Photo: The dreaded petrol and diesel queues are back.

The good, the bad and the sadly predictable!

I wonder why the mantra 'all good things must come to an end,' resonates so readily in Africa! Probably because it is true.

After a brief respite it seems 'the honeymoon is over' and petrol queues are back; power supplies are the worst they have ever been in the more than two years we have been here; the value of the Kwacha is on steady slide and things are getting worse, not better.

While it seems pathetic to complain, and of course it is when one thinks about what life is like for the locals, things are made worse for us because not only are our batteries well and truly dead and we await the arrival of new ones, but the inverter has also burned out and now even if the batteries arrive, we are waiting for new parts for the inverter.

In the less than a week that we have been back we have had the geyser default yet again with no water from the hot tap and hot water from the cold tap, a discovery made only after I had a cold shower; the electricity supplies are truly shocking with cuts lasting up to eight hours and then long periods with only one phase; this meaning that because of how our system is wired up we have an air conditioner and a couple of lamps in the bedroom and that is it. It has been early nights, lots of candles and even more patience; welcome back to Africa.

We were in bed early the other night after losing power and asleep just after 7.30p.m. only to wake up at 12.45a.m. as the power came back on and all the lights and the television set in an instant. It was one of those nights because no sooner were we asleep than we began to be dive-bombed by mosquitoes. Were they inside the net or not? Lights, torch, hunting and we got one. Back to sleep. More buzzing, another hunt and another one and yes, inside the net! How did they get in? Back to sleep and another round of buzzing! ?We got the last one and passed out for another four hours which was needed.

The problem is that when we are away Limited doesn't bother about closing doors and probably opens windows as well so our house becomes mosquito haven! We don't use flyspray much because we avoid chemicals but this was a crisis and a serious application of Doom - yes that is its name - last night, behind curtains, under beds, seems to have seen the last of them gone. So small and yet so noisy. It seems counter-intuitive that nature makes them that way. If they were quiet they would live longer and eat heartily!

We went out yesterday and stocked up on briquettes for the Weber and gas canisters for the camping hotplate, as well as candles and matches and any foods we thought might be hard to get. I am sure such planning and innovation is good for brain function and we should be in fine synaptic shape because of Malawi!

Photo: The wet season approaches - maybe early.

And to add insult to injury the internet disappeared although we did get technicians to come and have a look pretty quickly and they were as surprised to discover that for some reason our system had disconnected itself and our 'server' no longer existed. Gremlins, witchcraft? Who knows. But our Zain dongles were working and they restored things to keep us going over the weekend and will be back tomorrow to finish the job.

Although in the way of things, the first technician who came seemed nonplussed when he informed us there was nothing wrong with our phone! That would be, we said, because we did not report a problem with our phone line but a problem with our internet. Three hours later and the right lot of technicians arrived.

When I ask myself where the time goes in Malawi I only have to run through the list of 'jobs' which appear, as if out of nowhere which keep me busy. The other crisis this week was when Water Board workers appeared to cut off our supply, because, they said, we had not paid our bill. We had of course and it was eventually sorted out but given that water supply has also become erratic it may not have made much of a difference. Just kidding. We added four big containers of water to our shopping list just in case.

However, another even more challenging crisis seems to be that there was no Malawi gin to be had on any supermarket shelves. Quelle Horreur! Luckily they had good supplies at the restaurant where we ate last night but we shall have to embark on a serious search for supplies and stock up accordingly. A shortage of water is one thing but a shortage of gin quite another.

But however challenging the week was for us it is nothing compared to what it was for Charles, one of our guards. He and the others have had very late payment from their employer which, in Africa, is disasterous given that they live from pay to pay. He went to the office to ask for his pay and found himself sacked, along with a dozen other unhappy workers.

Under Malawi law he has rights but I am not sure how far it will get him. I tried to reason with his boss but did not get far and we will try once more but have little hope of success. All we can do is give him a bit of money to help him until he finds another job. Hopefully he will, sooner, not later.

Photo: The abundance of nature - the avocado tree in blossom.

On the plus side  the avocado tree is in abundant blossom and we welcomed very old friends back to Lilongwe for another stint and found a new restaurant which is brilliant for Malawi and actually good for anywhere. Latitude 31 is around the corner and decorated in very funky, arty, slightly retro style which is strong on form and poor on function. The furniture looks good but the chairs are not comfortable and the tables are a bit small.

But the food is good with a young Irish chef in charge of the kitchen who fondly remembers nine months in Australia which included a couple of months in the Adelaide Hills. It is more than wonderful to have a halfway decent place to eat in town. Uncomfortable chairs aside.


I have about eight weeks here before heading back to Oz for a long stint over Christmas and New Year and I am sure it will fly. On the joblist is replacing the geyser, having the genset serviced and get it functioning properly - a colleague who came to stay said it is definitely not right if it collapses when we turn on a kettle and toaster at the same time; change over our internet service provider; get the plumber to replace one of the toilets; install new batteries and get the inverter fixed.

It might not seem like much but in the African way of things as one problem is resolved it results in the creation of two, three or more new ones! I remind myself that I can leave it all behind and many cannot! I think it is called counting blessings.

Banalities and Tragedies.

Limited came last night to say that one of the men from the staff quarters had been killed in a car accident so he and Andrew will be late today.

I could leave it all for them but I like tidy and so have done dishes, tidied bed, put on washing - none of which I mind. We were up early, at six, because we went to bed at 9.30 and I think I will be due for an early coffee. It is nice in a way to have the house to myself and to wander around sorting washing, doing dishes, tidying and cleaning. It reminds me of how much I like my life in Australia where when someone comes to clean, it is once a week or once a fortnight for a few hours as opposed to every day, most of the day.

Perhaps it is because I value my privacy, or because, growing up in a society which does not have servants, I do not find it as easy to share space. But, as we realised in India, the most valuable thing you can do in the Third World is give someone a job. Of course there are pluses and having the house kept clean and the washing and ironing done are big pluses - but there are also minuses. As with all things no doubt.


Life is so much harder for people here. You cannot help but be conscious of the fact that it is not just the death of the young man but the family will lose their home and his wife and children will be dependent on their family. The quarters here are provided by employers and so if you lose the job then you lose the house. They are really, by local standards, very well off because our guys get more than double the minimum wage plus the house and we pay for electricity and water so it must be a shock when that kind of life is lost. But perhaps they are used to it in ways we might not be.

But you cannot help but feel for them all the same. Our house is in a block of four, fenced and there are about ten, maybe twelve, of them in this street but three or four of them are not completed and have been sitting in that state for thirty years. The houses were built by the president who took over at independence,  Hastings Kamuzu Banda, and are actually well constructed - shades of the hangover from the Brits. They belong to the family estate and they have begun finishing the vacant ones.

Like all presidents and those who hold power in Africa, Banda was quick to take advantage of his position and to branch out into profitable areas for personal gain. Hence the row of houses which still provide income for his family.

In the middle of the group are the staff quarters and these are really nice houses - palaces by local standards - the area also fenced, with accommodation for the staff who work in the houses - I guess at present that means about thirty families.

Photo: Copper in cables is too tempting to resist in Malawi.
 
And when Limited did come back, in mid-afternoon, once the family had been set on their way to Blantyre,  I heard that the young man who died was not married. That in itself is a blessing for more lives could have been ruined by his death if he had a wife and children. He was in his early twenties and studying - another huge loss for the family because he would have earned a better wage than many can, should he have qualified. His sister is in intensive care and he had taken her breakfast, in that way of the Third World where facilities are poor and family need to ensure that family members are fed while in hospital. He was on his way back when he collided head-on with a truck. Or the truck collided with him. 'Bang,' said Limited, bringing his hands together.

They drive too fast and trucks are often overloaded in Africa so such accidents are common. It is yet another tragedy for his family because his sister is unwell and pregnant and she lost her husband last month through the disease which rages through the subcontinent and no doubt through her. Such litanies of woe are not unusual in Africa and perhaps people are more pragmatic about tragedy in general, but the grief remains enormous all the same.


Our problems pale into insignificance by comparison. It is a salutary reminder. It seems facile to say it, but, beyond that the weekend disappeared as it does with no power cuts which was truly spooky but the server went down because someone had cut the cable (to steal copper wire) in two places between here and Blantyre.

 Photo: Mango trees in blossom.

However, they got it back up within two hours which is pretty impressive by local standards. But copper theft remains a plague in Africa with nowhere safe from those who are looking to make easy money. The South Africans are thinking of designating copper as a precious metal which will make it illegal and therefore harder to sell. But I suspect ways will be found around even that. It is the tragic irony of life here that any attempt to improve the way things work is sabotaged by the demands of poverty and corruption.


But where you have poverty and no faith in government you will have theft and corruption. That is one 'law of the jungle' which is always at work.

There is a depressing note to Africa in that it always feels like three steps forward and four backward. We are out on leave in a few days and much in need of it. Down the 'wormhole' into Oz, which truly is a 'magical place' by comparison. Deprivation never breeds appreciation more than in the less developed world. One can only wish it were other. But, wishing does not make things work better and neither does it bring young, broken bodies back to life.

On a brighter note, the mango trees are in blossom and the bushes and trees in general are also in fertile hands. Because of it the birds are abundant and Malawi has some of the most beautiful birds in the world. And it is strawberry season and the young men walk with boxes piled high around the streets in the old part of town. I have already made a few jars of strawberry jam and have frozen some for when we get back. The strawberries, like the tomatoes, are unexpectedly good here. They line up with the other positives in this country like the local gin, tea, coffee, peanuts and locally baked bread. There are always positives it is just that on some days more than others, it is helpful to count them.

Photo: Malachite Kingfisher, Malawi.

In many ways it has been a productive week with the genset serviced; the jerrycans and the genset full of diesel and the batteries for our inverter ordered and due for delivery by the time we get back. And there have been no power cuts for two days. On the local scale it makes for a pretty good week - well, it does for some of us.

Photo: The blue starling which keeps banging on our window - trying to connect with what it believes is another bird but which is really itself.

Synchronicities abound in life and more so when we become aware of them. There is a little bird, gloriously, shimmeringly blue, which bangs on our lounge-room window at various times of the day.

Peeking through another window we can see it fly from a bush and bang into the window. There is a shade film on the window and so it has a mirror effect and clearly the bird believes that there is another bird, a mate perhaps, when there is only a reflection. The bird is of course in 'love' with itself, or 'attracted' to itself, and does not know it!

That may be more common than we know. It is said that we are attracted to people who look 'similar' to us and that the marriages between couples who look 'alike' are more likely to be successful. I have no fixed opinion on it but in general, have observed, that there is some truth to this although it is not an absolute given.

So what did the little bird, banging into the window and possibly hurting itself, because it was fooled into thinking the image it saw was of another, possibly mean? It has been a time of pondering relationships with others and with Self and also a time when illusion, or perception, from others, has created 'false images' and deceptions.

The bird was not hurt and it has been doing this for some weeks and will no doubt continue to do it for some time more, so perhaps it symbolises no more than the fact that we can find 'mirroring' in the strangest of places and it can lead us astray more than we know. Is the bird, a symbol of spirit and spirituality, 'banging its head against something of a brick wall,' or is it simply responding to an inner rhythm and need, which, while it appears foolish to those human beings looking on, serves a valuable purpose we do not and cannot know?

Perhaps all that mattered was the fact that it gave us the opportunity, to observe, up close, a truly beautiful little bird in ways which would not normally be possible. It is a reminder of how often we fail to 'see' that which is around us; we fail to truly observe, skimming in essence, through and on our world. Like Slow Food there is a place for and a practice in Slow Life which is less easy to find in the busy rush of the modern world.

And in Malawi, things tend to be slower than elsewhere because the general lack of efficiency means things happen slowly, if they happen at all. Power cuts slow things down. Incompetence slows things down. Inefficiency and disinterest slow things down. It is a wonder sometimes that anything much happens at all. But it does, and perhaps like the bird, banging away at the window, it happens as it should, in its own time, for reasons that we do not know. I like to think so anyway.

There is a saying that 'beggars can't be choosing' and I suspect that applies to life in metaphorical as well as literal sense. There are a few more beggars on the streets of Malawi these days although not as many as there might be. The maize harvest has been good and there are signs of improvement, which, if they continue, will make Malawi better than it has been for a long time.

While some things have improved in Malawi, there are ominous signs that not as much has changed as one might have hoped. The power cuts have begun again and are worse. Every day, pretty much, for from four to eight hours which is an increase on the old way of being of probably four hours each time. Sigh. Still, diesel, for the moment is not in short supply and that is good because our batteries are nearly dead and must be replaced and the inverter cannot function for much more than an hour when we lose power and so we have to turn on the generator to keep things operating.

Perhaps we knew that things might get worse because we bought a barbecue a few weeks ago and it is a godsend. We also found small gas cans for our portable camping gas hob so between the barbecue which uses briquettes and the hob, we can at least cook if we are low on diesel. The camping hob came up with our goods from Perth and I honestly cannot remember why we bought it in the first place but it is invaluable here. As we so often say:'we have everything we need, somewhere.' Luckily in this case the 'somewhere' is where we are.

It is the dry season at present although we have had grey skies and the occasional rainfull which is unusual. Then again, they had light snow in Johannesburg today which is even more unusual. Well, unusual when assessed in light of the brevity of human history. It may not be the least bit unusual in terms of earth history.

We are Out of Africa in about a week and needing it as one does. Life muddles along pleasantly enough and you only realise you need to get out when some small thing happens and you want to scream, smash something, kick the door in reactions far beyond anything the incident could trigger. It's cumulative. The small frustrations, disappointments, tediums, annoyances, inefficiencies and trials of living in the Third World.

I wonder why it is this way. I feel okay - I am happy with my life - I find it fascinating, interesting, stimulating and yet clearly at subliminal levels it is still frustrating. Perhaps it is more frustrating because one knows there are other ways; other options and that the world does not have to be a place of injustice, incompetence, fear, cruelty and greed. You can get along with it and get by with it, but knowing that there are other places in the world which are not like this, must, by necessity create greater frustration if not anger with the way things work here.

'Cabin fever' is part and parcel for the course living in Africa! And the 'need' to get out only seems to manifest when you know that you are. I used to say that people visiting India had a ticket in their pocket which meant they would never react or relate to it in the way that those who lived there did. Africa is the same. Visiting is not living! It's the difference between dipping a toe into a pool as opposed to diving in and swimming a few lengths. A taste, not a meal. A sip, not a gulp. A tinkering, not a 'taking it apart' to really find out how it works.

But then life brings us what we need and clearly the Third World meal is something I need more than others. I have no doubt it nourishes and supports and serves purpose in ways I do not perhaps know. Just as the blue bird banging its head against the window seems without purpose, if not 'painful,' so too can my experience here, except on both counts it does serve purpose and the task is not necessarily to know what that purpose is, but simply to appreciate that it exists and to appreciate the experience for itself.

N.B. I think the word is out. We now have another little bird doing the same thing. A yellow-bellied sunbird - a tiny bird with fluorescent feathers.

POWER AND THE PRISON OF POVERTY

The more things change, the more they stay the same…..well, here we are another month on and while some things have improved somewhat in Malawi, there are indications that things may not have changed as much as one might have hoped.

Wishful thinking must have been invented in such places for desires often do not get far beyond wishes. There is word that some $8million dollars will be spent on re-furbishing the five palaces in the country and while those palaces may well be in need of a ‘little work’ it seems a strange allocation of funds in a country which remains one of the poorest, if not the poorest in Africa.

I find it hard to get my head around such decisions and can only conclude that I do not understand how people think in this part of the world. Does such expenditure on such issues of ‘image’ and ‘face’ mean things here which they do not in the West? Do the people agree that it is a priority for their President to be housed as magnificently and comfortably as possible, no matter what they lack or suffer? 
Perhaps they do! Perhaps in the same way that people in Africa ‘tug their forelocks’ still at their version of ‘royalty,’ the chiefs and those in power, so too did the masses in the Western world centuries ago. It is hard to see it is much different to India where despite massive poverty and illiteracy and injustice the people appear to support billions of dollars spent on military hardware and nuclear weapons programmes, and, even more ridiculously, on a space programme!

When I have asked about such things I am told: ‘But this makes the people proud and pride is good for those who have little.’

But surely when one can choose between offering people a dose of pride or a roof over their heads and education for their children there are few who would choose ‘pride.’ What those in power really mean is they can sell the ‘pride’ factor to the people because they were never going to get what they deserved anyway so they may as well settle for pride. It’s a ‘warm fuzzy,’ no matter how ephemeral, in a world ‘ of countless ‘cold pricklies.’

But there is one difference! India is in fact a massively wealthy country and always has been. The reality of its poverty is a matter of choice, sourced in what is considered to be priority. Even Ghandhi said that if India wanted flushing toilets for all of its citizens it could have them, but clearly it was not a priority.

I am sure the Hindu religion also plays a major part in keeping people in their place and while Islam is a sizeable minority it remains a minority and those who fear for their future will always ‘toe the line’ more readily. But why does it work in Africa where religion does not teach that one is born into one’s ‘place’ in this world and if that place involves poverty and suffering then that is what you deserve?

Why do people stare into the gaping maw of poverty  which they know is worse than it needs to be because of the actions of those in power …and smile? Metaphorically speaking anyway.  Are they used to poverty? Do they no longer remember that things were better in the past, albeit under colonial rule? Is it better to be free and independent and poor where mistakes are made by your own kind than ruled by others and better off? Probably. Although it really is a ridiculous question because there is no choice.

This is not a rich country by any stretch of the imagination and while it was in better shape under British colonial rule, as were all African nations of that era, it has not been economically sound for most of its history. This is not an argument for a return to colonial rule. Such days have passed and rightly so, but just as in India one still hears people talk about how much better things worked when the British ran the country, so too, there is a memory of how Malawi was and how Malawi might be again, if sound and just government can be maintained.

But something always seems to get in the way of justice and the needs and rights of the people. What is that something which sees ‘self-serving’ rise to the top of the list of even the most intelligent, educated and decent people? I wish I knew but it seems always to be the way of Africa that those who gain power, very quickly, turn that power to their own ends and their own gains.

To add insult to injury this is a seriously religious country – either Muslim or Christian but each preaching the need to help others! But they are empty words and it is more of: ‘Do as I say, not do as I do?’

And I don’t believe it is a legacy of colonisation. If that were the case then any ex-colony would be the same and they most clearly are not. It has to be cultural and it has to be a mentality that one finds more often in places like Africa and India – these being the two where I have personal experience. Indian and African cultures are quite different except for the fact that they seem to accept injustice from those in power more easily. In India one could argue it is the caste system at work and a religious belief in the superiority of others and in Africa one can point the finger at the tribal system – a variation on the theme of caste – where those in power, for whatever reason, are believed to be deserving of honour. Except it isn’t honour; it is acceptance of their actions, however honourable or dishonourable they may be simply because they hold a position.

If power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely then never more so than in such places. Demanding accountability from one’s government or leaders is an absolute if there is ever to be anything approximating justice for all. But people don’t! They complain, they condemn, they criticise and often in the most venal of ways, but they don’t actually seem to do much. Occasionally they riot and sometimes they organise protests but given that nothing ever seems to change it hardly counts as effective.

It took the peasants of what we now call the West centuries to learn how to demand their rights and some nations are better at it than others. But things seem to happen so slowly here that the learning progresses, if at all, at snail’s pace. At some level it is depressing. One can believe, as I do, that all works ultimately to the good and serves a purpose but to see things change and yet not change is disheartening. It is right and just to wish better for people; to want for them the freedoms and justice which exist in the ‘best’ of worlds, not a continuation of the same lack of freedoms and injustice which have dogged them for decades if not centuries.

Is it fear which fuels corruption? A belief that if you do not look after yourself then no-one else will? After all, things have been better and then gotten worse and there are no guarantees. But surely if someone is intelligent, well travelled, educated and responsible they will know that self-serving leads to corruption and leads to slow if not fast social decay? Surely? But they seem not to.

I remember being told in India that if you were in a position of power, any power at all, and you did not make use of it for your family then you were shamed. Perhaps that is also at work here where ‘face’ is all and in many ways, as demonstrated, would put the Asians to shame. So much is about ‘face’ and the demonstration of power from the way one bows before or kneels to a chief and the lavish nature of lifestyle for those at the top of the ladder, not to mention the displays of sometimes epic proportions, shades of Cecil B. DeMille, for official functions and presidential appearances.

To be fair, the British still do the same thing with their Royalty and the Americans do it with their President, but in the main, such displays of pomp, power and presence are rare in this day and age and have even less place when carried out at the stinking feet of poverty.

But it is what it is and in truth, at the end of the day, whatever I might wish, it is not my problem. I can do my small part and help a few to have a better life and that is it. The rest is up to them. There is a long way to go but people must want to go there and must be prepared to take the first step on that journey no matter the risk.

When you see how people live you cannot imagine them not wanting other but perhaps they do not. Driving down to Mangochie on Lake Malawi the other week, some three hours from Lilongwe, we passed through dozens of small villages. Mud huts with thatched roofs; herds of stupid goats wandering across the road; dry-dust compounds and snaking paths through tall grass and the endless lines of people walking, and sometimes riding bikes, on the sides of the road – this is life in poor Africa. The largest buildings are religious – a mosque here, a Catholic or Evangelical Church there; a Christian school or a Muslim madrassa.

The other reality is that it is not just those in power who spend money on their own ends but the do-gooders, the religious ‘helpers’ of all persuasions, who pour more money into demonstrations of their ‘might’ with their churches and mosques, than they do into villages where the quality of life is basic, if not subsistence.

Perhaps poverty breeds a sense of powerlessness and for those who have dragged themselves from the very depths of it, also a sense of fear that what has been gained might be lost. It takes enormous courage to fight for justice and risk all when one acts as an individual, but perhaps it takes too much courage and far more than courage to fight for justice when you risk the welfare of your children. It is one thing to risk all you own and your life for a cause – but quite another to risk that of those who depend on you.

There is no denying that it takes remarkable people of courage and determination to bring about change but there is also no denying that it is easier to demand accountability and justice when one lives in a nation which can trust both the society, that means others beyond the immediate family, and those in power, as well as the political system which both provides power and protects us.

The stark reality is that when we take to the streets demanding change in the modern world, the Western world, we do not in the main, risk our lives or our security. Most developed nations provide a welfare safety net which will catch us if we fall and a political system which can be held accountable without  risk to our lives or our livelihoods. Sadly that is not how things work in what we call the Third World in general and Africa in particular.

Poverty is its own prison and perhaps those in power know that all too well. And the best way out of poverty is education. Africa would be better served if there was more focus on education and less on spreading religion. But self-serving is a human trait and is not particular to Africa!

Major changes, maize, mustard greens and money!

Two months away and so much has changed... and one can only hope it is all for the better. Unfortunately the president, Bingu Mutharika died and one can only feel for him and his family, but, on the basis of a silver lining, he has been replaced by the Deputy, Joyce Banda, who seems to be getting Malawi back on a much-needed track.

I don't believe that wishing for the death of someone should ever be seen as a resolution, but there is no doubt that Bingu's untimely death has brought benefits for the Malawian people. Having started so well he seemed, in his second term, to be moving in directions which spelled disaster for the country, and now he is gone. The word was he took advice from his friend Mugabe, who continues to 'soldier' on in the morass of what once was a stable and viable country. Too many African leaders when they get into power become obsessed with remaining in power at any cost; a cost more often to their country and their people than to themselves. 

As the BBC reported recently there is also a move to restore Malawi's old flag, a step which symbolises returning to a healthier 'past.'

Malawian MPs have voted to restore the national flag of a rising sun scrapped two years ago by the government of the late President Bingu wa Mutharika.

Mr Mutharika, who died in April, changed it to a full sun to reflect what he said was Malawi's move from a developing to a developed nation.
A BBC reporter says the move was deeply unpopular with the people of Malawi.

"You cannot rewrite history midway for no apparent reason," the justice minister told the BBC after the vote.

A former economist, Mr Mutharika governed Malawi for eight years, but had latterly been accused of mismanaging the economy and becoming autocratic.

Following his death, his vice-president, Joyce Banda, took power and has reversed many of his policies.

She had fallen out with Mr Mutharika over his succession plans and left his Democratic People's Party (DPP).

Photo: Joyce Banda, Malawi's new president and only the second female president in Africa.

The British are pledging support for the Malawian economy following devaluation and the new president is looking to change legislation which discriminates against homosexuality.

With a 'new broom' sweeping the corridors of power Malawi looks to be facing a brighter future. Another important step was yesterday's vote to repeal censorship laws brought in by the previous president.

Nairobi, May 31, 2012--The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes Wednesday's vote in the Malawi parliament that repealed a sweeping amendment to the country's penal code which had allowed the government to ban any news "not in the public interest."

The amendment to Article 46 of the penal code was first introduced in November 2010 under the late President Bingu Wa Mutharika, and passed last year, but was never implemented, according to news reports. The law would have allowed the information minister to ban any publication it deemed contrary to public interest for an unspecified period of time, news reports said. Its implementation was suspended pending constitutional review after it was challenged by local and international press freedom and civil society groups.

The driver who picked me up from the airport tells me the petrol queues have gone and while people are unhappy about devaluation of the Kwacha, the international donors are once more holding out their hands in support. I take it as a positive sign that Malawi now has new 1,000 Kwacha notes which lessens the laborious counting out of 500 kwacha notes and they are smaller, very crisp and  symbolic of a fresh start.

The new Kwacha notes represent a 'fresh financial note' for a country which remains one of the poorest in the world and whose people deserve far better than they have had. It's easy to be negative about Africa but when good things happen, even if they are sourced in 'bad' things, it is important to hold onto hope and a believe that the world and the future can be a better place.

The other positive is that the Wet Season was good and the maize crop is abundant. Malawians are happy if they have their maize supplies. And if they can get it for a good price. Andrew asked for an advance when he went to his village so he could buy maize at a cheaper price for his family. Costs have certainly gone up but with donor funds coming back into Malawi the Forex problem should be eased soon, if not resolved.

This is the dry and cool time of year although the sun still shines and a few dark clouds drift across blue sky from time to time; releasing occasionally, the last of the rains so they may fall  into small puddled memories of the Wet.

While the saying is that 'the more things change the more they stay the same,' one can only hope that the more things change in Malawi the more they do not stay the same and that the roller-coaster ride to economic disaster has been brought to an unexpected and welcome stop!

The avocado tree still has some fruit and the limes I picked before leaving are still in the fridge waiting to be juiced. Limited has been busy tending my pots of mustard greens which were planted before I left and the next task is to find some recipes to make good use of them.  They are related to kale, cabbage and collard greens and I am thinking that a light saute might be the best way to deal with them.

Mustard Greens Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup thinly sliced onions
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 pound mustard greens, washed and torn into large pieces
• 2 to 3 Tbsp chicken broth.
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dark sesame oil

Method

1 In a large sauté pan, sauté onions in olive oil over medium heat until the onions begin to brown and caramelize, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook a minute more, until fragrant.
2 Add the mustard greens and broth and cook until the mustard greens are just barely wilted. Toss with sesame oil. Season with salt and pepper.

 

Troubling times in the warm heart of Africa

There is so much beauty in Africa in general and Malawi is no exception, but there are also trials and tribulations which make life difficult for those who live here and Malawi sadly, is no exception.

At this point in its history with shortages of food, fuel, foreign exchange and all the limitations that imposes of empty shelves, petrol queues, grounded airplanes and transport, the people seem to be facing another set of challenges which will impact both their present and their future. Perhaps most crucial is that a 50kg bag of maize flour, the staple food here, has risen from 3,400K to 4,200K!

One can only wish it were other and that those in power will find a way to resolve this situation as peacefully and effectively as possible.

Already there have been arrests and protests in response and murmurings of fear that the awful violence of a year ago when nineteen people died will be repeated. One hopes not but the 'old part of town' is not the best place to be at present and keeping a low profile in general seems wise.

We fly out to Australia in less than a week and have no idea what we will find on return. It seems to be the way of Africa that governments begin well and then deteriorate and that the best of intentions and the most noble of plans seem to founder in the swamps of reality by the second term. It would be easy to think, looking around, that there is something about Africa which makes it doomed to repeat, in varying form, the same dangerous chaos.

Zimbabwe may well stand as the best known example of such imploding chaos but South Africa is showing signs of heading in the same direction. Why? What is it about leaders on this continent which leads them to become, well, Kings? As one Malawian friend said the tradition of Kingship is a strong one and so is the tradition of 'old men' being seen as beyond words - between the two there comes a separation from the people and the power.

There is no doubt that African chiefs wield a great deal of power and there is also no doubt that this power is not always in the interests of the society as a whole. There is nothing about this system that cannot be found in the histories of all races and nations - it is just that the most developed have left such systems behind. Where they remain they remain as symbols and not as actual forces or powers at work in the society.

But those changes were wrought elsewhere by the people and the other thing which holds people back in Africa is the powerful belief in witchcraft and the sense of reverence for ancestors who will return to haunt, punish or even kill you if you challenge the traditions of old.

Just as India's caste system keeps that nation trapped and crippled in so many ways, so too does the African system of tribes and chiefs and kings keep these nations trapped and crippled. How do you throw off the shackles of the past in such a way that you keep the things of value and shed the rest? It probably cannot be done and so the more people hold to their traditional ways the more the traditional ways hold them.

Within the system of kingship, even if that 'kingship' be symbolic and not literal,  there is a veneration of the king which limits communication at frank, open and honest levels and within the tribal system of venerating old age you get the same effect and Africa's tragedy is that those who lead inevitably take on the mantle of 'kingship' even if metaphorically and not necessarily because they demand it or take it for themselves - the society at large confers and maintains this 'mantle.'

So too with the reverence for old age where the mere fact of the years means that someone will be seen as 'beyond' criticism, advice or often words and so the gap between the people and those who lead them grows.

It is not even about 'bad leadership' or necessarily any 'fault' of those who lead, it is just what the African system produces and will continue to produce until, like the Western world, such traditional practices are discarded and there is absolute separation of 'royalty' and the State and all leaders are held accountable not to the tribe but to the democratic system.

But at the end of the day the change must come from the people themselves and sitting here, watching from the sidelines, one can only wish they do so in co-operation with their government, their leaders and their constitution.

 People, protests, plans... and fears fuelled by the Pentecostals!

It hardly seems possible but queues around petrol stations have doubled if not more and they wind, in patient snaking around corners I did not know existed.

The word was that fuel supplies had improved. Perhaps not. Or perhaps people are preparing for protests next week which are said to be in the planning. There were a few empty shelves in the canned food section at the supermarket which may also indicate people are planning for possible protest outcomes.

But cream is back, which is a plus, and yogurt although this week there are no onions to be had for love or money except the salad onions the women sell on the side of the street. Onions in this case are onions! And there is a sugar shortage to add insult to injury. There has been little or no white sugar in the shops for weeks - brown sugar and yellow sugar - but not white and the story is that the supplies will be back to normal by next month, according at least to Illovo, Malawi's sugar company. Not that many people believe much that they are told.

On a brighter note the power has not gone off for two days which, given Eskom's history is somewhat odd. Well, it feels odd. We are such creatures of habit that we become accustomed to things, even the negatives, and then miss them when they disappear. Although we also have three full jerrycans of diesel for the generator so I am wondering if the Malawi spirits which like to 'mess with our heads' are just playing with us. The 'gods do play sport' and no-where more so than in Africa!

But apart from massive thunderstorms, bucketing rain, thunderous lightning and the attendant glory of the Wet, things are pretty quiet in Lilongwe. Quiet before the storm, or quiet with the storms, who can say.  We had a visitor this week who would have preferred more quiet and less storm, flying into Lilongwe on a very stormy day indeed and riding its torments to the landing strip, only to have the pilot thrust it airborne at the last minute because two other planes were also trying to land.

As fatalistic as one may be it is also comforting to know that the South African pilots are pretty skilled at making their way around and through the storms which litter the African sub-continent at this time of year.

Our white-faced friend had however, found it a scary ride. But then he lives in Johannesburg which is one of the most scary cities on the planet - in terms of crime - so all things are relative and you would not be in Africa if you were easily scared.

There are so many things to fear in a place like Africa it is a wiser course to choose to live life as it comes and to leave no place for fear in that equation.  More to the point, Africans themselves live in such fear that one has no right to add to it. In this world of witches and death there is too much fear already.

Photo: Crowd at a witchunt in Malawi.


It is one reason why I think it is a great pity that the Christian do-gooders who flock to this continent are of the evangelical kind. You could not pick a more fearful version of Christianity than those who approach it as Fundamentalists, and the Pentecostals are the most extreme of all.  It doesn't seem fair, that, given the fears which are part and parcel of life in Africa, the people should have another load dumped on their heads.In fact the Pentecostal version of Christianity is fuelling witchcraft excesses more than anyone else:

In their present form, beliefs in witchcraft are not "traditional" – changes since earlier times are obvious. Modern beliefs see the power of witchcraft as emanating from evil spirits that possess the witch and endow him or her with the power to harm.

This belief in possession by evil spirits has been promulgated in Africa by western missionaries of fundamentalist, particularly Pentecostal, Christian beliefs. It has enabled Africans to retain a modified version of their former beliefs in witchcraft, obtaining the approval and support of Satan-hunting Christians whose life is dedicated to the pursuit of evil. New churches, started by Africans with a self-proclaimed "divine mission", have sprung up everywhere.

These churches do not "control" witchcraft beliefs, although they encourage and profit from them. Nor is it true to say that it is only as witchcraft escapes from the control of the church that it becomes evil; witchcraft is evil from the beginning. Some people may feel protective of Christianity, but Christianity is at fault here.

The pastors of independent African churches may identify children as witches (for a fee) and are prepared to "cure" them (for a further fee) by exorcising the evil spirits. Such exorcisms are often violent; beating and the use of cold water to cleanse and purify the possessed being is common .......

http://explorer9360.xanga.com/759491248/fundamentalist-christianity-is-spreading-through-africa-making-things-worse/

There is no denying that witchcraft is a cruel and often murderous reality in Malawi but seeking to replace it with an equally cruel theological dogma seems to make things worse, not better. People take the vengeful and punitive nature of fundamentalist christianity and simply add it to the beliefs they have so that people now don't just have witches and demons to fear, they have God to fear and evangelical preachers who threaten them not just with suffering in this world but everlasting hell in the next!

I happen to think given the trials of life in Africa the people deserved something gentler, kinder, more compassionate than the raging rants of evangelists who train up the locals in their own image so that Africa too, has, like the United States, television programmes which preach terror and damnation to all who do not believe as they are told they must.

But preaching fear and retribution is perhaps what appeals to Africans; a foil to the fear and retribution inherent in their own ancient beliefs. And those who preach fear must also live with terrible fear and so how better to face it than to leave the safety of the First World and throw yourself into the fears of the Third, adding your fears to the boiling pot which is African belief.

The Catholics are here and the Anglicans, and I know they do some fear - all religions do - but nothing like the Evangelicals  or Pentecostals, whose very breath blows fear into Africa's dim and dusty corners. Poor Africa. Those who come to help actually do more harm than good and those who would claim to 'set Africans free' actually imprison them in another fear-fuelled religious mindset which just marries and mixes with more ancient, and equally unforgiving dogma.

Pondering the prevalance of fear in Africa makes things like protests, petrol and mere human plans pale into insignificance.

Millipedes, Muzungus and Mice.
 
We have had kitchen visitors of late, both harmless which is good and a change from the gigantic cockroaches which 'come out to play' when the lights go out.

A giant millipede made its way graciously and determinedly across the kitchen floor the other night, heading for the back door, which we opened to allow it exit. The perfect synchronisation of its numerous legs was truly something to behold.  I mean, 'who thought that up?'

The materialist scientists would say it was just random, it simply happened, and because it worked it was retained. But the perfection of it belies such simplistic explanations - watching those hundreds of legs in perfect motion was for me yet more evidence that this amazing world is not just intelligent it is designed.

Although there is plenty of chaos in Africa still! Clearly, at some level, chaos also works. I am not sure that people sitting in their cars for hours in petrol queues would agree with that. As Muzungus we have an edge because the company is allowed a certain amount of fuel and we can access enough to fill the car and keep our generator running from the depot. With three full jerrycans in the shed it is a nice feeling.

The other visitor was a mouse which has necessitated moving onions and potatoes up from the pantry floor onto a shelf. Chewed ends may make a meal for a mouse but I prefer my vegetables intact. I spotted our visitor dashing across the lounge room floor the other day and I am thinking we might be able to share space as long as he or she cannot reach the pantry shelves. No doubt there are enough crumbs to keep a small mouse going although Limited is pretty rigorous with the broom and mop.

Things have been fairly quiet in Lilongwe although there is word of demonstrations next week. Things have a way of simmering in such places and erupting unexpectedly. Then again, the people have plenty of issues to keep heat under the simmer spots.

As my mother would so often say, 'wishing doesn't change things' and I am sure, if it did, then Africa would be very different to what it is. The people themselves have wished for better things for millenia and everyone who comes, well, probably everyone who comes, can only wish for a better life for Africa.

Or perhaps such 'wishes' are countered by the power of witchcraft and the 'thoughts' or beliefs or wishes inherent in that complicated, convoluted and often cruel system. The power of belief in Africa is more than enough I am sure to counter the best of intentions and the most powerful of wishes.

But life goes on and the avocadoes on our huge tree grow equally huge and shine in full-bellied abundance with each new dressing of rain. The limes are also ripe and this year have not suffered from the fungus which destroyed much of last year's crop. Nothing has changed except this year the Wet season has been wetter so perhaps the more rain the less fungus although logic suggests quite the opposite.

The rains have been so abundant that it looks like a good maize crop will come in and the countryside is so green and lush it spreads like a flowing ocean in waves of grass and trees. Even the stumps of trees are now languidly shaking fresh fronds - resourceful life surging from the cruel cut and thrust of life on the African continent. But the branches and fronds will not last very long if the fuel crisis continues.

People must eat and that means people must cook and if there is no fuel to be purchased they will make their own by cutting down trees and shrubs to make charcoal.Survival will always be the prime motivator and just as it fuelled the rotating legs of our millipede visitor, so it fuels the life of Africa, no matter how or what anyone else may wish.

It is only when people have security that they will be supported in their bid to survive that they can take the time to indulge in other thoughts. Aesthetics and ethics are privileges of a more certain world.

Birds, batteries and beliefs.

There are some large birds in Malawi and in the Wet Season, not surprisingly, even more of them - a brigade in fact clumping across my roof in recent weeks.

The echo of not so little feet has become something of a constant and has been, it seems, the source of our DSTV or cable problems. We have had erratic service since returning which Laurence, the technician blamed on storms, rain, overcast skies etc., despite my suggesting that he get up on the roof to have a look because I had heard the sound of something falling one day.

After four visits and assurances that no, we had a signal, when clearly we still had a problem, he finally went up on to the roof this morning to discover that my noisy visitors had not only been tap-dancing on the roof but had been balancing on the cable dish and had loosened it. Finally, a problem solved, at least for the moment.

The inverter has also been collapsing, again, still but it seems, said the nice young man of Indian ancestry, that batteries are once more available and we can replace what we have and hopefully have something approximating consistency with our back-up power. The constant surges and power cuts play havoc not just with battery life but with electrical equipment - just another burden for Malawians to bear.

There is more diesel and petrol available but when I went shopping on Saturday the streets were pretty empty. Perhaps people don't trust supplies and are being cautious or maybe the recent riots in the market area has frightened them away. Needless to say the supermarket shelves are not as well stocked as they once were but not as bare as they might be.

We have decided to purchase a freezer so we can ensure supplies of necessaries like flour, milk, butter and the like. For the locals it is not so easy but then it never was. It seems to be the way of it in Africa.

I was talking to a man from Sierra Leone the other day and he repeated a remark I have heard and read before from Africans - that for some reason Africans don't have a sense of community consciousness or responsibility as we do in the West. He works in the United States and has done for more than twenty years but he was also at a loss to explain why within African culture the emphasis is on benefiting Self and not benefiting Society.

In other words, look after yourself and the rest can look after themselves. I saw similar things in India although Hinduism does teach that caring for others is important and you get spiritual brownie points for doing so. My experience was that such 'caring' was limited to family and members of the same caste community and those outside of the caste were, in the main, pretty much ignored. It seems to be a similar thing here where divisions are tribal as opposed to a religious caste system but the end result is the same.

He did not think that poverty was the cause but no doubt poverty exacerbates a cultural attitude of Self first and last. It explains why those in power in Africa endlessly fill their own pockets and those of family and followers, with scant regard for the plight of the people.

I did say that if you read Western history you would find similar attitudes in centuries past. 'We are backward then,' he replied. And perhaps that is the answer. Those cultures which do not have a concern for the society and community as a whole are simply less developed. It's a politically incorrect statement but one which may be true all the same.

For whatever reason, the Western world, which is in essence the modern world, has developed a community consciousness where, despite exceptions, most people recognise the importance of working for the community and the society as a whole - of recognising the needs and rights of others.

When you look at the developed nations which offer the best quality of life to their citizens it is those which have the greatest sense of community responsibility. The Scandinavians stand out because they have put more effort than anyone into caring for the needs of the citizens as a whole and the United States stands out to the opposite degree because it is the developed nation which has put most effort into the rights and needs of the individual.

The societies which focus on the needs of everyone are those which are the most harmonious and which offer the most to their average citizens. While those which focus on the needs of the individual are the least harmonious and offer the least to their average citizens.

The US is a classic example of this and is mentioned as an example because it is the richest of the developed nations and should therefore offer its people the best, not the worst. It has the poorest welfare safety net of any developed nation and despite being the richest, it has the largest numbers of poor and working poor of any modern nation. It also has the most crime and the highest numbers in prison. And it has the highest rates of semi-literacy in the developed world. Even worse, it is the one developed nation where millions are bankrupted through medical costs. A society which prizes 'the individual' above all supports a lucky few and cripples the rest.

It is interesting to look at societies which have a more highly developed community consciousness and those which do not. In truth, the former is more natural to us because the ability to survive is enhanced when we work together and studies show that human beings are healthier when they are connected to others - when they help others - when they are a part of a community.

The African attitude is simply the most extreme result of a Self before Society attitude. But given that this is where everyone was in the past, there is every indication that progress will in time be made here and more enlightened attitudes will prevail. The power of the people rests in the ability of the people to work together as a whole. The most successful societies are the most cohesive.

I know there is a commonly held view that the West is more individualistic, which it is, and therefore has less of a sense of family and society than other cultures, including Africa, but this is simply not true. What has been confused with the 'sense of society,' in places like Africa and India which I know, is the power which family, caste, tribe and religion hold over people. And yes, this limits their ability to function as individuals in ways which we take for granted in the West, but it doesn't mean they have a greater concern for society - in fact it is just the opposite.

And perhaps it is the opposite for this very reason. The less freedom one has to act as an individual then the less responsibility one has and the greater the need to take power where one can - which is what it is about - by serving one's own ends, feathering one's own nest, and bettering one's own self, regardless of the needs of others.

It is the irony that in the societies which have allowed people to develop and assert their individuality there is a greater sense of responsibility and accountability to the society at large. I remember thinking about this when I lived in India and observed the power that the father wielded over the family. His rule was law!

It seemed to me that in this situation, which was of course the situation in all societies, including what we now call Western, until recent centuries, that the emotional and psychological development of the family members was limited. In other words it is the same as a society which is run by a dictator- no matter how benevolent that dictator might be - the people are prevented from maturing as individuals and becoming responsible and accountable as individuals. This also breeds a level of emotional immaturity and a fear in fact of taking responsibility.

So in an Indian (or African or any patriarchal) family there was one individual amongst say, thirty, and responsibility, accountability and power rested with him. While in a Western family of thirty there were thirty individuals, give or take, where accountability, responsibility and power were shared. The latter seems to allow greater maturity, greater flexibility and greater power both to the family and the society as a whole.

I know some might argue that colonisation has had an impact in Africa and of course it has. But it also needs to be remembered that the Africans were themselves actively colonising (invading, occupying and enslaving) long before the Europeans arrived. And anyway, at some point you have to put a 'bad childhood' behind you, forgive your 'parents' and move on.

The case for confidence in Africa's ability to move on is not strong. There are few successful African states and those which were once successful, like South Africa, are in serious decline. If South Africa does not end up following Zimbabwe down the perilous path to ruin in years to come it will be more through good fortune than good management.

Already the signs are there. A week spent in Cape Town recently revealed those signs. Power cuts are increasing dramatically; crime is increasing substantially (and it was bad enough to begin with) - the hotel in which we stayed now has a large safe into which you must put your laptop when you leave the room! The latest crime craze is blowing up ATM's and the latest insanity is the ANC government talking about privatizing mining! The former is an inconvenience but the latter would lead to the destruction of the South African economy.

But the African attitude is hard at work in South Africa, just as it is across the continent. The ANC is looking to serve its own ends and the ends of those in power and the needs of the society as a whole are ignored.

Perhaps, as so often happens in life, a nation has to reach the bottom before it can pull itself back up. Much of Africa languishes but Africans are no less intelligent or capable than anyone else - they just have to start thinking about the needs of the society as a whole if they are to have a good future.

It is what we believe, the beliefs that we inherit and hold, which will create the world in which we live. There are certain beliefs in Africa which must be discarded if the people are to take their rightful place as part of a functioning, enlightened, cohesive world.

Fury, food, fuel and forex!

We have been away for six weeks and while all looks as we left it in the house, things have been less than quiet in Malawi and problems have intensified because people are angry.

The word is that diesel supplies will begin to improve from next week following Government action but in the meantime the queues around the petrol stations are longer than ever. Limited tells me that maize flour is in short supply and for Malawians, this is dramatic indeed. The flour is used to make their staple dish, Nsima (pronounced en-seema, a thick porridge which sustains even if it does not thoroughly nourish.)

I saw some flour in the local supermarket yesterday so it is available but not where it is needed, in the cheaper markets and shops which most Malawians can afford. However, we will buy some bags for everyone here and hand them out next week. It isn't much but it all helps. We gave them rice and sugar at Christmas so perhaps that can be a gift for next time.

Things have settled down but reading the local press there is no doubt that the recent riots were nasty. As is so often the way, it was the women who bore the brunt of it, or rather, the women wearing trousers who did. It seems the rioting vendors decided that it was not appropriate for women to wear trousers and so they set upon them, women of all ages, and stripped them naked! For a Malawian woman this would be a terrible shame. Needless to say the act itself appears purely vengeful and perhaps self-serving with dozens of cowering, naked women for the mean to leer at - and all for the crime of wearing trousers.

Photo: Nsima tastes like it looks but Malawians love it and would no doubt find Vegemite as appealing as we find Nsima.


But, as is the way of it, there is always a reason for why things happen and I learned later that the previous government had a rule about women wearing trousers so this attack appears to be more about politics than modesty. It is hardly surprising, the people are angry. Prices have risen more than 30% in the past year and fuel is in short supply. It should not be this way. The story is that maize is in short supply because the government has sold the crop to the Zimbabweans - to raise much-needed foreign exchange - to purchase, no doubt, supplies of diesel and petrol. It is a vicious cycle and one where the average Malawian suffers most of all. The Third World has ever been thus.

But beyond attacking trouser-wearing women and girls it seems there were running battles with police and barricades of burning tyres, baskets and wood while the angry vendors from the market pelted the police with stones and the police responded with teargas.

As a local paper reported:


'Lilongwe main Market shop owners were not happy with the number of people entering the market. One of the shop owners told the crowd in vernacular that they had to move out.
"Apa tikutseka geti chifukwa ambiri a inu mulibe ma shopu muno. Ndiye mutionongeletsa katundu apolisi akakuonani (Most of you don't own shops in here, and your presence will attract the police, something which might lead to damage of our property. So I am closing the main gate)," the shop owner said.
The only gate that was open was the one leading to Devil Street which the shop owners forced the 'encroachers' to use in getting out.'


My problems by comparison seem minor and are minor. Beyond the power cuts, inadequate inverter, telephone not working, internet not working and grappling with Malawi's version of buttermilk, Chambiko, things for us are pretty good. Yes, the supermarket shelves are looking troublingly bare which is why I came to pick up the Chambiko in the first place - thinking it was milk, because there was no milk.

We went to both Foodworths and Spar when we flew back in on Monday, through literal Wet Season stormclouds which were echoed in the social 'stormclouds' on the ground. Fresh produce was very limited in the former and the shelves were pretty much bare in the latter. It is always worse in the Wet Season because local crops are not growing well and storage in moist humidity is ineffective beyond a day or two.

But, I did find some reasonable onions, potatoes, apples, nectarines and lemons. We had carried in some garlic which was good because what was available was small and soft. We also brought in six packets of great organic Oz tea, a pot of vanilla bean paste which is readily available in Australian supermarkets but not in South African ones, a goodly supply of Haighs chocolates, two bottles of excellent South Australian chardonnay and two of excellent South African which we picked up at the airport - essentials really.

There was no cream to be found until we got to the little shop run by the British expats (who have been here for 30 years) where I found one jar of local cream which I could use to make my half and half mixture for coffee.

Spar had no white sugar, only brown but Sana, around the corner was awash with white sugar so we will do a stock-up. I am thinking that with ongoing problems with Forex, fuel and food, we need to make sure we have our diesel supplies up to scratch and a well-stocked pantry of basics.

Photo: An average queue for petrol in Lilongwe.

 It might be a good idea to get a small chest freezer so we can have butter, milk, flour (safely stored away from weevils), frozen veg and meat on hand for even tougher times. And tins of powdered milk will be a good way to go if milk supplies are limited increasingly.

Not that they should be. It has been a good start to the Wet and the grasses are waist-high with a waving lushness which augurs fertile fields. The chopped and stunted stubs of trees have also burst forth in branch and leaf with that raging vitality which comes from wet, warm weather. This season is the salvation of places like Africa. But sadly, not enough of a salvation to prevent shortages and even famines. Malawi has suffered through some terrible famines and I am sure when things begin to get tough it brings back frightening memories.

Then again, no matter how tough it gets for us it will be nothing like what Malawians have to put up with. Our bottom line is that we go to Joburg on the company plane on a Friday with a few empty suitcases and bring them back full of food on the Monday.  I suspect my left-overs are going to be appreciated even more by Limited and Andrew.

But back to the local buttermilk which isn't buttermilk. I decided to use it in a bread and butter pudding which was probably a first and a last. It was okay but Chambiko is not really buttermilk, nor quite like yogurt or sour cream to which it is likened but a mix of all of them with a cottage cheese sort of taste. I am draining the remaining packet to make a soft 'cheese' which I can use in a dip. I don't think I would buy it again but usually we can get buttermilk anyway which comes in from South Africa.

It's been a busy week in that African way with things not working in that African way. The internet was down for the first two days but luckily one dongle worked; the inverter could not cope with a seven hour power cut and it took two days to chase down the technicians who were meant to come and re-charge batteries when we left in December and to do some other work but didn't; the small repair to the genset which was meant to be done has not been done and my email inquiring about this has been languishing for three days; the phone cradle seems not to be charging so I have to switch the phones around and charge on the one that is working and then there is the saga of the DSTV cable box which had some channels but not all.

Laurence our technician came promptly and said it had been hit by lightning which had fused the connections, some of them, actually most of them and we needed a new box for the princely sum of K125,000 - six months salary for Limited or Andrew! So he brought one the next day but when I went to turn it on I found it did not work so he came back and took it away and then returned this morning with a new box.

I blame myself totally because I did not pay enough attention when he showed me it was working - it was working, it had a picture and sound, but when I turned it on later I could see it was fuzzy! And then I saw that the box was not as big as the one we had before and looked awfully like an older version, which no doubt it was. So another phone call to Laurence - luckily we had not paid him the mountains of kwacha yet - and he said yes, yes, a new shipment was coming in tomorrow and he would come back and change it.

The interesting thing of course is that when he left after installing this box he said nothing about new shipments etc., and the assumption was that it had all been fixed. Kick self twice for forgetting that in Africa you always, always, always check thoroughly every single repair job. Still, at least we have a box which works overnight, albeit with a slightly fuzzy image.

But they are small things in the scheme of life here. On the good news front I have found that the generator will charge the batteries in about three hours but it won't run anything else other than the fridge. Still, the fridge is pretty important.

And on another plus side we hauled back an electric wok from Oz which will work off the inverter, although no doubt with discretion in terms of how hot and how long, but which means that when we lose power I can cook something other than a stew without using up our precious diesel.

All in all we are back in African harness and with only a six hour time-difference between here and Perth, no problems with waking in the night because of jetlag. It has been a case of down the wormhole again and into the Malawi dimension. So here I am for ten days before we head to Indaba, a mining conference, in Cape Town. Five days there and back for a longer and more settled stay.