are manufactured normally our businesses price their goods highly. When you look at the prices of our goods compared to the others, one tends to believe sometimes we tend to be shortsighted. We are looking only of today we are not looking into the future. And because of that you have a very small market because very few people can afford your products and that’s one of the challenges that make our product not very attractive outside.
You have issues of training of staff. The majority of companies except a few, the big ones, do not train their staff. Look at all the textiles companies and the government companies, I don’t know how much education they give their people and yet that is very critical. If you have to penetrate the export market you need to ensure that you have people that are able to make quality products. When you look at all the challenges you see why we are failing to explore the export market. And what we believe in as the chamber is to encourage our businesses of course to encourage the government to keep uniting the people, focusing the people in one direction. The vision 2020 imitative was a good one because it was meant to focus people in one direction
But certain things are happening, for example in last year’s budget the mister of Finance removed duty and even VAT on machines meant for mining, which is a good thing.
And you expect some thing to happen in other sectors in forthcoming budget?
That what we have been informed by the minister. We highlighted this to him and he actually appreciates. We also know of the government’s initiative to create the Malawi Investment Fund to replace MDC. You recall tat there was talk about the Malawi Development Bank and now the idea is that we need the Malawi Investment Fund. And that is the government initiative. Government might not be the majority shareholder but the fact that government has started that initiative tells us that government is serious about providing specific assistance to some specific sectors of the economy.
In your assessment as a Chamber what are the potential areas that might assist the country’s economy to grow?
As a country we have a lot of potential and I think our companies just need to change their mindsets. Now that the economic management seems to be pointing in the right direction, I think that the areas that I mentioned earlier, in tobacco for instance, it is very expensive to have a number of tobacco plants but I think that is the way forward. We think that farmers should take a stake in processing plants because that is where there is more money and that would mean a lot of money would stay in Malawi and would not go outside. So we need a lot of activities at the higher level than just growing. Still talking about tobacco, our transport industry has to learn to get orderly because we got so much from South Africa. Those trucks that come here from South Africa are mostly the ones that transport tobacco to South Africa. And the reason is that it is much much cheaper because somebody has already paid for the truck to come into Malawi and they just need very little to cover the costs. Our businesses have to learn the tricks of doing that kind of businesses so that more of our transport companies can carry our goods to South Africa because they need to get more money. In technical terms you have to widen the value chain by going beyond what we are doing now to get more value into the system. We should stop at just producing, we need also to go into processing, and we need also to be transporting this. For tea, I think it is for the same we need more processing to be done here as tea manufacturing plant that would mean that there is more economic activity being done in Malawi. Those eight sectors that government and ourselves identified as having the potential to drive this economy forward are important ones but what is very key is that we should in each area move a little further within the value chain so that more activities are being done in Malawi other than outside and I think that is how we are going to move. Let’s move towards having textile plants, let’s move towards having our own garments companies that are sourcing materials from textile plants, lets have design companies because that’s how we would make money.
Looking at the listing on the local exchanger, our economy seems to be dominated by the financial sector other than the producing sector. Isn’t that a threat to the growth of manufacturing sector?
Looking at the figures, the most profitable sectors in Malawi one is the financial sector then the retail sector. Basically we are talking about service sectors. Those are the most profitable. And why are they most profitable and yet what we need is production and manufacturing in order to move forward. There are a number of reasons, One I think it’s because there is a bit of monopoly. Two, they benefit so much from government borrowing a lot from them. And since that stopped we can actually see the change now. They are trying to come with a little more products that they can offer to products. But you can notice that even right now they are focusing on lending from individuals rather than businesses. If you invest into a machine or commercial farming it will take three to four years for you to start making money out of it. That’s the nature of business
The Minister of Trade and Industry Ken Lipenga described this year’s 19th International Trade Fair as a success story; as a chamber how do you rate the success of the just ended Trade Fair in comparison to the previous fairs.
What we are doing as a Chamber is obviously to encourage businesses to focus so much on getting orders from outside Malawi. Each International Trade Fair has got a different theme and what we encourage the participants to do is to make sure that they focus on the one primary objective of the fair, which is to provide the forum for the businesses to find markets from outside Malawi and not necessarily in Malawi. And secondly we focus so much on the theme as well and this year the theme was, ‘Building capacity for export competitiveness’ and therefore we encourage participants to make sure that they look out for things that they lack in terms of their competitiveness, for example, we had a number of companies from outside Malawi that provided technology, that came up with new ideas et cetera et cetera and those are some of the issues that our businesses lack.
Comparing the 19th International Trade Fair to previous fairs, I think overall it was good because more than 50 per cent of the participants that secured deals, got deals from outside Malawi and to us that is an encouragement. There were a number of other participants that focused on getting local deals, too, because they don’t have enough capacity to produce for the export market but in as far as we are concerned our success will be judged by the achievement of the primary objective, which is to make sure that those that participated have actually secured foreign orders and since more than 50 per cent got foreign orders we are happy. And we think that is much more than what previously happened.
We have seen that though companies got foreign orders in the past, they failed to satisfy demand on the international market because of economic constraints. How can that scenario be avoided this time around?
The challenge to Malawi becoming an export oriented economy, I can say, is at a minimum of four levels. Firstly, at what is known as meta-level, which is social level thinking. In Malawi we have always believed that foreign markets are not necessary. We have always looked inside. And we think that we can survive by doing business internally. This you can tell if you look at the total exports of the manufactured products in Malawi. Out of all the goods that are manufactured in Malawi only 14 per cent is exported and that tells you that Malawian companies think that the market is in Malawi and then they are not astute enough to look for markets outside Malawi and that thinking percolates every level of society unfortunately and that is why a lot of times you hear companies complaining about liberalisation. Liberalisation opens up the market, opens up the economy and obviously it creates a lot of competition internally but it also offers a lot of opportunities to our companies to find markets outside. And one of the reasons our business have not capitalised on those opportunities is that they don’t look at export market as their market and therefore other countries take advantage of them. That is at the meta level.
We also had challenges at the micro level which are issues to do with inflation, interest rates, issues to do with lack of stabilisation of exchange rates, the fluctuation of the exchange ratee etc. And we have seen recently that those issues are being addressed and we are happy of the direction that government has taken in managing the economy.
Then at what is technically called meso level. These are issues to do with the capacity of government institutions to service the private sector. And also issues to do with the specific policies that address private sector challenges. In Malawi we still have a number of challenges to do with the capacity of institutions. We have the Malawi Bureau of Standards, which is very key to Malawi turning into an export oriented economy and yet it lacks accreditation, meaning that its standards are not accepted by some countries. We have weak institutions such as MIPA which is supposed to assist private sector, we have institutions like the Malawi Export Promotion Council, which is almost dead and yet it is supposed to find markets for Malawian products. And we have other institutions for example the police, if you count the number of roadblocks between Blantyre and Lilongwe you find that they are about eight and 16 check points that makes business very uncompetitive. If a truck leaves Mzuzu or Karonga and if it is going to Zimbabwe to export certain goods it can two or three days just travelling within Malawi because of these check points and that is not good for business. Those are some of the challenges that make our business on uncompetitive. And you asked why our companies are not able to fulfill all the orders that they get, some of the issues that make them uncompetitive are those ones.
In addition to institutions, we also have specific policies. The Malawi Growth and Development Strategy has outlined eight priority sectors. The so-called core sectors, which are the tobacco, tea and sugar. These are the existing sectors, and what we say they
There is need in those areas to find what else needs to be done. Value addition for example, so that there is more that is done here. We are selling our tea at more expensive price than what we do right now may be we are processing much further than we do right now may be the packing is done here before exports and those are the possibilities.
Then there are five other key growth sectors in addition to these three. There is tourism manufacturing, agro-processing, mining, and integrated cotton industry. If these sectors have indeed got to lead the economic revolution of this country, there is need for government to give special attention to give specific investment incentives not necessarily in the form of tax holidays and stuff like that but making sure that any equipment meant for use in that area comes duty free and VAT free for example. Of course a lot of machines now come duty free but you still pay VAT, which makes the machines very expensive.
The final level is the micro- level. This is the willingness of businesses to do something also. It is not all government that has to do things, that has to be blamed the private sector also has challenges in Malawi. And these are issues to do with levels of technology modernisation. A lot of our businesses are very old-fashioned. The machines are very old some 20 years, and one of the reasons could be that they used to make things for the local market and therefore they don’t care what quality come out that is something that has to be done by the private sector not necessarily government. We have issues related to that of quality of our products. We have issues of the asking price. When our products are manufactured normally our businesses price their goods highly. When you look at the prices of our goods compared to the others, one tends to believe sometimes we tend to be shortsighted. We are looking only of today we are not looking into the future. And because of that you have a very small market because very few people can afford your products and that’s one of the challenges that make our product not very attractive outside.
You have issues of training of staff. The majority of companies except a few, the big ones, do not train their staff. Look at all the textiles companies and the government companies, I don’t know how much education they give their people and yet that is very critical. If you have to penetrate the export market you need to ensure that you have people that are able to make quality products. When you look at all the challenges you see why we are failing to explore the export market. And what we believe in as the chamber is to encourage our businesses of course to encourage the government to keep uniting the people, focusing the people in one direction. The vision 2020 imitative was a good one because it was meant to focus people in one direction
But certain things are happening, for example in last year’s budget the mister of Finance removed duty and even VAT on machines meant for mining, which is a good thing.
And you expect some thing to happen in other sectors in forthcoming budget?
That what we have been informed by the minister. We highlighted this to him and he actually appreciates. We also know of the government’s initiative to create the Malawi Investment Fund to replace MDC. You recall tat there was talk about the Malawi Development Bank and now the idea is that we need the Malawi Investment Fund. And that is the government initiative. Government might not be the majority shareholder but the fact that government has started that initiative tells us that government is serious about providing specific assistance to some specific sectors of the economy.
In your assessment as a Chamber what are the potential areas that might assist the country’s economy to grow?
As a country we have a lot of potential and I think our companies just need to change their mindsets. Now that the economic management seems to be pointing in the right direction, I think that the areas that I mentioned earlier, in tobacco for instance, it is very expensive to have a number of tobacco plants but I think that is the way forward. We think that farmers should take a stake in processing plants because that is where there is more money and that would mean a lot of money would stay in Malawi and would not go outside. So we need a lot of activities at the higher level than just growing. Still talking about tobacco, our transport industry has to learn to get orderly because we got so much from South Africa. Those trucks that come here from South Africa are mostly the ones that transport tobacco to South Africa. And the reason is that it is much much cheaper because somebody has already paid for the truck to come into Malawi and they just need very little to cover the costs. Our businesses have to learn the tricks of doing that kind of businesses so that more of our transport companies can carry our goods to South Africa because they need to get more money. In technical terms you have to widen the value chain by going beyond what we are doing now to get more value into the system. We should stop at just producing, we need also to go into processing, and we need also to be transporting this. For tea, I think it is for the same we need more processing to be done here as tea manufacturing plant that would mean that there is more economic activity being done in Malawi. Those eight sectors that government and ourselves identified as having the potential to drive this economy forward are important ones but what is very key is that we should in each area move a little further within the value chain so that more activities are being done in Malawi other than outside and I think that is how we are going to move. Let’s move towards having textile plants, let’s move towards having our own garments companies that are sourcing materials from textile plants, lets have design companies because that’s how we would make money.
Looking at the listing on the local exchanger, our economy seems to be dominated by the financial sector other than the producing sector. Isn’t that a threat to the growth of manufacturing sector?
Looking at the figures, the most profitable sectors in Malawi one is the financial sector then the retail sector. Basically we are talking about service sectors. Those are the most profitable. And why are they most profitable and yet what we need is production and manufacturing in order to move forward. There are a number of reasons, One I think it’s because there is a bit of monopoly. Two, they benefit so much from government borrowing a lot from them. And since that stopped we can actually see the change now. They are trying to come with a little more products that they can offer to products. But you can notice that even right now they are focusing on lending from individuals rather than businesses. If you invest into a machine or commercial farming it will take three to four years for you to start making money out of it. That’s the nature of business
‘Nkadangokhudza’ and the reappearance of Lloyd Phiri
Reviewed by Emmanuel Luciano
Lloyd Phiri was one of the hottest gospel properties in the early 2000s before he went into self-incarceration in the United Kingdom. His debut album, Musagwedezeke, released in 2001, had the hit song Afuna Ulape that shook the edifice of the country’s gospel music to its core foundation.
Then there came Ndagwiritsa in 2003, whose Sitimasilira za Chikunja, was on the lips of all and sundry of the gospel music’s calling.
But that was about all we heard about the music of Lloyd Phiri. His brief absence, on the positive note, also allowed other artists to emerge.
The artist recently returned from exile and decided to re-launch his gospel career with a latest nine-track album, Nkadangokhudza.
Some of the songs in this album are drawn from biblical anecdotes. Chotsa Malonda (for the benefit of those who don’t know the Bible and those who belong to faiths other than Christianity) is taken the verse where Jesus is chasing the traders in the temple, saying:”…My house should be called a place of worship but you have turned it into a place where robbers hide.” (Mark 11.15-19.)
The title-track, Nkadongokhudza, proclaims the essence of having faith like the biblical lady who was sick for 12 years but was healed after touching Jesus’ clothes.
The song is somewhat appropriately rendered, but the originality of the artist is put to test because of the South African gospel beat that has been employed to accompany it.
Not only is the beat South African but the manner in which vocals are done is very much South African gospel music. Another good song that has been marred by the South African rhythm is Simfuna Zamasewera. Iwe bwera would remind many a listener of Afuna Ulape in terms of its rendition. Though these are not basically praise and worship songs thematically, the artist has included Worship Medley as a praise song.
If the Malawian gospel music is defined by the elements of South African gospel music that it incorporates, then well and good for our gospel music. But how should it be called Malawian gospel music when it sounds more South African? Save us the tired argument this time that the language of gospel music is universal.
Those who have time to follow the genesis of South African gospel music would testify that when Zionist Christian movements were spreading in the early part of
20th Century, they integrated South African musical elements into their worship, leading to the invention of South African gospel music forms (See Wikipedia Free Encyclopaedia).
The question that still remains unanswered, though, is what constitutes Malawian gospel music if everybody resorted to the South African Rhythm?
Lloyd Phiri might still be nursing a hangover of staying overseas but that is a question that he needs to muse over if he is to change the landscape of Malawian gospel music.
Recorded at Llohay Sound Control, the album is available for sale in all musical outlets.
Lloyd Phiri was one of the hottest gospel properties in the early 2000s before he went into self-incarceration in the United Kingdom. His debut album, Musagwedezeke, released in 2001, had the hit song Afuna Ulape that shook the edifice of the country’s gospel music to its core foundation.
Then there came Ndagwiritsa in 2003, whose Sitimasilira za Chikunja, was on the lips of all and sundry of the gospel music’s calling.
But that was about all we heard about the music of Lloyd Phiri. His brief absence, on the positive note, also allowed other artists to emerge.
The artist recently returned from exile and decided to re-launch his gospel career with a latest nine-track album, Nkadangokhudza.
Some of the songs in this album are drawn from biblical anecdotes. Chotsa Malonda (for the benefit of those who don’t know the Bible and those who belong to faiths other than Christianity) is taken the verse where Jesus is chasing the traders in the temple, saying:”…My house should be called a place of worship but you have turned it into a place where robbers hide.” (Mark 11.15-19.)
The title-track, Nkadongokhudza, proclaims the essence of having faith like the biblical lady who was sick for 12 years but was healed after touching Jesus’ clothes.
The song is somewhat appropriately rendered, but the originality of the artist is put to test because of the South African gospel beat that has been employed to accompany it.
Not only is the beat South African but the manner in which vocals are done is very much South African gospel music. Another good song that has been marred by the South African rhythm is Simfuna Zamasewera. Iwe bwera would remind many a listener of Afuna Ulape in terms of its rendition. Though these are not basically praise and worship songs thematically, the artist has included Worship Medley as a praise song.
If the Malawian gospel music is defined by the elements of South African gospel music that it incorporates, then well and good for our gospel music. But how should it be called Malawian gospel music when it sounds more South African? Save us the tired argument this time that the language of gospel music is universal.
Those who have time to follow the genesis of South African gospel music would testify that when Zionist Christian movements were spreading in the early part of
20th Century, they integrated South African musical elements into their worship, leading to the invention of South African gospel music forms (See Wikipedia Free Encyclopaedia).
The question that still remains unanswered, though, is what constitutes Malawian gospel music if everybody resorted to the South African Rhythm?
Lloyd Phiri might still be nursing a hangover of staying overseas but that is a question that he needs to muse over if he is to change the landscape of Malawian gospel music.
Recorded at Llohay Sound Control, the album is available for sale in all musical outlets.
Umodzi returns to stage
By Emmanuel Luciano
The once popular local drama outfit, Umodzi Drama Group, returns to stage with professor Emeritus Steve Chimombo’s Wachiona Ndani after years of absence on the theatrical scene.
Umodzi took the country’s theatrical arena by storm in the early 90s with its vernacular plays like Bawo wa Padenga, Chiphetsa, Akuwajika, and Mkwati wa Mtawuni.
But the group’s director Peter Kunje said they were staging Wachiona Ndani in secondary schools for assessment as the group had just acquired a copyright to put Wachiona Ndani on DVD.
“We thought of contributing to the revival of literature in the country by producing literature books into DVDs. We approached several publishing companies and one of them Dzuka gave us a copyright on Wachiona Ndani, which we have already staged in some secondary schools in the Lower Shire for assessment before we put it on DVD,” he said.
Kunje said the group, which has already taken the play to Bangula, Ngabu, Chikwawa, St Lawrence and Bangwe secondary schools would next week perform at Stella Maris, Blantyre and Kaphuka Secondary Schools.
The director also said shows had been earmarked for other venues like French Cultural Centre for an ordinary audience.
According to Kunje Wachiona Ndani, which has a cast of 15, revolves around the evils of gambling as encouraged by Abiti Selempani (Fanny Andersiki).
Kunje, who said the project also marked the return of the group to stage drama, took time to explain the group’s absence on stage.
“Umodzi had had so many contracts. We had the Safe Motherhood Project with the Ministry of Health, and then we had to produce a film, Nasibeko, for the Episcopal Conference of Malawi. The projects took a lot of our time but we are ready to give our fans the best,” he said.
The once popular local drama outfit, Umodzi Drama Group, returns to stage with professor Emeritus Steve Chimombo’s Wachiona Ndani after years of absence on the theatrical scene.
Umodzi took the country’s theatrical arena by storm in the early 90s with its vernacular plays like Bawo wa Padenga, Chiphetsa, Akuwajika, and Mkwati wa Mtawuni.
But the group’s director Peter Kunje said they were staging Wachiona Ndani in secondary schools for assessment as the group had just acquired a copyright to put Wachiona Ndani on DVD.
“We thought of contributing to the revival of literature in the country by producing literature books into DVDs. We approached several publishing companies and one of them Dzuka gave us a copyright on Wachiona Ndani, which we have already staged in some secondary schools in the Lower Shire for assessment before we put it on DVD,” he said.
Kunje said the group, which has already taken the play to Bangula, Ngabu, Chikwawa, St Lawrence and Bangwe secondary schools would next week perform at Stella Maris, Blantyre and Kaphuka Secondary Schools.
The director also said shows had been earmarked for other venues like French Cultural Centre for an ordinary audience.
According to Kunje Wachiona Ndani, which has a cast of 15, revolves around the evils of gambling as encouraged by Abiti Selempani (Fanny Andersiki).
Kunje, who said the project also marked the return of the group to stage drama, took time to explain the group’s absence on stage.
“Umodzi had had so many contracts. We had the Safe Motherhood Project with the Ministry of Health, and then we had to produce a film, Nasibeko, for the Episcopal Conference of Malawi. The projects took a lot of our time but we are ready to give our fans the best,” he said.
Curtain closing fast on stage drama
By Emmanuel Luciano
Du Chisiza Jnr, an icon of stage drama performed in English, graduated from the Association for the Teaching of English (Atem) competitions of old. So did most of his lieutenants who carried Du’s legacy after he had made his last bow on the stage of life.
The founders of non institutional drama done in vernacular like Frank Kunje of Umodzi Drama Group and the late Charles Severe of Kwathu Drama, recruited most of their members from church choirs that enacted the death of Jesus Christ during Easter or His birth during Christmas.
But decades after most of the pacesetters of stage theatre had exeunt the stage, local dramatists, as experts say, have always modelled their plays on the works of those founders. This, they say, has led to stagnation of stage drama.
Save for the few drama groups like Nanzikambe that have explored other dramatic forms like farce (This is light dramatic work in which highly improbable plot situations, exaggerated characters are used), most dramatists, as experts will have it, have been hit by stage-fright so much that they are conducting the dress-rehearsals of their better plays at the backstage and do not have the courage to open the curtain to the audience.
Head of Performing Arts Department and lecturer in drama, Joe Chimwenje, says there isn’t much that is happening in stage drama.
Chimwenje attributes to the stagnation of stage drama to various factors like lack of proper training and exposure.
“The standard of stage drama is not encouraging because artists have not been exposed to what is good theatre. People say there is a reservoir of talent. But that is raw talent, which has had no opportunity of being nurtured. Such talent can’t take drama to the next level.
The lecturer says if artists were exposed, people would see the differences in imagination and creativity that constitutes excellent theatre.
Chimwenje does not spare theatre-goers for the increase in the run-of-the mill plays.
“Theatre-goers have been fed on a menu of sub-standard theatre, that’s why they come up with comments that say ‘the play was good because it was realistic’. But, somehow, they can’t be blamed for praising ignorantly a play,” he says.
The print media, too, has met the wrath of Chimwenje: “I have no kind words for theatre reviews that merely regurgitate the story of the play but tell us nothing about the acting, the thematic expression, for instance. Theatre would not be helped by reviews that say the play was a blockbuster.
“If you went into the archives and got articles of Jika Nkolokosa or late Isaac Chirwa, you could see the kind of reviews that could rest the artistic production of performance on that basis of analysis,” he says.
The absence of strong scripts, for groups that do not use improvisation, has been catalogued as another reason why stage theatre has gone into the doldrums.
Rowland Mvundula’s scripts were a prototype of strong scripts that flooded stage theatre at its zenith according to Chimwenje who only cited Smith Likongwe as the best script writer presently.
Even Smith Likongwe himself acknowledges that artists’ orientation into drama has shaped their understanding of it.
“When a person grows up and watches drama, they know drama as wearing rags and cracking jokes as a result the actors tend to overact because they want people to laugh,” says Likongwe.
Likongwe says they are few theatre groups that know what they are doing like Nanzikambe hence they are able to bring other elements of drama into their plays.
Nanzikambe’s director Melissa Eveleigh says one of the challenges stage dramatists face in the country is lack of capacity to invest in developing talent.
“The problem is time and space to develop talent. To train somebody how to use the voice and body you need to have years of training just as you don’t expect someone to start playing the piano when they had not fully trained how to play it,” she says.
Eveleigh also says people have looked at theatre negatively: “People don’t respect the role theatre plays as a commentary about life. It doesn’t get the same respect it gets in Zimbabwe or South Africa,” she says
Founder of Umodzi Drama Group Frank Kunje blames the rigidity of the drama groups to how they espoused stage drama: “We were doing things because that’s the only way we were taught and oriented. But we should be exploring and including other elements of drama,” Kunje says.
The excuse groups often give for dwindling standards of stage theatre is lack of resources which, Chimwenje says, is no excuse at all.
“Financial and material resources on their own cannot not make good theatre. We need the artists to be imaginative and creative, and the rest would come on their own.
“People don’t know that theatre is very challenging, therefore, you have to continuously invest your time, discipline, and energy other than getting satisfied with one or two productions,” he says.
The drama lecturer says he is ware that people expect the University to play a very big role in improving stage drama.
“People ask what are you doing yourself? But if people want to learn, they should be willing to contact us because there is a lot that we are doing at Chancellor College but they are not exposed to people.
“If I teach from first to fourth year, I am not able to form a theatre company to act as a role model because my resources and time are constrained. But we can always assist when asked,” concludes Chimwenje.
The stage curtains may be fast drawing and the rehearsals at the backstage might be prolonged. But Chimwenje is hopeful that the stage-fright enveloping the cast would force them to be stage-struck so as to come up with imaginative plays soon.
Du Chisiza Jnr, an icon of stage drama performed in English, graduated from the Association for the Teaching of English (Atem) competitions of old. So did most of his lieutenants who carried Du’s legacy after he had made his last bow on the stage of life.
The founders of non institutional drama done in vernacular like Frank Kunje of Umodzi Drama Group and the late Charles Severe of Kwathu Drama, recruited most of their members from church choirs that enacted the death of Jesus Christ during Easter or His birth during Christmas.
But decades after most of the pacesetters of stage theatre had exeunt the stage, local dramatists, as experts say, have always modelled their plays on the works of those founders. This, they say, has led to stagnation of stage drama.
Save for the few drama groups like Nanzikambe that have explored other dramatic forms like farce (This is light dramatic work in which highly improbable plot situations, exaggerated characters are used), most dramatists, as experts will have it, have been hit by stage-fright so much that they are conducting the dress-rehearsals of their better plays at the backstage and do not have the courage to open the curtain to the audience.
Head of Performing Arts Department and lecturer in drama, Joe Chimwenje, says there isn’t much that is happening in stage drama.
Chimwenje attributes to the stagnation of stage drama to various factors like lack of proper training and exposure.
“The standard of stage drama is not encouraging because artists have not been exposed to what is good theatre. People say there is a reservoir of talent. But that is raw talent, which has had no opportunity of being nurtured. Such talent can’t take drama to the next level.
The lecturer says if artists were exposed, people would see the differences in imagination and creativity that constitutes excellent theatre.
Chimwenje does not spare theatre-goers for the increase in the run-of-the mill plays.
“Theatre-goers have been fed on a menu of sub-standard theatre, that’s why they come up with comments that say ‘the play was good because it was realistic’. But, somehow, they can’t be blamed for praising ignorantly a play,” he says.
The print media, too, has met the wrath of Chimwenje: “I have no kind words for theatre reviews that merely regurgitate the story of the play but tell us nothing about the acting, the thematic expression, for instance. Theatre would not be helped by reviews that say the play was a blockbuster.
“If you went into the archives and got articles of Jika Nkolokosa or late Isaac Chirwa, you could see the kind of reviews that could rest the artistic production of performance on that basis of analysis,” he says.
The absence of strong scripts, for groups that do not use improvisation, has been catalogued as another reason why stage theatre has gone into the doldrums.
Rowland Mvundula’s scripts were a prototype of strong scripts that flooded stage theatre at its zenith according to Chimwenje who only cited Smith Likongwe as the best script writer presently.
Even Smith Likongwe himself acknowledges that artists’ orientation into drama has shaped their understanding of it.
“When a person grows up and watches drama, they know drama as wearing rags and cracking jokes as a result the actors tend to overact because they want people to laugh,” says Likongwe.
Likongwe says they are few theatre groups that know what they are doing like Nanzikambe hence they are able to bring other elements of drama into their plays.
Nanzikambe’s director Melissa Eveleigh says one of the challenges stage dramatists face in the country is lack of capacity to invest in developing talent.
“The problem is time and space to develop talent. To train somebody how to use the voice and body you need to have years of training just as you don’t expect someone to start playing the piano when they had not fully trained how to play it,” she says.
Eveleigh also says people have looked at theatre negatively: “People don’t respect the role theatre plays as a commentary about life. It doesn’t get the same respect it gets in Zimbabwe or South Africa,” she says
Founder of Umodzi Drama Group Frank Kunje blames the rigidity of the drama groups to how they espoused stage drama: “We were doing things because that’s the only way we were taught and oriented. But we should be exploring and including other elements of drama,” Kunje says.
The excuse groups often give for dwindling standards of stage theatre is lack of resources which, Chimwenje says, is no excuse at all.
“Financial and material resources on their own cannot not make good theatre. We need the artists to be imaginative and creative, and the rest would come on their own.
“People don’t know that theatre is very challenging, therefore, you have to continuously invest your time, discipline, and energy other than getting satisfied with one or two productions,” he says.
The drama lecturer says he is ware that people expect the University to play a very big role in improving stage drama.
“People ask what are you doing yourself? But if people want to learn, they should be willing to contact us because there is a lot that we are doing at Chancellor College but they are not exposed to people.
“If I teach from first to fourth year, I am not able to form a theatre company to act as a role model because my resources and time are constrained. But we can always assist when asked,” concludes Chimwenje.
The stage curtains may be fast drawing and the rehearsals at the backstage might be prolonged. But Chimwenje is hopeful that the stage-fright enveloping the cast would force them to be stage-struck so as to come up with imaginative plays soon.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Govt to blame for not
Govt to blame for not
implementing budget—opposition
By Emmanuel Luciano
The opposition says government failure to implement the 2006/07 budget because of poor planning and instability in the civil service.
The opposition’s comments come in the wake of Malawi Economic Justice Network (Mejn) revelations that government had not fully implemented the budget’s Development Account, because of what it attributed to as low absorption capacity in the government civil service, a thing that led to ministries and government departments to under-spend.
But UDF’s Economic Advisor Friday Jumbe said some government departments lacked budget implementation capacity because there was no staff to do the work.
“It’s is justifiable to say that certain departments lack implementation capacity. For instance government was supposed to build four secondary schools in areas like Dedza and Blantyre, but how can they implement projects when they keep on moving staff from one ministry to another?” Jumbe asked.
The UDF Economic Advisor also said he was not satisfied with the way the entire 2006/07 budget was implemented.
“I am not satisfied with the way we have handled this budget. We have not made available drugs in our hospitals when money was allocated. I am not talking about Nac drugs which are funded by the donors here.
“We have also not been able to provide teaching and learning materials and they only tendered for those materials last month. The University of Malawi was given money to repair its decaying infrastructure but up to now nothing has been done. True, there are administrative hiccups, donors are bureaucratic but that is no excuse” he said.
He, however, said the government should not sit on the laurels of bringing fiscal discipline but should do more for its citizens.
“They say they have brought fiscal discipline, inflation rate has gone down, debt has been cancelled but the biggest challenge this government faces is transforming that economic growth to economic well-being of its citizenry,” he said.
Peoples Progressive Movement’s vice president Mark Katsonga said civil servants’ low absorption capacity was no excuse for government’s failure to implement the budget.
“The budget is prepared by government not parliament and it should be able to implement it. Civil servants have been there ever since. But how many times have they transferred principal secretaries? How many times have they unjustifiably fired civil servants? It is the politicians in government’s fault because the few remaining performers are being transferred before they are settled and know their jobs.
“What I know is that the period for one to settle is three months for junior officers and six months for directors and Principal Secretaries yet most of the PSs have stayed there for less than three months. We need stability in the civil service. We need proper planning,” Katsonga said.
MCP vice president Nicholas Dausi said government should not put in the budget things that cannot be implemented.
“It is government that does the allocation, the tabulation and the planning of the budget. If they say they will drill 400 boreholes, build so many schools if they can’t do that then why put that in the budget,” said Dausi.
But Democratic Progressive Party spokesperson Hetherwick Ntaba said it was wrong for the opposition to think that projects could be done within one financial year.
“The issue of developmental projects is an on going thing. To say that all projects can be implemented within one financial year is madness. This should be coming from those who have never been in government like Aford or PPM but if it is coming from UDF then it is unfortunate,” Ntaba said.
Ntaba said government has the capacity to implement the budget as evidenced in the fact that there I always an element of over-expenditure.
implementing budget—opposition
By Emmanuel Luciano
The opposition says government failure to implement the 2006/07 budget because of poor planning and instability in the civil service.
The opposition’s comments come in the wake of Malawi Economic Justice Network (Mejn) revelations that government had not fully implemented the budget’s Development Account, because of what it attributed to as low absorption capacity in the government civil service, a thing that led to ministries and government departments to under-spend.
But UDF’s Economic Advisor Friday Jumbe said some government departments lacked budget implementation capacity because there was no staff to do the work.
“It’s is justifiable to say that certain departments lack implementation capacity. For instance government was supposed to build four secondary schools in areas like Dedza and Blantyre, but how can they implement projects when they keep on moving staff from one ministry to another?” Jumbe asked.
The UDF Economic Advisor also said he was not satisfied with the way the entire 2006/07 budget was implemented.
“I am not satisfied with the way we have handled this budget. We have not made available drugs in our hospitals when money was allocated. I am not talking about Nac drugs which are funded by the donors here.
“We have also not been able to provide teaching and learning materials and they only tendered for those materials last month. The University of Malawi was given money to repair its decaying infrastructure but up to now nothing has been done. True, there are administrative hiccups, donors are bureaucratic but that is no excuse” he said.
He, however, said the government should not sit on the laurels of bringing fiscal discipline but should do more for its citizens.
“They say they have brought fiscal discipline, inflation rate has gone down, debt has been cancelled but the biggest challenge this government faces is transforming that economic growth to economic well-being of its citizenry,” he said.
Peoples Progressive Movement’s vice president Mark Katsonga said civil servants’ low absorption capacity was no excuse for government’s failure to implement the budget.
“The budget is prepared by government not parliament and it should be able to implement it. Civil servants have been there ever since. But how many times have they transferred principal secretaries? How many times have they unjustifiably fired civil servants? It is the politicians in government’s fault because the few remaining performers are being transferred before they are settled and know their jobs.
“What I know is that the period for one to settle is three months for junior officers and six months for directors and Principal Secretaries yet most of the PSs have stayed there for less than three months. We need stability in the civil service. We need proper planning,” Katsonga said.
MCP vice president Nicholas Dausi said government should not put in the budget things that cannot be implemented.
“It is government that does the allocation, the tabulation and the planning of the budget. If they say they will drill 400 boreholes, build so many schools if they can’t do that then why put that in the budget,” said Dausi.
But Democratic Progressive Party spokesperson Hetherwick Ntaba said it was wrong for the opposition to think that projects could be done within one financial year.
“The issue of developmental projects is an on going thing. To say that all projects can be implemented within one financial year is madness. This should be coming from those who have never been in government like Aford or PPM but if it is coming from UDF then it is unfortunate,” Ntaba said.
Ntaba said government has the capacity to implement the budget as evidenced in the fact that there I always an element of over-expenditure.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Billiiti's review
The case of ‘child musician’ and
Dyson Billiati’s ‘Timange Chimodzi’
Reviewed by Emmanuel Luciano
The story of the teenager musician Dyson Billiati’s rise to stardom has been written again and again. That his music is no different to that of the majority of the country’s most revered of musicians is common knowledge.
Dyson’s music career is an interesting one; it resurrected in some quarters the debate that Millela Nkhoma, a teenager who at one time played with Alleluya Band, precipitated: ‘What qualifies one to be called a musician.’ Is there a prescribed age which everyone must reach before they are called musicians? Is it the maturity with which one handles their work of art?
When some ‘concerned citizens’ chided Millela Nkhoma for ‘jeopardising her studies’ with her music exploits one thing that came out clearly from that furore was that there are different views on what should be the rightful time for one to enter into music.
But in art somebody’s age doesn’t mean anything. Being young does not necessarily mean you cannot tackle larger than life issues. In art you can be a grown up in spite of your age. Dyson would not have made a name for himself had he waited until he reached adulthood for him to launch his music career. Perhaps the drive he has for music would have wilted by the time he reached adulthood.
The teenager’s debut album Dziko was testimony that he sees the world through the eyes of somebody who has been on earth for so many years. And his latest album Timange Chimodzi demonstrates more maturity.
In David Banda he censures non government organisations that were in the forefront trying to prevent Madonna from adopting baby David: Mukanakhala inu mukadasangalala ndi donation/…David wakweza mbendela ya Malawi/…musiyeni mwana watola chikwama. Dyson is not too young not to notice the apparent political impasse present in the country. In the title-track Timange Chimodzi he calls upon the UDF, DPP, MCP and Aford to work together for the good of the nation. Departing from his usual pluck-pluck kind of reggae, in Njala Yavuta he aims his wrath at traditional chiefs, who were selling fertiliser coupons denying the deserving poor a chance.
The only problem ‘child artists’ have is demonstrated when it comes to issues of believability. In this case one might ask: what authority does this child have to talk about love like in Babie Come Back, when he knows nothing about love? But the voice of reason in songs does not necessarily reflect the life of the musician himself; therefore, the artist has mandate to comment on any topic. The artist has potential to become a bigtime one but he needs somebody guide him so that his talent is properly nurtured his talent to avoid him becoming another case of promising talent never exploited. There is nothing like a child musician as such he needs to improve on his lyrics. You wouldn’t want to listen to the hush- hush kind of songs all day.
The album is available for sale at O.G. Issa
Dyson Billiati’s ‘Timange Chimodzi’
Reviewed by Emmanuel Luciano
The story of the teenager musician Dyson Billiati’s rise to stardom has been written again and again. That his music is no different to that of the majority of the country’s most revered of musicians is common knowledge.
Dyson’s music career is an interesting one; it resurrected in some quarters the debate that Millela Nkhoma, a teenager who at one time played with Alleluya Band, precipitated: ‘What qualifies one to be called a musician.’ Is there a prescribed age which everyone must reach before they are called musicians? Is it the maturity with which one handles their work of art?
When some ‘concerned citizens’ chided Millela Nkhoma for ‘jeopardising her studies’ with her music exploits one thing that came out clearly from that furore was that there are different views on what should be the rightful time for one to enter into music.
But in art somebody’s age doesn’t mean anything. Being young does not necessarily mean you cannot tackle larger than life issues. In art you can be a grown up in spite of your age. Dyson would not have made a name for himself had he waited until he reached adulthood for him to launch his music career. Perhaps the drive he has for music would have wilted by the time he reached adulthood.
The teenager’s debut album Dziko was testimony that he sees the world through the eyes of somebody who has been on earth for so many years. And his latest album Timange Chimodzi demonstrates more maturity.
In David Banda he censures non government organisations that were in the forefront trying to prevent Madonna from adopting baby David: Mukanakhala inu mukadasangalala ndi donation/…David wakweza mbendela ya Malawi/…musiyeni mwana watola chikwama. Dyson is not too young not to notice the apparent political impasse present in the country. In the title-track Timange Chimodzi he calls upon the UDF, DPP, MCP and Aford to work together for the good of the nation. Departing from his usual pluck-pluck kind of reggae, in Njala Yavuta he aims his wrath at traditional chiefs, who were selling fertiliser coupons denying the deserving poor a chance.
The only problem ‘child artists’ have is demonstrated when it comes to issues of believability. In this case one might ask: what authority does this child have to talk about love like in Babie Come Back, when he knows nothing about love? But the voice of reason in songs does not necessarily reflect the life of the musician himself; therefore, the artist has mandate to comment on any topic. The artist has potential to become a bigtime one but he needs somebody guide him so that his talent is properly nurtured his talent to avoid him becoming another case of promising talent never exploited. There is nothing like a child musician as such he needs to improve on his lyrics. You wouldn’t want to listen to the hush- hush kind of songs all day.
The album is available for sale at O.G. Issa
Skeffa Chimoto's review
Skeffa’s sings about life in ‘Nabola Moyo’
Reviewed by: Emmanuel Luciano
Lawrence Mbenjere’s Sewere is topping music sales in the country followed by Skeffa Chimoto’s Nabola Moyo. At least we know who Mbenjere is and how he has reached this far in music. But Skeffa Chimoto? I had not heard of the guy neither were I aware of his music. The only time I learnt that there was Skeffa Chimoto was when I discovered that his album was competing fairly with Mbenjere’s Sewere on the music market.
Interestingly, the ten-track Nabola Moyo is not the artist’s debut album, his first attempt to venture into music culminated in Wekha, an album, which by the artist’s own admission, was a flop. It was just as good as the album never existed at all.
Listening to Nabola Moyo, one might be tempted to say that the 25-year-old’s willpower to turn one’s failures into successes has paid dividends.
You get the impression that this time around the artist, who comes from Nkhotakota but stays in Lilongwe, got right everything he initially got wrong in Wekha. This time around he decided to concentrate on the music that would appeal to the emotions of many people; music that explores the intricacies of day to day life.
The strength of the album dwells in the creatively woven and consummate vocals. But that does not mean the sounds are badly mixed. In Chabodza, he tackles the vanity of love that is stirred by money in a rhythm that is more of Mozambican Passada but in vocals that would also remind one of Albert Khoza rendition of Akunenepa Nako.
In Musiyeni, he employs a Balaka reggae beat though in the manner that one would suggest it is Gift Fumulani of Chileka who is behind the microphone not Skeffa. Musiyeni is also the song that carries the message that would make those in misery happy. It stresses the fact that God does not segregate against anyone whether rich or poor, leader or follower.
The ultimate reggae song Chikondi was ordinarily handled. The song brings some kind of imbalance as it reduces the strength of the lyrics that make the album outstanding. The artist should have done better other than coming up with a song that every Jim and Jack would have conceived. But when all is said and done, those who are rushing for the copies of Nabola Moyo must have noted how good the artist is for them to fork out their money for a copy or two.
Other tracks in the album include a love song Usamasowe, Nabola Moyo the title-track, wedding song Tiye Darling and Ulesi.
Recorded and mixed at Studio Eclypse in Lilongwe, the album is available at O.G. Issa and other music outlets in the country.
Reviewed by: Emmanuel Luciano
Lawrence Mbenjere’s Sewere is topping music sales in the country followed by Skeffa Chimoto’s Nabola Moyo. At least we know who Mbenjere is and how he has reached this far in music. But Skeffa Chimoto? I had not heard of the guy neither were I aware of his music. The only time I learnt that there was Skeffa Chimoto was when I discovered that his album was competing fairly with Mbenjere’s Sewere on the music market.
Interestingly, the ten-track Nabola Moyo is not the artist’s debut album, his first attempt to venture into music culminated in Wekha, an album, which by the artist’s own admission, was a flop. It was just as good as the album never existed at all.
Listening to Nabola Moyo, one might be tempted to say that the 25-year-old’s willpower to turn one’s failures into successes has paid dividends.
You get the impression that this time around the artist, who comes from Nkhotakota but stays in Lilongwe, got right everything he initially got wrong in Wekha. This time around he decided to concentrate on the music that would appeal to the emotions of many people; music that explores the intricacies of day to day life.
The strength of the album dwells in the creatively woven and consummate vocals. But that does not mean the sounds are badly mixed. In Chabodza, he tackles the vanity of love that is stirred by money in a rhythm that is more of Mozambican Passada but in vocals that would also remind one of Albert Khoza rendition of Akunenepa Nako.
In Musiyeni, he employs a Balaka reggae beat though in the manner that one would suggest it is Gift Fumulani of Chileka who is behind the microphone not Skeffa. Musiyeni is also the song that carries the message that would make those in misery happy. It stresses the fact that God does not segregate against anyone whether rich or poor, leader or follower.
The ultimate reggae song Chikondi was ordinarily handled. The song brings some kind of imbalance as it reduces the strength of the lyrics that make the album outstanding. The artist should have done better other than coming up with a song that every Jim and Jack would have conceived. But when all is said and done, those who are rushing for the copies of Nabola Moyo must have noted how good the artist is for them to fork out their money for a copy or two.
Other tracks in the album include a love song Usamasowe, Nabola Moyo the title-track, wedding song Tiye Darling and Ulesi.
Recorded and mixed at Studio Eclypse in Lilongwe, the album is available at O.G. Issa and other music outlets in the country.
Review of Mumaganiza bwanji
When everyone turns to music:
A look at ‘Mumaganiza Bwanji?’
Reviewed by Emmanuel Luciano
Every time a new artist is born, the artistic world rejoices because is also signifies the growth of the artistic realm in which the ‘fresh faces’ would be playing their trade. Of all the artistic fields one might catalogue, it is only the music field that is being flooded by the so-called ‘raw talent’.
Almost every Jim and Jack would want to become a musician because they saw their neighbour, friend, and brother, who had hitherto not played any instrument let alone have any background in music, making fortunes in music after cutting an album or two.
While it is for the good of the music industry that now and again there are new people who want to make it big joining the music industry, it becomes worrying to the same industry when it is always experimental artists--- who just want to make quick bucks----that are seen joining the industry other than people who have the passion for music.
The qualities of experimental artists are all there for everybody to see. They have nothing new to offer, they come up with a kind of music that you are likely to liken to some already established artist, thematically they have no substance and above all they do a substandard and hushed job just to get on to the market.
Lemuson Matemba’s debut 10-track album Mumaganiza Bwanji would help extrapolate the experimental-passionate artists’ dichotomy. Here is an artist who has released an album whose subject-matter is just too familiar. Basically the message in the album censures the society on infidelity, reminding it of the dangers of Aids. Kusasukwa kwa Mudzi with its beautiful instrumentation, is a song that paints a picture of the devastating nature of the disease: Matendawa a fika pa chimake/ ku school a phunzitsi kulibe.
The title-track Mumaganiza Bwanji is stylistically closer to Charles Nsaku while Tisakangane would be seen as another rendition of Chibade though with poor vocals. Zisinthe, a song whose title alone would raise the hopes of UDF supporters before disappointing them after listening to the entire song, has all the attributes of a well-rendered song with an empty message.
Done in local reggae, the album’s perceivable greatest weakness is its lack of cohesion. You have one song that is on high and all over sudden you encounter a song that is very much on low. The artist should have taken his time to polish his songs before rushing to the studio with them. He might not be an experimental artist but you get the impression that he belongs to that category if you follow his music. But good artists always prove critics wrong and this should spur the artist to improve both thematically and stylistically.
Realistically not all promising artists who delve into music come to realise their potential. Others, promising as they were, fade and stagnate with the passage of time while others go on to shake the world by making themselves real stars. Hopefully Matemba would one day become a big artist after all we are always learning daily.
A look at ‘Mumaganiza Bwanji?’
Reviewed by Emmanuel Luciano
Every time a new artist is born, the artistic world rejoices because is also signifies the growth of the artistic realm in which the ‘fresh faces’ would be playing their trade. Of all the artistic fields one might catalogue, it is only the music field that is being flooded by the so-called ‘raw talent’.
Almost every Jim and Jack would want to become a musician because they saw their neighbour, friend, and brother, who had hitherto not played any instrument let alone have any background in music, making fortunes in music after cutting an album or two.
While it is for the good of the music industry that now and again there are new people who want to make it big joining the music industry, it becomes worrying to the same industry when it is always experimental artists--- who just want to make quick bucks----that are seen joining the industry other than people who have the passion for music.
The qualities of experimental artists are all there for everybody to see. They have nothing new to offer, they come up with a kind of music that you are likely to liken to some already established artist, thematically they have no substance and above all they do a substandard and hushed job just to get on to the market.
Lemuson Matemba’s debut 10-track album Mumaganiza Bwanji would help extrapolate the experimental-passionate artists’ dichotomy. Here is an artist who has released an album whose subject-matter is just too familiar. Basically the message in the album censures the society on infidelity, reminding it of the dangers of Aids. Kusasukwa kwa Mudzi with its beautiful instrumentation, is a song that paints a picture of the devastating nature of the disease: Matendawa a fika pa chimake/ ku school a phunzitsi kulibe.
The title-track Mumaganiza Bwanji is stylistically closer to Charles Nsaku while Tisakangane would be seen as another rendition of Chibade though with poor vocals. Zisinthe, a song whose title alone would raise the hopes of UDF supporters before disappointing them after listening to the entire song, has all the attributes of a well-rendered song with an empty message.
Done in local reggae, the album’s perceivable greatest weakness is its lack of cohesion. You have one song that is on high and all over sudden you encounter a song that is very much on low. The artist should have taken his time to polish his songs before rushing to the studio with them. He might not be an experimental artist but you get the impression that he belongs to that category if you follow his music. But good artists always prove critics wrong and this should spur the artist to improve both thematically and stylistically.
Realistically not all promising artists who delve into music come to realise their potential. Others, promising as they were, fade and stagnate with the passage of time while others go on to shake the world by making themselves real stars. Hopefully Matemba would one day become a big artist after all we are always learning daily.
Review of Favoured Sisters
Favoured Sisters’s praise songs in Kulambila 1
Reviewed by Emmanuel Luciano
The name Favoured Sisters would anger those who subscribe to the notion that God is all loving. The all loving God does not discriminate against anybody as He treats everyone equally. The case of having the selected few, therefore, does not exist in the concept of the ‘all loving God’.
But the Gospel Duo of Mwai Kalokesya and Martha Pingasa would tell you that their settling for the name of Favoured Sisters does not imply that the message in their music is also meant for the selected few. In their debut 10-ten track album Kulambila 1, the duo propagates a message of love, unquestioned faith and the need for people to be morally upright. These are also themes that the Bible accentuates.
Listening to Munandidziwa one gets the impression that the artists derived their name from this praise song, which gives reasons why God’s name ought to be exalted: …mutamandike mbuye ndinu nokha/.. mwandikondera mosayenera… .
From the general South African gospel beat in Moyo Wanga, and Munadziwa, the artists switch to reggae in I got the Reason and Chitileni Chifundo before shifting again to Rhumba of DRC in Yesu ndi Wanga.
The wavering of the artists from reggae to Rhumba is an indication that they are still experimenting on the sounds that should accompany their songs. They are yet to find their identity.
Thanthwe, the popular song that is lifted from the hymn book, is rendered in swinging rhythms of Jazz that beautifully pronounces the flute and percussions. But it is the vocals that betray the beauty of the instrumentation. The vocals do not match the pace of the seeming smooth Jazz beat. The artists should have done better on the vocals considering that the song is popular and has been done by various artists before.
Gospel might appear an easier genre to tackle because its themes are not as complex as those of secular. But the apparent simplicity of gospel subject-matter also makes it a difficult genre for artists who want to be different from the rest.
It is not easy to come up with lyrics that go beyond mere praise worshipping and chorusing. Most artist in gospel tend to give their listeners songs that were either lifted from the hymn book or were derived from the Bible, which explains why artists appear to repeat each other. The Favoured Sisters as new gospel entrants have a huge task of composing songs that would stand the test of time. Otherwise being ‘new kids on the block’ they have done fairly well to produce an album that has compelling sounds. They have potential to do well, hopefully their potentiality would be realised.
The album that was recorded at PC Studios is available for sale in all music outlets throughout the country.
Reviewed by Emmanuel Luciano
The name Favoured Sisters would anger those who subscribe to the notion that God is all loving. The all loving God does not discriminate against anybody as He treats everyone equally. The case of having the selected few, therefore, does not exist in the concept of the ‘all loving God’.
But the Gospel Duo of Mwai Kalokesya and Martha Pingasa would tell you that their settling for the name of Favoured Sisters does not imply that the message in their music is also meant for the selected few. In their debut 10-ten track album Kulambila 1, the duo propagates a message of love, unquestioned faith and the need for people to be morally upright. These are also themes that the Bible accentuates.
Listening to Munandidziwa one gets the impression that the artists derived their name from this praise song, which gives reasons why God’s name ought to be exalted: …mutamandike mbuye ndinu nokha/.. mwandikondera mosayenera… .
From the general South African gospel beat in Moyo Wanga, and Munadziwa, the artists switch to reggae in I got the Reason and Chitileni Chifundo before shifting again to Rhumba of DRC in Yesu ndi Wanga.
The wavering of the artists from reggae to Rhumba is an indication that they are still experimenting on the sounds that should accompany their songs. They are yet to find their identity.
Thanthwe, the popular song that is lifted from the hymn book, is rendered in swinging rhythms of Jazz that beautifully pronounces the flute and percussions. But it is the vocals that betray the beauty of the instrumentation. The vocals do not match the pace of the seeming smooth Jazz beat. The artists should have done better on the vocals considering that the song is popular and has been done by various artists before.
Gospel might appear an easier genre to tackle because its themes are not as complex as those of secular. But the apparent simplicity of gospel subject-matter also makes it a difficult genre for artists who want to be different from the rest.
It is not easy to come up with lyrics that go beyond mere praise worshipping and chorusing. Most artist in gospel tend to give their listeners songs that were either lifted from the hymn book or were derived from the Bible, which explains why artists appear to repeat each other. The Favoured Sisters as new gospel entrants have a huge task of composing songs that would stand the test of time. Otherwise being ‘new kids on the block’ they have done fairly well to produce an album that has compelling sounds. They have potential to do well, hopefully their potentiality would be realised.
The album that was recorded at PC Studios is available for sale in all music outlets throughout the country.
From deforestation to nourishment: The tale of Bernard Madeya
By Emmanuel Luciano
THIS zoologist is very unlike most of his zoologist friends. He is not bothered about trying to discover new information about living things. He doesn’t conduct research on animals and you won’t see him dissecting animals either.
He doesn’t work in the zoo though he raises some chickens, rabbits and breeds some fish, too. You are likely to bump into him at Chibuku taverns collecting packets of the opaque beer when he is not tending plants in his orchard. He uses the packets to plant seeds of fruits he collects.
Ndirande-based Bernard Madeya is an India trained zoologist, who says he wants to make a difference with the seedlings from his orchard.
Madeya says he wants to change both the landscape of the country and the health of the orphans with the project he has embarked on.
He wants to help willing schools and orphanages to be food self-sufficient by establishing orchards at no cost at all.
This, according to Madeya, would not only make the children learn how to grow plants and raise food but also make them like their environment and see the need to conserve it.
“Children must be taught to love their environment and with this kind of project they will have a mentality to preserve trees. It does not end at producing food only,” says Madeya.
Feed The Children Malawi, formerly Cheshire Homes, is just a kilometre from Madeya’s orchard and home. The organisation that rehabilitates disabled children has already benefited from Madeya’s orchard.
The institution received an assortment of banana, paw-paw, Mexican apple, avocado pear, and mango fruit trees.
An orphanage in Chiwembe in the city of Blantyre has already expressed desire to have an orchard just as Feed the Children Malawi have done.
Born in 1961, Madeya left Malawi for Zimbabwe to live with his grand parents when he was just five years old because his parents had divorced. He was once conscripted in the army of a British colonial government of Ian Smith.
He got a scholarship to study zoology from India where he stayed for three years. He returned to Malawi in 2005 after the demise of his father to take over the control of Sigidi Art Technical School.
” When my father died in 2004, he left an art- oriented technical school where he was training youngsters to manufacture artifacts like curios. He would sell them in large quantities to countries like Botswana and South Africa. But that was encouraging deforestation.”
Bernard did not appreciate his father’s project and he decided to do something instead.
“I know the dangers of deforestation because, my father was not environment conscious and was illiterate but I want to be different and supportive,” says Madeya.
“The best gift one would give to orphans and school- going children is nutritious food, which would enable them to concentrate in whatever they do and also develop into productive citizens”
And to turn orphans into productive healthy citizens, Madeya says, he does not need to spend a lot.
“I can sort out the plants for my nursery. All what is required is that the school or an orphanage has to look after the plants. If they need tools or chemicals I can always assist.”
The scholarship he got to study zoology opened his eyes and motivated him to develop orchards, he says.
“My three years of training as a professional zoologist made me realise that you can’t talk about animals without talking about the environment they live in.”
The establishment of orchards in orphanages and schools would be a stepping stone towards the diversification of his initiative. This, he says, would generate the institutions revenue.
“If people can like the plants they will be able to support animals. This is a project that can be diversified into other related projects like vegetable farming, fish ponds, and poultry for institutions that are keen,”
Bernard wants to erect a greenhouse that would readily supply seedlings to orphanages and schools.
“This greenhouse, which I am going to build behind my house, will be important in my project. It would enable me supply the orphanages with plants.”
Billy Dingaliro, Livelihood Projects Officer of Feed the Children Malawi says the orchard they started with the help of Bernard would help them reduce costs on fruits.
“Rehabilitation process of disabled children includes making sure that they are not malnourished. Therefore, we buy fruits daily but they are expensive. But this fruit trees will eventually reduce those costs.”
The projects officer says his organisation did not consider opening an orchard as an option before Madeya brought his idea forward.
“We received other trees from the Wildlife Society of Malawi which we planted on the land we have. But when he [Madeya] came and sold us his idea we liked it because it will benefit us a lot,” he says.
THIS zoologist is very unlike most of his zoologist friends. He is not bothered about trying to discover new information about living things. He doesn’t conduct research on animals and you won’t see him dissecting animals either.
He doesn’t work in the zoo though he raises some chickens, rabbits and breeds some fish, too. You are likely to bump into him at Chibuku taverns collecting packets of the opaque beer when he is not tending plants in his orchard. He uses the packets to plant seeds of fruits he collects.
Ndirande-based Bernard Madeya is an India trained zoologist, who says he wants to make a difference with the seedlings from his orchard.
Madeya says he wants to change both the landscape of the country and the health of the orphans with the project he has embarked on.
He wants to help willing schools and orphanages to be food self-sufficient by establishing orchards at no cost at all.
This, according to Madeya, would not only make the children learn how to grow plants and raise food but also make them like their environment and see the need to conserve it.
“Children must be taught to love their environment and with this kind of project they will have a mentality to preserve trees. It does not end at producing food only,” says Madeya.
Feed The Children Malawi, formerly Cheshire Homes, is just a kilometre from Madeya’s orchard and home. The organisation that rehabilitates disabled children has already benefited from Madeya’s orchard.
The institution received an assortment of banana, paw-paw, Mexican apple, avocado pear, and mango fruit trees.
An orphanage in Chiwembe in the city of Blantyre has already expressed desire to have an orchard just as Feed the Children Malawi have done.
Born in 1961, Madeya left Malawi for Zimbabwe to live with his grand parents when he was just five years old because his parents had divorced. He was once conscripted in the army of a British colonial government of Ian Smith.
He got a scholarship to study zoology from India where he stayed for three years. He returned to Malawi in 2005 after the demise of his father to take over the control of Sigidi Art Technical School.
” When my father died in 2004, he left an art- oriented technical school where he was training youngsters to manufacture artifacts like curios. He would sell them in large quantities to countries like Botswana and South Africa. But that was encouraging deforestation.”
Bernard did not appreciate his father’s project and he decided to do something instead.
“I know the dangers of deforestation because, my father was not environment conscious and was illiterate but I want to be different and supportive,” says Madeya.
“The best gift one would give to orphans and school- going children is nutritious food, which would enable them to concentrate in whatever they do and also develop into productive citizens”
And to turn orphans into productive healthy citizens, Madeya says, he does not need to spend a lot.
“I can sort out the plants for my nursery. All what is required is that the school or an orphanage has to look after the plants. If they need tools or chemicals I can always assist.”
The scholarship he got to study zoology opened his eyes and motivated him to develop orchards, he says.
“My three years of training as a professional zoologist made me realise that you can’t talk about animals without talking about the environment they live in.”
The establishment of orchards in orphanages and schools would be a stepping stone towards the diversification of his initiative. This, he says, would generate the institutions revenue.
“If people can like the plants they will be able to support animals. This is a project that can be diversified into other related projects like vegetable farming, fish ponds, and poultry for institutions that are keen,”
Bernard wants to erect a greenhouse that would readily supply seedlings to orphanages and schools.
“This greenhouse, which I am going to build behind my house, will be important in my project. It would enable me supply the orphanages with plants.”
Billy Dingaliro, Livelihood Projects Officer of Feed the Children Malawi says the orchard they started with the help of Bernard would help them reduce costs on fruits.
“Rehabilitation process of disabled children includes making sure that they are not malnourished. Therefore, we buy fruits daily but they are expensive. But this fruit trees will eventually reduce those costs.”
The projects officer says his organisation did not consider opening an orchard as an option before Madeya brought his idea forward.
“We received other trees from the Wildlife Society of Malawi which we planted on the land we have. But when he [Madeya] came and sold us his idea we liked it because it will benefit us a lot,” he says.
CBOs blame Nac for stalling fight against HIV/Aids
CBOs blame Nac for stalling fight against HIV/Aids
By Emmanuel Luciano
Some Community based organisations (CBOs) in the country say National Aids Commission (Nac) is putting lives of thousands of people at risk by either delaying funding or for not funding them at all.
The CBOs say they are losing the battle to combat HIV/Aids in their areas because they do not have resources to operate with.
Malawi News random survey showed that several Community based organisations in the country stopped operating last year because Nac has not funded them.
In Nkhotakota, for instance, Nac has not honoured the District Implementation Plan, despite being in the last quarter of the 2006/07 fiscal year. This has resulted in over 40 CBOs in Nkhotakota staying over a year without carrying out any activity.
Vice board chair of Chanzi CBO Kennedy Njakama said their clients felt stigmatised because they no longer receive home-based care.
“The goals, which we set to fight HIV / Aids, cannot be achieved if we are failing to provide nutritious food to over 818 clients. Even if they receive ARVs they need to have proper food which we used to provide.
“There is totally no home-based care, we cannot conduct HIV/ Aids awareness and we cannot even take care of the orphans,” said Njakama.
Njakama said they abandoned a project, which assisted over 1000 children due to lack of funding. He, however, said the problem has not affected Chanzi CBO alone in the district.
Public relations officer of Nkhotakota Youth Alive Support Organisation, Victor Mwalule said his organisation, which was last funded in 2005, could no longer cater for over 1000 people they used to serve.
“We had an orphanage where we supported about 300 orphans. We were conducting peer education but we stopped. We also had a drama group for our awareness campaign that is now dead. But when we write proposals for funding they take their time to respond,” said Mwalule.
Nkhotakota District Social Welfare Officer Goodwell Kalimanjira said his assembly is still waiting to receive K84 million from Nac to enable over 40 CBOs carry out their activities.
“We are in the last quarter of the 2006/07 fiscal year but our District Implementation Plan has not yet been honoured despite its approval last year. It’s like the Assembly is deliberately frustrating these CBOs but it is not our fault because we solely rely on NAC,” Kalimanjira said.
Nkhotakota District Aids Coordinator Cedrick Kwizombwe said the funding problem has also slowed down the implementation of the HIV/Aids functions in the public sector.
Chiradzulu District Social Welfare Officer Mike Maulidi said over 30 CBOs had not yet received funding in the district.
“According to the proposals we put forward, there are remaining trenches of funding to be received. For instance we haven’t yet paid school fees for many students despite submitting the proposal last year,” he said.
But Nac’s executive director Dr. Bizwick Mwale said there are several processes that have to be followed before CBOs receive funding.
“Some CBOs have problems to account for money. So, if they delay to account, I will also delay because I have to account for that money to the donors, who also have to account for it to their respective parliaments.
“The number of CBOs has also grown. When this programme started we had less than 1000 CBOs. But you have to look at the availability of the money itself. You also have to carry out a verification process which means that you have to visit the group village headmen to see whether that CBO really exists. Once the verification process, the proposal review and justification process has been made we speed up the process of releasing funding,” Mwale said.
The executive director said his organisation had simplified the proposal to speed the process of funding CBOs.
“Some CBOs want money as soon as yesterday. I wish I had money that I could throw but we are trying our best, the assemblies are trying their best, and they [CBOs] should also try their best. They need to be accountable themselves,” he said.
Nac suspended funding to several CBOs in the country for allegedly failing to properly account for the money they received from it.
By Emmanuel Luciano
Some Community based organisations (CBOs) in the country say National Aids Commission (Nac) is putting lives of thousands of people at risk by either delaying funding or for not funding them at all.
The CBOs say they are losing the battle to combat HIV/Aids in their areas because they do not have resources to operate with.
Malawi News random survey showed that several Community based organisations in the country stopped operating last year because Nac has not funded them.
In Nkhotakota, for instance, Nac has not honoured the District Implementation Plan, despite being in the last quarter of the 2006/07 fiscal year. This has resulted in over 40 CBOs in Nkhotakota staying over a year without carrying out any activity.
Vice board chair of Chanzi CBO Kennedy Njakama said their clients felt stigmatised because they no longer receive home-based care.
“The goals, which we set to fight HIV / Aids, cannot be achieved if we are failing to provide nutritious food to over 818 clients. Even if they receive ARVs they need to have proper food which we used to provide.
“There is totally no home-based care, we cannot conduct HIV/ Aids awareness and we cannot even take care of the orphans,” said Njakama.
Njakama said they abandoned a project, which assisted over 1000 children due to lack of funding. He, however, said the problem has not affected Chanzi CBO alone in the district.
Public relations officer of Nkhotakota Youth Alive Support Organisation, Victor Mwalule said his organisation, which was last funded in 2005, could no longer cater for over 1000 people they used to serve.
“We had an orphanage where we supported about 300 orphans. We were conducting peer education but we stopped. We also had a drama group for our awareness campaign that is now dead. But when we write proposals for funding they take their time to respond,” said Mwalule.
Nkhotakota District Social Welfare Officer Goodwell Kalimanjira said his assembly is still waiting to receive K84 million from Nac to enable over 40 CBOs carry out their activities.
“We are in the last quarter of the 2006/07 fiscal year but our District Implementation Plan has not yet been honoured despite its approval last year. It’s like the Assembly is deliberately frustrating these CBOs but it is not our fault because we solely rely on NAC,” Kalimanjira said.
Nkhotakota District Aids Coordinator Cedrick Kwizombwe said the funding problem has also slowed down the implementation of the HIV/Aids functions in the public sector.
Chiradzulu District Social Welfare Officer Mike Maulidi said over 30 CBOs had not yet received funding in the district.
“According to the proposals we put forward, there are remaining trenches of funding to be received. For instance we haven’t yet paid school fees for many students despite submitting the proposal last year,” he said.
But Nac’s executive director Dr. Bizwick Mwale said there are several processes that have to be followed before CBOs receive funding.
“Some CBOs have problems to account for money. So, if they delay to account, I will also delay because I have to account for that money to the donors, who also have to account for it to their respective parliaments.
“The number of CBOs has also grown. When this programme started we had less than 1000 CBOs. But you have to look at the availability of the money itself. You also have to carry out a verification process which means that you have to visit the group village headmen to see whether that CBO really exists. Once the verification process, the proposal review and justification process has been made we speed up the process of releasing funding,” Mwale said.
The executive director said his organisation had simplified the proposal to speed the process of funding CBOs.
“Some CBOs want money as soon as yesterday. I wish I had money that I could throw but we are trying our best, the assemblies are trying their best, and they [CBOs] should also try their best. They need to be accountable themselves,” he said.
Nac suspended funding to several CBOs in the country for allegedly failing to properly account for the money they received from it.
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