It was around lunch hour on 5 October 2012 when my wife Diana gave me a handsome baby. Raymond you are my new inspiration!

I love you and your mum

THE ROADBLOCK TODDLER

Lemani fanned the burning charcoal inside the relatively old but large mbaula with a broken plastic plate, which he gripped in between his thumb and main fingers. His other hand expertly changed positions of the fresh maize cobs roasting on the wire mesh as frequently as possible. The grains browned rather quickly. Most of the people who bought from him complained of the maize not having received enough baking. But his business never dived down because hungry passengers on various buses passing through the roadblock made most of his market

A coach had just passed after a brief stop at the roadblock. Lemani cursed it as it crept away through the manual gate of the blockade. In fact, his sales boy returned with all the six cobs unsold. He gave the boy who was short for the tall windows of the coach, a disdainful look. In addition, the coach’s high class passengers seemed disinterested in the roasted cobs.

In an attempt to save face, the boy quickly rushed at another bus which was breaking to a stop. Using all the marketing techniques learnt from Lemani, the boy managed to sell all the cobs but at a price. The boy was still insisting for a K10 balance from one of the passengers before the driver placed his foot on the pedal, releasing his weight on it as much as he could.

Leman busied himself with roasting some five cobs for the roadblock attendants. He tried without much success to conceal his grudged face. As a daily obligation, he was supposed to give the two policemen on duty free maize as license for him to continue trading on the rather forbidden site. But being a festive season, three more personnel were deployed to boost security. Five cobs were to him, therefore, a big loss.

Leman laughed inwardly at the idea of improving security at the roadblock. He had on two occasions successfully helped his friend smuggle bags of chamba across the barrier.  

When the boy returned from the bus to get some more cobs for another bus that had just arrived, Lemani reached out his hand gesturing for the boy to give him the money. The boy was in fact one of his workers who helped him take the cobs to customers in buses and other vehicles. He liked employing young boys. They are easy to convince with little pay.

This boy, Mwandi, was twelve years old, which matched less with his behaviour. In the early days at the roadblock, Mwandi was very obedient to Lemani. He was slow in his undertakings. But his daily engagement with Lemani drew him close to the rhythm of roadblock lifestyle.

Pandama zingatapa? Lemani asked the boy, his sentence flashed in just a second.

“Its-its…one customer that…”

“Kumachangamuka,” Lemani interrupted before the Mwandi’s explanation could come clear.

The boy watched as Lemani hastily counted the money before forcing it into a large pocket of his dirty coat. He had less time to waste because he was rushing to go and collect some more fresh cobs at a village about 2 kilometers away.

“Fan the charcoal please,” he spat an order to Mwandi as he jumped on his bike, “and make sure the fire does not die.”

He had barely ridden twenty meters before he returned. He had, in fact, forgotten to count how many cob were left on the wire. He had infact left eleven cobs, seven on the fire and four in the sack left at the base of the mbaula. He usually left biggest cobs to be roasted at the end for a reason that remained his own secret. But Mwandi, who took most of his roadblock wisdom from Lemani, had already played the game. He had already hidden three of them and Lemani could not take notice. He was in a hurry.  

 “What if I had hid it?” he asked himself in relation to the K10, which the customer went away with but Lemani accepted as part of business. “I would be K10 richer now.”

A large bus pulling a trailer had just halted at the roadblock. All passengers were ordered to disembark. It was coming from South Africa, Mwandi noticed. He remembered what Lemani told him to do with such customer. Raise the price. Indeed, he tripled it.

“Tiilawe Rand.”

 All the cobs were fully browned. He packed them in a white jumbo rather frantically before galloping towards the bus. Although he had tripled the price, the maize sold like hot cakes. He regretted having failed to quadruple the price.

Mwandi was excited. He also noted the same in the cops. Perhaps they have also stumbled in a fortune of some sort, he thought.

He quickly retreated to exclusion to make calculations of how much he should keep away from his boss. He reasoned to release the entire amount for seven cobs to Lemani.

He was rich that day. As Lemani approached in exactly about 35 minutes later, Mwandi rushed to the mbaula, fanned it to revitalize the charcoal. The bus coughed dark fumes as it made its way through the gates. Mwamadi was relieved because he knew Lemani would suspect foul play should he note that the bus was from Joburg.

Lemani’s gaze was fixed on the mbaula to see if it was still alive.

“Chatha?” asked Lemani as he laboured to lift a bag of fresh maize from his bike’s carrier.

“Yes,” replied Mwandi offering Lemani his money even before a request for it was made.

Lemani was delighted. He never expected to find the maize finished or sold without shortage. Most of the notes were fresh. He delighted in storing fresh bank note. He carefully folded the notes and slotted them in the back pocket of his jean trousers. Since it was getting dark, Mwandi was supposed to go home, so Lemani gave him his entitlement of the day, with something on top of course.

Without turning his face back, Mwandi strode home richer.

 THE STORY WAS PUBLISHED IN THE 
MALAWI NEWS OF FIRST WEEK OF DECEMBER 2012




 

2012 INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY

2012 INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY (12^th August): A STATEMENT FROM YOUTH ACTION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE (YAACC)

                    “Building a Better World: Partnering with Youth”

"...a society that cuts itself off from its youth severs its lifeline; it is condemned to bleed to death”

Kofi Annan, Former Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), 1998.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

In an effort to ensure that youths across the globe are promoted, the UN through it General Assembly in 1995 adopted the World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY). The WPAY provides international policy framework and guideline on how the situation of the youth can be bettered in all countries. Specifically, the WPAY isolates fifteen key issues affecting youths, which governments have to pay particular attention to. These include: Education, Employment, Hunger and poverty, Health, Environment, Drug abuse, Juvenile delinquency, Leisure-time activities, Girls and young women, Full and effective participation of youth in the life of society and in decision-making, Globalization, Information and communications, technology, HIV/AIDS, Armed conflict, and Intergenerational issues.  Meeting in Lisbon, Portugal in 1998 during a World Conference of Ministers responsible for youth, delegates recommended to the UN to set aside 12^th August as an International Youth Day to create a forum for furthering the youth agenda.  It was at this conference that the then UN General Secretary made the above statement, which we, at YAACC and youths in general, fully subscribe to. In 1999, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted Resolution 54/120 designating 12^th August an IYD. The day plays a vital role as it provides an opportunity for governments and others to draw attention to youth issues. It remains a sharp tool used to create, across the globe, conditions that encourage youths’ imagination, ideals, energy and vision to flourish to the benefit of societies.  As we celebrate the day this year, let us not just take it as a fulfillment of a tradition, but we have to critically and purposely reflect on the theme, which is “Building a Better World: Partnering the Youth.”

We, at YAACC, fully acknowledge the commitment shown by the government of Malawi to promote youths. This is clearly reflected in the adoption of the National Youth Policy (NYP) as required by the WPAY and the African Youth Decade 2009-2018 Plan of Action. The Policy paved way for the establishment of the National Youth Council. Most recently, we have seen the launch of a Youth Parliament. We also acknowledge the complementary role being played by non-state actors in promoting youths. A lot of organizations are paying fees for thousands of orphaned and disadvantaged youths, offering them vocational training and many other opportunities. This gives al lot of hope to the youths out there. It is commendable and ought to be sustained.

However, we cannot proudly say that we have hit the mark of absolute achievement in terms of promoting the youth; there remains a lot be done to fully realize the dream spelt out in WPAY and the NYP. There remain some gaps in need of prompt filling.  We are all aware that Africa is the most youthful continent with about 65% of the population below 35 years of age[1]. This ought to be understood as a demographic advantage full of potential to turn Africa’s fortunes around. What is simply needed is to step up deliberate efforts to mobilize and equip these youths with abilities. Youths are blessed with resourcefulness; creativity; adaptability; quick-learning; activity and many other enviable attributes which need to be utilized towards global development goals.  

In Malawi, the problems youth continue to face as comprehensively highlighted in the Youth Concerns Collection Report (2008)[2] in the areas of education, employment, drug and alcohol abuse, infrastructure, health/Aids, crime, social security, and more importantly environment need full collaboration of youth to deal with. Just like YAACC, there exist a number of youth-run initiatives bent on improving the welfare of youths. Rendering support to such initiatives could be one of the greatest investments towards youth empowerment.  

Our plea to government and other stakeholders is that this year’s theme should be meditated and acted upon. We would like to see this year’s IYD make a difference and not just pass traditionally. The challenges facing the youth and the whole world today, including, climate change, are hard to deal with if the youths’ continuously live in exclusion. Our hope, once again, is that the celebration of this year’s IYD will help augment youth inclusion and empowerment efforts. Otherwise, as Kofi Annan put it, “…a society that cuts itself off from its youth severs its lifeline; it is condemned to bleed to death.” Malawi, Mzimba or Rumphi should not be such an unfortunate society, more especially after this year’s IYD. This is our prayer.

A Green Reflection on Recent Policy Change in Malawi

It does not take one to be an established observer to notice that, since President Joyce Banda came into power last April following the demise of the former president Late Bingu Wa Mutharika, she has so far been primarily driving a change agenda. She has placed a platform in front of her onto which disgruntled sectors of society place issued for review. Most of (if not all of) these issues placed on this platform to be operated on by Her Excellency came to be because of the deaf ear, the Mutharika regime paid to pleading whispers of opposition. Indeed, there is a large pile on this platform for Her Excellency to clear.  

However, having observed that most of the issues placed on this platform have been handled to the expectation of their advocates by Her Excellency, it was thought that it might not be too late to shove one more issue from the green community. Just like many others, well wishers of nature raised a number of concerns with the previous government’s planned policy and initiatives, which, despite the genuine reservations, went ahead to be rolled out.  The smiles our disgruntled fellows wear when their advocated issues and concerns are addressed give us power to put our luggage on the platform awaiting nothing but a decision worth smiling at.

To begin with, there were controversial initiatives to examine the prospect of coal mining in the protected areas of Lengwe and Majete National Park and Wildlife Reserve respectively. Another storm arose with the announced plans (to prospect and eventually drill) oil in Lake Malawi. As expected, strong reservations were expressed by the environmental Civil Society Organisations and green thinking citizens. The government shamelessly defended the initiatives saying the proposed coal project would have little effect on biodiversity through the employment of ‘systematic’ exploration. This came shortly after government announced plans to construct a giant coal powered thermal power generation plant to help arrest power shortages. On oil explorations in Lake Malawi, the then responsible minister, Goodall Gondwe, told the nation that there is nothing to worry about because the whole thing is being (and will be) handled by experts apparently, in reference to the British Petroleum company, Surestream, which we hear was dubiously handed over permission to conduct the prospect study. However, not many including government’s own Tourism Ministry became convinced. But as expected, the plans got endorsed for commencement. 

Another bone of contention was the wood harvesting in Chikangawa plantation. There has been a general outcry in the way the forest is being harvested. Although most trees in the plantation are at maturity stage, a systematic and sustainable approach in its harvesting is desired so that the plateau is not abandoned bare (though most parts are already in this state)

The current government’s creation of the ministry of Environment and climate change really shows that it is repositioning itself to fight environmental related problems more frontally. Addressing issues of environment are a matter of MUST. As a nation we cannot develop if the state of environmental is in a state of dilapidation.   We also have national and international obligations. We are party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), the Kyoto protocol, and the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to mention but a few. We developed our own National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPS) 2006 and other Environmental protection policies. This clearly outlines the commitment we have to safeguard biodiversity and nature in general. Unfortunately, the proposed projects, to be frank, are in categorical contrast to the dream reflected in the documents above. If we want to open a mine in Lengwe and Majete, what is the essence of keeping wildlife in there? The proposed thermal plant will only help to raise our meagre carbon emission from burning of coal at a time when we need to be heavily investing in low carbon technologies.

The prospect of oil drilling in our magnificent lake has far reaching repercussions. We have heard, read and seen how the coast in the oil-rich Niger Delta in Nigeria has become toxic to nature and biodiversity leaving the population which highly depended on aquatic life starving abandoned as the revenue form oil proceeds end in the pockets of politicians. It took a military uprising before government put in place visible policies in the oil sector benefitting Niger Delta-adjacent communities.

Now with the suspension on the American Millennium Challenge Fund assistance to Malawi lifted, we expect a halt to any plans to mine coal in Majete and Lengwe let alone its exploration for when large deposits are identified, with our current economic woes; we are likely to fall to the temptation. It will be like starving while food is in the vicinity of our very lips. The same be done to oil prospecting on Lake Malawi. The fish we get in our lake make up the most protein uptake for the Malawian population. Unless we suspend the signatures we appended to the CBD and other international and local conventions safeguarding nature, we are unveiling our own folly in broad day light.

POEM : A New Home

 

I am looking for a new home

A new home to escape a firestorm

Progressing gradually

(Yet with potent vitality)

To hammer flat our earth

An earth on which

Our ancestors prospered

With their enviable accounts.

But I am determined

To let loose

My firm grip on this land

In search for a home

Fresh and capable.