Malawi Memo 22 March 2006

If I were to describe to you a day in my life in Malawi, today was quite a good day to choose. As usual breakfast was served to us by the ever reliable and efficient Mary. Before this, however, we held discussions with the very newly separated Arnold. He announced yesterday that Catherine was leaving him and would be around sometime that day to collect her things. And collect her things she did. According to Arnold, she took everything, including his clothes. Ah, the joys of family law disputes! Consequently, we have lent Arnold some money to get back on his feet. To his credit, he let Catherine come in and take what she wanted as he did not want any more fights. We’re not sure what has effected this change of heart, but we’re very happy about it.

After breakfast, we headed to an internet café because we are into day 23 out of a possible 38 of no landline connection (ie in the last 38 days, 23 of them we’ve had no phone.) There are a few different reasons for this. The first problem was that our surge protector paid the ultimate price in such a self-effacing way that we didn’t realise that it was the reason our phones were not working. The next problem was that someone stole a length of cable outside our estate. This took some 2 weeks to replace but even then our most important line was still not working so it took another few days until a technician could come and fix the wiring. We were restored for a whole 2½ days before someone else helped themselves to a length of cable outside our estate. My call to the phone company today for an update elucidated that the company has put out a nationwide call for cable as they are having trouble finding cable to replace the bit that was pinched. SIGH!

After the internet café, Martin dropped me at my Chichewa speaking group and headed to the airport to do battle with Customs over some technical instruments we sent to South Africa for repair under warranty. Customs wanted to charge duty! This is the second time I have attended the Chichewa speaking group, mainly because it took considerable perseverance to find them. I love it. It’s a group of 4 ladies all around my age who meet at a coffee shop for 2 hours on Wednesday mornings and pay a pitifully small amount to a guy to teach us how to speak his language. As you know, I’ve been trying to pick up bits and pieces of Chichewa since I’ve been here. Our mostly absent co-tenant has a very helpful text book that I have purloined and with that, Mary and Arnold’s guidance and practice wherever I can I’m doing OK as far as beginners go.

While I was at my group a lawyer from the Ministry of Justice rang me to arrange meetings in April to negotiate the Development Agreement we’re hoping to agree with the government so our project can go ahead. So in mid-April I have to take my admin/accounts person hat off and put my lawyer hat back on (if I can find it) and help to negotiate a mining agreement.

After lunch Martin sent me off on my own to the bank and post office while he stayed at the office and made phone calls. Before I was able even to get out of my car there were 2 food selling vendors and 3 guys on crutches lined up waiting for me. I bought some peanuts and bananas (I don’t always buy but this time I did) and, working on the theory that social security for the disabled is provided by the altruistic, gave some money to the guys on crutches. So then we were joined by quite a queue of guys on crutches – seriously I’ve never seen that many at the post office. When that line was through the guys who sell wooden carvings and paintings etc wanted me to look at their stuff. I managed to get out of that and actually make it as far as the bank, only to find that their system was down and that unfortunately I would not be able to withdraw money. I waited for a while to see if it would come back up but it didn’t so I proceeded to the post office. While waiting I chatted to the guy on the front desk and he asked for us to employ him.

Now the post office staff are very quick to tell you when their lunch hour is. We are exceedingly well aware that lunch starts at 12 noon and even if they are in the middle of checking your mail at 12, too bad. So, having arrived at the post office hatch at 1:20pm, I felt I’d given the staff enough time for lunch and that there shouldn’t be a problem. Not so. When the girl finally opened the hatch at 1:30pm she had a mouth full of sandwich and a look on her face as if I’d interrupted a sacred event! While waiting for the post office girl, a guy who I now know is called Patrick started a conversation with me, during which he asked us to employ him.

My next task was to try to find a vacuum cleaner bag as the current specimen has seen much better days. This is not the first attempt I have made to find said bag. In fact it will probably be my last attempt as ALL other avenues I have tried have rendered NOTHING. The shop across the road from the post office told me on the phone that they have vacuum cleaner bags but that I’d have to come in and see what they have. No, they couldn’t tell me over the phone whether they had my model. So today I decided I’d go and see what they have only to find that whereas the entire rest of the country takes their lunch from 12 or 12:30, this shop is closed for lunch between 1pm and 2pm. It was 1:35pm. Tomorrow!

Before I was able to get back in my cars, the wood sellers entered into quite intense negotiations with me to look at their stuff. It was probably 5 – 10 minutes by the time I greeted them all, found out how they were and as politely as possible begged to be able to get into my car and look at their stuff some other time. No, probably not tomorrow but maybe next week.

Later this afternoon we went back to the internet café, the first of which was not able to help us because of a power outage. While there, an attempt to send a 2 page fax to Australia proved futile but at least we had internet connection.

A happy end to the day saw me being able to cook dinner on our electric stove in full electric light and to eat it in full electric light while we watched cable tv.

Yes, the frustrations of the day still pale into insignificance when we consider the luxuries we also enjoy. This time of the month and year are particularly fraught for many. This is probably the last month before maize harvest begins and as most are paid monthly at or around the end of the month, very few have money left for food. I’m sure this is the reason for the number of people begging and the intensity with which the vendors try to negotiate a sale.
Another luxury we’d struggle without is the delight of being able to listen to BBC World on the radio. Our car radio is tuned to it so we are able to listen to all kinds of fascinating topics, readings and interviews while we do our best to anticipate what the mad drivers on these roads might do next. I had missed the “Beeb” as it’s affectionately known in Britain and it’s nice to have it back as a part of our life here.

In the meantime I’m pleased to say that the local media has continued its onslaught against gender-based violence. No doubt it will take time for entrenched views and attitudes to change, but at least the country sees the value of putting out a very clear message and if enough organisations join the fight then I think the country will see some lasting change. It’s obviously not possible to eradicate it completely but a shift in the balance of statistics would be very welcome.

This newsletter would not be complete without my latest chitenje report. I am very happy to announce that Martin has finally conceded defeat on this issue and in fact helped me choose some fabrics during our recent trip to Karonga. Previously he had groaned that it was not possible to find black or navy blue fabric and that everything was far too garish. (It is in fact possible to find dark, plain colours, but I’m not going to tell him where!) Karonga and Mzuzu, the city about half way between Lilongwe and Karonga, both have extensive cloth markets. We visited them last time we went to Karonga but this time the range was even better and the colours even brighter. My contribution to the local economy will keep the country going for the next few months and now I just have to figure out what I’m going to do with it all!

As further evidence of the breakthrough with Martin and fabric shopping, he had to make a business trip down to Blantyre last week without me. While there he purchased, unaccompanied, a fantastic painted wall hanging painted in brown and…wait for it…..orange! I’m a happy woman.

While we were in Karonga the local guys at the camp near where the mine will (hopefully) be decided that they were going to make Martin a Chief and are busy making him a chiefly spear. Martin was initially very flattered but is reconsidering his position after I told him that as a chief he would have to wear national costume.

I’ll finish this letter with an account of our new gardener and some idiosyncrasies in the local use of English.

We found ourselves having to hire another gardener after Mary’s son, Jeffry, sadly failed his high school leaving and has gone back to try again. We found Kennedy (we affectionately refer to him as “Gunshy”) because he advertised on the board at our favourite supermarket. He is so thrilled to have a job that he has been bobbing and bowing (I mean down on 1 knee) whenever he sees us, much to our embarrassment (For heavens sake, man, I’m Australian. We don’t believe in bowing to ANYONE!) We gave him some money to help him get to his father’s funeral recently and he rewarded us with more bowing and a vow that he will keep working for us “until my life is finished.”

A few of the “pearler” names we have come across recently include Revival (F), Tryness (F), Stywell (M), Stain (surely a ground for parental homicide) (M), Ronex (M), Robtcher (M), Auspicious (M), Joylet (F), Loyce (F)(possibly a typo??), Beston (M), Dickens (M), Smalls (M)(ouch!) and Gogo (F). Wake me up……

Our geologist was unwell recently and when he was on the up, we asked him how he was. His reply, “A little bit fine.”

With that I’ll leave you for another few weeks. Keep smiling (it makes people wonder what you’ve been up to.)