Part Two: Random Malawi Observations
January 2, 2010
Here are some more random observations of Lilongwe so far.
Today I bought a small bottle of Sprite. As I left the shop I opened it only to find, luckily before I sipped, that it had already been opened and some was missing. I took it back into the shop and exchanged it. They put the opened one back into the fridge to sell to someone else; buyer beware.
The mosquitoes here don’t all buzz. They can bite without me even feeling it. I’m so afraid of getting malaria but it’s so hot I can’t cover up.
One of Kalirani’s friends stole $100 from me yesterday. I can’t prove that he did because I didn’t notice until I’d left Kalirani’s house. This man always gave me a strange vibe. I found him self-centred and imposing while I was there this summer. I am certain he took it. There were four US $50 bills. When I got to the money changer there were only two. I didn’t have my bag out of sight except at his house where nothing went missing this past summer. This man is angry at me because he wanted me to solicit donations for his not yet extablished NGO while in Canada. He didn’t get that I prefer to solicit donations for my own not yet established charity. Kalirani will investigate but what is he to do?
We spent a day without power and a few hours with out water. We managed.
An article in today’s paper made me laugh. It will come home with me for a Malawi scrapbook. The headline reads, “Homosexuality: Is Malawi in Denial?” That headline alone made me laugh. YES they are in denial. How many times have I heard that “there are no gays in Malawi?” The article is about the first gay marriage in Malawi. After the couple’s engagement party they were arrested for engaging in an indecent act. “A snap survey on the streets indicated that same sex marriages are not only alien but unthinkable…How do you explain the existence of girls and women if men start marrying each other?” A study published in Tanzania’s Journal of Health confirms that homosexuality exists in Malawi. The article concludes that homosexuality will likely never be accepted in Africa but that it is in our midst and could spread at a rapid rate.
No Responses to “Part Two: Random Malawi Observations”