Not Culture Shock -- But Culturally Shocked

I finally got back to Seattle from Malawi just a couple of days ago, and have been catching up on things at the hospital and parish office. Besides feeling assaulted by the absolute insanity going on right now in Washington, DC, I've also been saddened to read of things that have happened in Malawi since I left, at the socio-political level. Numbers differ, but at least 19 people have been killed during the recent demonstrations.

The demonstrations protest the policies and actions of the President. Malawi is experiencing widespread gas shortages that threaten key functions of society. Vehicles of all kinds -- including large semi-trucks as well as some private cars -- were lined up for miles. But in many places, it was several days before there was any gas. Likewise, Malawi's electical delivery has been frequently, increasingly erratic. One friend of mine now in Malawi experienced five shortages in the few hours' time during our communications, the other day.

Of course, most people in Malawi do not have any electricity -- just as most people do not have any use for gasoline, since they do not have any vehicle or engine that would use it. But in the towns and cities, these disfunctions are stretching the social fabric. The government gets few points.

[Consider one area NOT part of that taut social fabric: water. Water is a very personal need. Malawi is not a desert area, like other, not-too-distant countries. It possesses not only an inevitable though not predictable rainy season, but also a marvelous, untapped water source, Lake Malawi, which runs along the east for most of the length of the country. But in most places -- again, in the rural areas, much of it in southern Malawi -- it is not the Malawian government providing water, this most basic of needs. Rather, this is being developed by many non-governmental organizations (even relatively small ones like ourselves, a "sister parish"). These NGOs are helping tap this potential, mostly through a partnership with a local community.]

OK, it is not ineptitude that has brought these ills. Basically, it's povery...coupled with governmental corruption. And the US Government, through the Millennium Challenge Corporation, has just halted a $350 million, multi-year deal to develop Malawian water/power capabilities: "The MCC is deeply concerned by recent events in Malawi and is placing an immediate hold on all program operations in order to review its partnership with Malawi, including whether to recommend to its Board of Directors whether to suspend or terminate its assistance" [REUTERS].

And sometimes there is official behaviour that seems like lneptitude, until you realize that somebody is making a lot of money from it. I referenced in an earlier blog about the current monetary policy and the shortages...how "$30,000 can become $40,000." You might think: "How could the government of Malawi be that stupid! After a while, what importer or trader would ever want to take kwatcha? Bingo, a shortage!" But then, all of a sudden you realize that SOMEBODY IS MAKING A LOT OF MONEY ON THIS POLICY.

However, beyond this one simple corruption and other much wider-ranging corruption, the manner that the President displays is also erratic, threatening, and focused on his own image -- in a manner that evokes the man he regards as a hero, former "President for Life" Hastings Banda. Ironically, he seems unaware of his worsening dictatorian turn, like his hero.

Last week, demonstrations were planned simultaneously in the 4 major cities and in many towns. Organizers told their supporters to wear red. It is said that when the government heard this, they put the word out to arrest those who were wearing red.

The tensions of those situations spilled over. Police or other security officials fired on the crowd. At least 19 are dead. You wouldn't have caught me in those demonstrations, but then I think of that folk song, "It coulda been me, but instead it was you..." I am saddened at this turn of events. I am saddened, but...

When you think of the lack of infrastructure in Malawi, with the lack of good roads, inconsistancies in electricity in those places that have it, difficulties of access to clean water across large areas of the country, shortage of medical care/access... When you think of that, you have to marvel that somehow, the people of Malawi managed to coordinate with each other for that many simultaneous demonstrations. I know that the widespread access to cell-phones has enabled communications for a wide array of people, organizations, and interests, including churches like our partner. This is a sample of the power of community, enabled through communications. This is a powerful thing, and it is impacting the culture of Malawi in unpredictable but seemingly wondrous ways.

Of course, it is NOT wondrous that 19 people are dead! So I am torn, when I think of my friends in Malawi, and pray for them (like I'm praying for my own country right now). I am thankful that in general, what goes on in the cities of Malawi does not affect the rural areas much. But that could change.

I'll write more again, soon. And thanks, Crystal, for causing me to write this!

A World Apart

Thursday, June 23rd
I'm writing from Namitembo Mission, in Malawi, Africa! There are twelve of us on this "expedition," 5 adults and 7 teenagers. Namitembo is our sister parish, and I've blogged about it before. We've had a partnership for 14 years, and we've exchanged visits every year -- this year it was our turn to visit. I've had the good fortune to visit 5 other times, and another adult, Mary Jo, is on her third visit. My son John has us all beat, though, as he served here as a volunteer for 2 1/2 years, and now knows the language (Chichewa) fluently.

Today was our "recuperation day," after a long trip to arrive here. Malawi is in southeastern Africa, almost completely on the other side of the planet. The flight here took three separate hops -- Seattle to London, six hour layover, London to Johannesburg, three hour layover, Jo-burg to Blantyre, 3+ hours, followed by a two-hour drive, mostly over rutted dirt roads. Plus, we "lost" nine hours by the change of longitude. We left last Monday about 6 p.m., and arrived on Wednesday around 3 p.m. or so. Most of us had trouble sleeping on the plane over the two nights of travel, so we arrived feeling a bit dopey and a bit dirty...but very glad to arrive.

Our #1 priority today is to rest, so that's what I'm going to do. Will write more tomorrow!
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Friday, June 24th
Most of us felt pretty good this morning! I started by attending 6 a.m. Mass. It started at about 6:15, but who cares? Two of our youth also showed up -- THAT was a happy surprise! Of course, the Mass was in Chechewa, but the Mass still has the same structure, so I just said my English responses at the appropriate times.

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Now, it's:
Sunday, July 10
Well, it's not that I'm lazy -- it's just that getting internet access in the rural 3rd world is a little bit iffy. I've occasionally had email access, but getting this connection took me over a half hour. Now that I'm on my blog, I'm a bit overwhelmed about where to start. We've already had so many experiences; plus, we've kept a daily log of those experiences, so we won't forget. However, we've had the agreement with one another that we won't share the log, SO...

These are some personal reflections. First of all, in the 9 years since my first visit here, I can see many changes, even in rural Malawi. Examples abound. Now, we have some electrical connections to the schools and teachers' houses on the main "campus" (that word fits, but it's NOTHING like any campus on any university) of the mission. Electicity is big...it means lights at night, it means things like radio or TV or DVDs players. Not that many people have them, but some do. In fact, there are little "storefronts" in the rural areas (meaning something like a small newstand with small items or services for sale) where you might find a small TV screen that will play a movie -- for a small price. That's a big hit, if you have the kwatcha (short economics lesson here: a dollar will buy you 147 kwatcha officially (from a bank here in Malawi, where you might wire money to someone), but more if you go to some place that will do that (you'll find them in the U.S. at international airports, but not very many will give you kwatcha). However, if you have some connection with somebody who knows somebody who really wants a good supply of US dollars (commonly called the black market), you can get almost 200 to the dollar...a third more than the official rate.

Back to the changes that I've seen... another is that cell phones are all over the place. They're FAR more common than land lines in the 3rd world, for the simple reason is that you don't have to create the infrastructure that we have in the US. You just erect a tower in a high place, and bingo, phone service. Most people don't have a contract for using a phone, like we do in the US, but instead "buy" a certain number of minutes, for phone calls or texting. It allows communication over long distances, which is a huge change, and also allows communication over short distances that are not easily traversed (for instance, if you don't have a car, which describes most people, or if your car is useless, as it can be in the rainy season, when the roads become almost impassable).

With these two changes, people have become a LOT more aware of the world outside their immediate experience, even if most people still cannot travel there. For instance, I've had a lot of people ask me about Obama -- he's very popular here, for obvious reasons. They are very aware of the Chinese, and of the Muslim world. In fact, in some ways those who are well educated here are even better aware of the rest of the world than we are, because news coverage here is more balanced. US citizens are usually only interested in those things that directly affect us -- just measure the amount and the kind of world news coverage you get in almost any US newspaper.

There are also lot more bicycles around now; in place of 2 or 3 "parked" outside the church on Sunday, you might now have 20. This means that more people can transport some goods for sale in a wider market (like charcoal, which they can make here and sell in town; if you drive to town early in the day, you'll pass bike after bike loaded down with HUGE amounts of charcoal), or transport someone else (this is the rural 3rd world "taxi" service -- which is what they DO call it). It has begun to open more things up for the poor, by offering a few more options; and you can see that there will probably be more.

Our youth have enjoyed themselves a LOT. All of them are college-bound kids, and probably the majority will have post-graduate degrees, in engineering, law, or medicine. Since education has been our number one focus with our sister parish, whenever I've introduced our youth, at Mass or at the schools we've visited, I've made a point of talking about their education and their goals. I can see it's made an impression. A few years ago, the Namitembo high school had a grand total of 18 students, and it was rare to see more than a girl or two in high school. Now, there are over 300 students enrolled in the high school, and almost as many girls as boys. There's a growing understanding that education is important, that it can be a doorway to the future. Even now, 85% of all Malawians are subsistence farmers, with their lives linked to the whims of weather. That is changing.

I have to go now -- and I do want to post this. If I get access again, in the next couple of days, I'll post more. If not...it'll have to hold until I get back to the US, next weekend.