Unyago- Initiation Celebrations

I was very privileged to attend an initiation celebration today. wow. Im not quite sure how to convey both the incredible significance of this celebration as a right of passage in this culture...and/vs my own 'outsider' response. I guess part of my problem is that we don't really have anything in our culture quite like it. We don't get initiated. Sure we still largely keep the 21st Birthday tradition, but we certainly don't head off into the bush one day - a child- and return a month later a more valid member of society.

The initiation celebrations mark the end of the childrens month in a secret place, being taught the things that make them Yawo- make them man, or woman- make them 'belong'. At the end of the month, the shelter where they have been living is burnt, they are dressed in their finest clothes and they return solemnly to the village, paraded and treated like royalty while the villagers dance themselves into a frenzy. The atmosphere is part family parade, part nightclub- with the drummers competing for dancers, the inebriated young men concentrating on staying on their feet and the women- from the toddler to the granny- 'shakin their booty'...

But let me go back to the beginning...

It all started with the drums. Ive been hearing them every night for the past month- but today I actually got to see the 'culprits' :). As we arrived, one group was tuning their drums over a small fire. The blade of a hoe and assorted whistles were also used to accompany the singing. The drummers set off out the front and we followed behind singing and dancing 'til we met the initiates. Then the villagers gathered around them and escorted them with much - noise :) to where there were shelters with couches and food waiting for them. There were 3 groups of initiates that each came in about 10 min apart. Each group had its own drum trio and dancing villagers that would storm through another dancing group, luring dancers to their rythm. It seemed that once a group got too big to move easily, they settled in to their spot in front of their initiates and ...boogied :) young and old, black and white alike :)(my housemate reckons I look like the madonna in this pic :)?!)

Meanwhile ...the 'lil initiates were sitting in luxury, with food and drink and money...all of which they were not allowed to touch. They were to keep their eyes down and their mouths covered in all seriousness, while people danced and put money in the plates in front of them. These 2 kids were covering their mouths with the highest denomination in Malawian currency.

Then...we rested a bit, and went and 'helped' (hindered I suspect) the women cooking for everyone!...and then we went home . What an afternoon!

I am very much indebted to my housemate who has a gift for capturing the action and took many of these pictures- thanks!

Demo Farm Happenings

Its been a great time for our demonstration farm- all systems are go! never before has this property had a driven white woman 'making things happen'!

So...firstly- our training facility (or my skyscraper as Dad affectionately called it when he saw the size of the foundations) is a month behind schedule- which means that training of 300 farmers is now also a month behind schedule... but as a trained 'trainer' i really don't think it is expecting too much to provide a roof over our trainees heads- and its not like its a group of 20 that we can park under a tree- its 10 sessions- with 30 people at each one. So construction continues.

Now this was an area where I felt I should 'facilitate' rather than 'dictate' -so i facilitated permission for the structure from the director, and facilitated the building foremans transport to assess the site...and left the rest to local expertise. im not sure of the wisdom of that now that north eastern corner of the floor is a full foot lower than the rest- but i guess it'll be easier to mop. Having said that- given the technology available to these guys I think its pretty impressive.

Now a few weeks ago I had some 'visitors' - Aussie speaking farmers who also know a fair bit about reading landscapes and developing farm water management plans, so- after a few brainstorming meetings about the farm with my colleagues last week- i was given the 'ok' to proceed with stages 1-3 of the drainage channels kindly designed by the Aussies. These channels will protect the farm from the massive runoff generated by up to 2000mm rainfall falling in a 4 month period off the adjacent bouldery hill (ie water doesn't soak into boulders and hills mean the water is moving fast by the time it gets to the farm = erosion) So- drainage channels- there'll be 4 of these babies- each 2 m wide, 30 cm deep, running across the property to take excess water slowly to the existing drainage line.

I've been muttering under my breath the past few months about the locals penchant for burning everything- even this evening as I came off the plateau i spotted a dozen decent fires on the plain. But today, I developed a much greater appreciation for WHY. ya know how the grass looks really thick? WELL IT IS!!! and today 3 guys spent 4 hours cutting/scraping a 3 m wide, 80 m long corridor through it. I felt really sorry for them and pitched in to help -only to retreat at the first deep grass cut iiiish cringe. only 200 m to go folks! Nah- hopefully they'll get to the bit where the land was cropped last year by mid morning tomorrow and it should be a lot easier- then the digging will start.

The guys are awesome and I we can communicate (in a fairly rudimentary way) which is cool. It was interesting to see how the farm mangers approach to staff management vs my method. He didn't tell them what they were building or why- he just gave instructions and of course they didn't get it so he had to stay and 'supervise'. So when he wandered off for a chat I pulled out the map and tried to show how far they had progressed (for encouragement more than anything). They smiled and nodded politely until one of them exclaimed 'amapu!'. Once they realised that what was on paper represented real life they started asking questions and I explained - through yawo and elaborate sign language (hehe) that we were going to construct a big drain etc. they cleared the grass inthe right place after that :). Before knocking off i recorded their names so the farm manager could pay them. I suspected they were illiterate so I offered to write but couldn't help smiling when one of them exclaimed (in ciyawo) 'she says she can't speak Cichewa- only Ciyawo- but she knows how to write Cichewa!' yeah. all the languages here are written phonetically in 'normal' letters. apparently their names are Chewa :)

On the way home drove through an initiation ceremony dancing down the road...i can't quite begin to describe it. Ive been invited to one late August so I'll post the photos from that for you.

What the?!

there's alot of thinkin going on this 'lil head of mine that'll prolly make it to the www soon, but in the mean time -I'll try n take advantage of the internet being on right this minute (don't take anything for-granted!) and share with you some snaps from the past fortnight...What a cool dude!yes, that is bamboo scaffolding for a singlebrick high-rise car park

proof that any human insecurity can be turned into a saleable item! i didn't buy any- but i could probably do with a set :)Ouch! Apparently the driver wasn't the owner adn ran away after exiting through the sun roof. Mum commented that wasn't passing on the inside lane as frequently after seeing this one.

the first dam ive seen in Malawi

more writing next time hehe

Update

Hi all- I have had a crazy few weeks that aren't over yet! But I plan to be back to posting regularly next week. I've spent a week visiting organic/permaulture demonstration farms in the central region of Malawi, caught up with my folks while I was in Lilongwe to pick up some visitors ...and have spent the week putting them to work at the demo farm, marking contours and being taught how to 'read' the landscape for farm planning purposes. I've learnt so much, driven so many km's, been asked so many questions and been in so many amazing conversations bouncing ideas about development around that Im pretty much- stuffed :)
So- back to Lilongwe (4hr drive) today (to make sure they are there in time for their flight tomorrow morning), 2 nights de-fragging in Lilongwe and God-willing, back safely on Sunday.
Catch ya then!

A week in pictures

I had a crazy busy week last week, (with a healthy sprinking of power blackouts and internet outages), followed by a lovely weekend at a lake resort thanks to some visiting Aussies. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here goes...

Monday- no piccies- just meetings, cooking and entertaining guests.

Tuesday- taking our Aussie vistors out to the village- but first we stopped to help push a truck that had run out of fuel (Mangochi has run out of diesel) off the road- only to find we had a flat ourselves. So, in true Aussie style we bamboozled the locals with hackey sack.

Wednesday- was the inaugural opening of a local Community Library that we've had a lot to do with. The ceremony started an hour or two late and went for an hour or two longer than the programme said - but hey- the local school and the villages in the area now have access to books to support ther functional education classes..and it's also stocked with sports equipment and a bicycle ambulance. awesome

Thursday- I attended the National Manure Campaign Launch at a farm a few hours drive away. Although the official proceedings resembled the previous day- i actually really enjoyed the displays and networking with other NGO's and organic farming oriented people. Im hoping to head back to that farm sometime in th enext few weeks for a few days to have a proper look around.

Friday- I took our visitors to a translation project, local orphanage and of course- the farm!

The little babies I held last time I visited the orphanage were now toddling around and a whole new set of babies moved in.

Saturday n Sunday... was a bit cold, but we all had some much needed fun, reflection time and R&R

Happy Malawi Republic Day!

Today, July 6th is Malawi's Republic Day.

From the late 19th century until independence, Malawi was a British protectorate called Nyasaland. Today in 1964 they declared their independence from the British, and 2 years later became the Republic of Malawi.

During the reign of the 1st President- his Excellency, the Life President Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda, Republic Day was celebrated with huge functions all over the country (mandatory attendance). For the past 10 years, however, the celebrations have been abolished and this year is the first time in 10 years that Malawians have been encouraged to celebrate this special day. Word is that those not politically aligned with the current ruling party won't be welcomed (ie there are no major celebrations planned in our district) but hey- we get a public holiday tomorrow!

The Malawi flag features a black stripe that represents the people of Africa. The color red stands for the blood spilt in Malawi's struggle for independence; while the color green symbolizes the country's vegetation. The rising sun represents the dawn of freedom and hope on the African continent.

image used from http://flagspot.net/flags/mw.html, flag explanation from http://www.worldflags101.com/m/malawi-flag.aspx

Smokin'

Its burning season.

Mangochi is down behind that hill- smothered. Bring on the rains - only 3 months to go!

Hysteria

Hysteria / Hysterics
A nervous affection, occurring almost exclusively in women, in which the emotional and reflex excitability is exaggerated, and the will power correspondingly diminished, so that the patient loses control over the emotions, becomes the victim of imaginary sensations, and often falls into paroxysm or fits. [Webster1913]

I sat on the bench wanting to laugh- long and loud - uncontrollably for all the world to hear. It was then I started pondering the definition of hysteria. maybe 'hysterical laughter' wasn't a phrase to be used lightly if this was the urge i was feeling...

All I wanted was a map- a map of the farm with topography. In Australia I'd have called my mate John at Harley Survey and a few hours later it'd pop into my inbox with a poem or joke to brighten the day. I'd asked for this map 6 weeks ago, and finally deciding I'd been given the 'African yes' went hunting for it myself.

Several hours, several offices and a request for bribe money later I was sitting on a bench in the town records office- a small room lined with bookshelves and pigeon holes crammed full with tatty, yellowing manilla folders, labelled with peeling masking tape – the excess stacked in toppling piles on the floor. The clerk was slowly and systematically looking through every file for some tidbit of archived information for the man further up the bench. When it finally came to my turn it was 20 minutes 'til lunch so I had to go back in the afternoon.

He was held up some where else that afternoon, but very cheerfully handed the file to me this morning. It did contain a map - of sorts- but it wasn't what I was expecting it to be. sigh.

This culture shock stuff just goes on and on doesn't it? For some reason it still surprises me that my expectations don't fit here and I think completley differently and somehow miss most of the nuances in possibly every interaction.

Well- back to my comfortable task oriented cultural paradigm- If anyone knows how to measure and map topographic information for a very hilly piece of land I'd really appreciate it :)

When in Rome...

We had a technical meeting at work yesterday. I was told it would sart 8.30am sharp- so I arrived in plenty of time, and, with no faith whatsoever in the system, set up my laptop and got on with my work. As I expected (it happened last time) the boss arrived at 10am. Still no movement. Other staff arrived at 11am. I groaned- I had been looking forward to lunch.

At 11.30am one of my colleagues came to tell me that we had a technical meeting today- so i dutifully packed up and went to the meeting room. When we were all assembled by 11.40am, the boss pointed out how late it was and asked everyone what they wanted to do. I watched with interest. It had taken 3 hrs to assemble everyone would he really let them all leave again? yes. everyone voted for an early lunch with the meeting to re-convene at 1pm. I cancelled my afternoon plans (silly me- thinking a morning meeting wouldn't affect my afternoon...)

I returned at 1pm to an empty, locked office building. 20 min later, people started wandering back and the 8.30am meeting was started at 1.30 pm (finishing at 5 pm). I have to say though- it was a really worthwhile meeting. they say good things are worth waiting for- adn Ive well adn truly proved that I fit the mold of whitey's who 'like to keep the time' :)

Today I spent the morning trying to figure out how we were going to achieve the commitment of training 300 farmers at the demonstration farm in soil and water conservation methods and soil improvement and crop management strategies between July and September with no facilities yet on the farm. I had a mild wave of panic when I was informed about it at yesterdays meeting, with the main field guys away for the next 2 weeks, no budget (that I know of) and July starting next week and all :)
but we’ve got a plan now. The whitey is happy! we’ll start the trainings in August (giving me 5 weeks to organise for a cement pad to be laid and grass roof constructed so we can have some shelter for the trainees, 2 pit latrines dug and 30 plates and a few pots brought for catering) and train 10 groups of 30, twice a week till we’ve achieved the target. The field guys will select who will come from their areas, they’ll contact the govt guys and tandem teach, I’ll chase up some booklets/paper resources so the trainees can have a take-home reminder of what they’ve learnt (don't think its been done before) and...we’ll borrow bigger cars so we don’t have to fix the road yet cos whatever budget there is- it certainly won’t cover converting a bicycle track to a road. Easy!

Then I got really excited cos i remembered this is part of what ive always wanted to be doing! Training key farmers who go home and train others...multiplier effect.

Despite the culture clash on time, its value and who actually owns it- Im really enjoying being part of a Malawian team of professional community development practitioners- They are so patient with my dumb questions and Im learning so much!

oh dear its almost 10 and there is a drunken party ramping up next door... happy sleeping to me!

photo overview of my week away

Mum and I worked on making curtians for their new house. I was actually trying to photograph the candle smoke...but got my beautiful mother as well :)



















Building OH&S aint quite what it is back home!



















Dads job is to keep a 1000 men fed. Thats a BIG job!





Sangulo.














This Boabab is at the gate of my folks new house. cool...






















Livingstonia - the home of Dr Livingstone himself is at the top of that plateau







I never get tired of watching the lakes many moods...


Enjoying a spot of luxury!













My folks 'new' bathroom- ive never seen anything so ...hideous! :)















This is 'snoop dog' she's old and friendly and came with the house

Where am I? Karonga. google it- its even more remote that Mangochi! Ive been cooking and sewing with mum and doing housy stuff helping my folks settle into their new house AND tomorrow we're having a PARTY!- Dad's turned the big 60! He's so healthy you'd never guess :)
I'll post some 'holiday' pics next week when I get back.
x

Bike Riding

Yesterday, i decided to visit my friends in the village on a bicycle instead of driving. Why? for fitness, to enjoy the slightly cooler weather, to see what its like for the hundreds of guys who work as 'bicycle taxi's' every day and ...to at least once -not be a typical asungu and show up in a car- looking as if we're incapable or far too busy or important to walk or ride.


So, I borrowed my friends bike and trialled it around the yard- a local squeaky, wobbly, upright girl bike with no gears and a HARD plastic seat. Next I practiced with a chitenje on and discovered that the best combo was a skirt with a slit up the back, and to put the chitenje on backwards so it stayed firm and didn't flap- revealing my skirt (or worse) my knees. Then I packed a light backpack with a couple of bottles of water, slathered myself in sunscreen & hat and set off on my most ecxellent adventure. The deep sand on the road out the front of our house nearly had me off, but I struggled through and was SO happy to get to the bitumen!


The village is about 12km outta town. 10km on the highway, then 2 on a dirt track. Once clear of Mangochi and her sister town -affectionately refered to as Suweto, i was flying along on the wide, open road, wondering why I didn't do this more often?! I got a lot of stunned stares and children screaming 'asungu!' - but no one bothered me.


About half way out I passed a woman and looking back, recognised her as one of my friends from the village. She was crestfallen- no car?! evidently she had planned the trip intt town to coincide with my visit knowing that I'd stop and shorten her trip... I offered her the bike, took her bucket and placing it on my head followed her beside the road for the rest of the trip. She had gone to Mangochi to get parafin (for light at night) and to take her 1yr old daughter to the hospital because she had a bad cough and diarrhoea. The hospital gave her panandol.


I wasn't surprised the child was sick. This was the same child who last week, after we had all washed our hands in the same bowl before and after eating together - was given the hand washing water to drink.

Im also no longer surprised to hear that the district hospital sent a sick and dehydrated shild away with panadol. I contemplated returning to the village later with re-hydration powder and a big bottle of clean water... but decided to be slightly less interventionist and asked the mother if she had salt and sugar. She had salt so we stopped and brought a cup of sugar from a road-side stall for about 20c and I did my best to explain that she had to boil the water and give the child lots to drink etc I donated one of my bottles of water to get her started.


I had a lovley visit at the village. Little 'Ha-' born last week was still alive and the mother was happy and well. I felt like I understood a lot more and was able to communicate better than usual- which was really encouraging. I left early though as I wanted to make sure I got through 'Suweto' in day light. On the way back I realised just how ridiculously unfit I am- and was glad for some beautiful sunset photo opportunities as an excuse to stop. Now that the land is dry and the grass is being burnt, the Boababs stand out majestically.


It took longer than I thought to get home and it was well and truly dark and i was well and truly exhausted- but it was worth it :)

Cake

I realised yesterday that i really enjoy making kids birthday cakes (or birthday kids for adults that take them beck to their childhood!). Maybe its cos its as close to 'artistic' as I get out here! Anyways- thought the piccy might cheer up my blog a bit. The kids had a BIG sleep over together last night and I can still here them all playing happily next door. Meanwhile I clocked up 11hrs of shut eye. This 'working' business is tiring stuff!

Next week I'm meeting local chiefs and gov't departments, digging soil pits on the farm (yay!), delivering the soil samples to a lab in Lilongwe (4 hrs drive away) then continuing on (7hrs drive) for a weeks holiday in Karonga -coinciding with Dads big '0' birthday. Mum is thinking about getting a lift to Lilongwe to do some shopping and help me with the drive up (keep in mind its not like driving to Esperance - its all high-alert people, goat, chicken, cow, bicycle, broken-down truck, smoke blowing minivan, pothole dodging road with stunning views and multiple police check points. yeah!

Quote of the Day

'you are looking so fat this month rina- your parents won't recognise you when you visit them!'

so be warned mum and dad - your mammoth daughter - about a whole kilogram heavier will soon be rolling your way!

Shot gun

kabOOM
kaBOOM
kabOOM
kaBOOM
The shots woke me with a start- was that really-? kaBOOM gunshots? It sounded like a small cannon. Distant- but not distant enough for my liking! What time is it?! I groped around beside my bed to find my phone kaBOOM! 3.23am. the waiting silence was deafening. kabOOM
then the neighbourhood dog choir started their howls
and the guards woke and started chatting excitedly
and I figured there were enough people awake at 3.23 in the morning for me to go back to sleep. so I did.

Exciting place i live in huh?! not really. It turns out 2 hippos had gone for a wander through a village near the river - and were not welcomed.

My colleague and I (both juniors in the language department) decide that it would be pretty cool to go and have a look at dead hippos- so we set off to the village where the incident had supposedly occurred. When we got there- no one knew what we were talking about. That probably had somehing to do with the fact that instead of saying 'we want to see dead hippos' (insert mime of gun and bang bang noises) - I think we were actually saying we wanted to see a 'wedding' that 'is' - followed by the mime. Eventually we got the word for hippo right- but then they thought we might want to get the shooters into trouble...but the 'offenders' were on the other side of the river- so they could take us in a boat if we paid...
we thanked them, cut our losses and went home- content to have seen a new village, and me- determined to get back to language learning!

Friends

When I first told my mum about my 'rent a friend' she said that she would be praying that this woman would become much more than that- a true friend. After the firewood chopping fun on Thursday and yesterdays visit to Saw-'s village I came home feeling invigorated- not exhausted and I thought 'wow- even though I can barely put a sentence together in their language- those ladies really are my friends'. There is something about a sense of belonging/being 'ok' with a group of people that just makes ya feel good :)

Friday night one of the ladies had a baby, so we spent the whole time visiting her and eating ugali and beans together and they gossiped and tried to teach me a song. Little baby 'Hawa' is SO tiny and almost as white as me! I pray she survives.