After the dramatic arrest right inside the Kamuzu International Aiport grounds at around 2.45 pm, the UDF Chairman was 30 minutes later whisked into a waiting Malawi Armed Forces Military Plane the 16 Seater Dornier which flew him straight to Blantyre.

Muluzi’s son Atupele confirmed that his father has been charged with treason.

However, government yesterday declined to immediately comment on the arrest which drew tension inside the city of Lilongwe with running battles between the police and UDF supporters who, angered, with the development closed roads especially those leading to KIA…..

“They have arrested the former President apparently on treason charges. They don’t have a warrant, they refused him to leave the airport, they want to take him in a military aircraft to an undisclosed location,” said Atupele, who was the only top UDF politician and Muluzi’s closest ally allowed into the airport grounds, soon after the arrest.

Soon after the arrest Police also instantly moved in to disarm the former head of state’s government security personnel.

The arrest of Muluzi has followed eight senior security and opposition political figures who have since been granted bail.

Meanwhile Malawi's president Bingu wa Mutharika is in Japan for a meeting of African leaders.

There are mixed reactions to the recent arrests. While all this is happening, one Malawian blogger is running a poll on how Malawians look at the recent arrests.

The rumors of the coup plot are the culmination of a tense two-week period, during which parliament has been deadlocked, and peace talks amongst political party leaders, including the country's president Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika, have been thwarted over the contentious Section 65 of the Malawi Constitution. In this post, we explore the genesis and trajectory of this unfolding story, pointing out how some Malawians are doubtful of the claims, while others believe the coup to be a possibility.

Canceled trip to Dubai

The roller coaster of events started on Saturday May 10th, with online newspaper Nyasatimes reporting that President wa Mutharika would be embarking on an official tour of the Middle East, leaving behind a letter to be delivered in his absence to the speaker of parliament, instructing him to prorogue parliament. On Sunday May 11th, the president was reported to have addressed a political rally, where he warned that his predecessor, former president Dr. Bakili Muluzi, currently in the United Kingdom on a private visit, risked being charged with treason on his return for plotting to overthrow the government using Section 65 as a pretext.

The same day, listserv-based Makongolomwinani News Services (MNS) posted a one-sentence item on the Malawi listserv Nyasanet, announcing that President Mutharika had canceled the trip to the Middle East because the governor of the Reserve Bank, Victor Mbewe, had refused to release MK600 million (US$4 million) meant for the trip.

Rumors of arrests

On the morning of Tuesday May 13th one Nyasanetter, Lazarus Ndovi, posted the first mention of arrests, affecting former army commander Retired General Joseph Chimbayo, former Inspector General of Police Joseph Airon, former mayor of the City of Blantyre, John Chikakwiya, and secretary general of the UDF, Kennedy Makwangwala. It was later learned that former commissioner of Police Matthews Masoapyola, was also among those arrested, according to a Nyasatimes article. No mention of a coup was made in the posting, although the subject heading said the arrests were for “treason”.

The first blog reaction came from Kondwani Munthali, also on Tuesday May 13th, who used a major portion of his post to react to allegations made earlier by minister of information and civic education, Hon. Patricia Kaliati, insinuating that Munthali had leaked information to Nyasatimes for an article that claimed that the Malawi government was going to assist Zimbabwe clear a Chinese ship docked in Angola, carrying arms destined for the Zimbabwe military.

Munthali had written on his facebook page on Thursday May 8th, saying,

Kondwani will be arrested anytime on false allegations. The Minister of Information has told a press breifing this morning. Be ready for more news…

On Saturday May 10th he updated his status to “Kondwani very safecalm down now people-just someone trying intimidate me. But am good and safe and will remain for as long as God wants to be.”

On Tuesday May 13th he expressed new fears, writing “Kondwani is not sure where Malawi has gone to!!!Nobody is any longer safe!!” Towards the end of his blog post the same day Kondwani indicated that there had been arrests in Malawi, pointing out that he did not see how the arrests would “solve the political impasse”.

Skepticism creeps in

As interest in the issue grew on Tuesday, doubts started showing almost immediately. Chatonda Mtika, co-moderator of Nyasanet, posted his reaction to another set of allegations made by Hon. Kaliati purportedly accusing British and Taiwanese governments of planning to supply military hardware to the coup plotters. Mtika wrote:

muluzi has made no secret of his desire to see bingu vacate sanjika, so there is no news here. it is quite possible that muluzi may have been contemplating some “coup”, using opposition numbers in parliament, to bring down the government. but for kaliati to accuse britain of supplying artillery for the alleged coup, it is not only careless; it shows her luck of understand of what is happening around her.

Mtika went on to add that he did not believe that the Taiwanese government could be “that naive to think that the udf would automatically roll back the dpp changes once it took office. and, even if that were possible, taiwan wouldn't want to get her hands dirty in a bloody coup.

On Thursday May 15th Munthali posted another item on his blog, in which his incredulity of the coup story became apparent:

I would have been easily convinced if I did not know most of the people on the list. I mean the set up looks much of a comedy and I am sure conconted in a hurry. Lets wait and see how a convincing case can be built from unsigned documents, funny minutes and even dates which are 6th June 2008 on which the people attended a meeting to plot the “kupu”.

More doubts appeared from blogger Boniface Dulani, who posted an item also on May 15th, titled “Illusions of a coup.” Dulani outlined two grounds on which the allegations of a coup did not make sense, observing that for senior ranking military officers, there was no clear motivation to engage in a coup. Dulani's second reason for doubting the coup arose from the fact that Malawians will be going to the polls in twelve months, and thus Muluzi, whose party elected him as presidential candidate, having already served two terms as Malawi's first post-dictatorship president, could not be that impatient to return to office. Dulani wrote:

I am sceptical that Muluzi – notwithstanding his zeal and determination to get to the Presidency- would be so foolish as to think of a military route to the presidency when elections are only a year away.

Adding his voice to the growing doubts was Trevor Chimimba who on Friday May 16th wrote on Nyasanet in response to Dulani's post:

I may be out of touch with Malawi realities, but honestly, I sometimes do not understand what is going on in that country. If this experimentation with democracy is failing, it is important that the political leaders learn where to draw the line. Democracy 101.Leave the military out of politics.” Chimimba went on to describe some of the military officers arrested as personal friends of his whom he had a hard time believing would ever contemplate staging a coup: “Tell me that they have committed something else, surely it cannot be treason. These people should be home with their beloved families.” Chimimba concluded his post by pointing out that “President Mutharika is making the same mistake of other “expatriate” Presidents. He is isolating himself from the people and surrounding himself with sycophant advisers who see daggers where none exist.

Benefit of the doubt

Other reactions have sought a middle of the road approach, expressing the belief that the coup plot could be real. Nyasanetter Hesse Mhango, while acknowledging the need to be skeptical, given the president's history of coup claims, wrote about the credulity of a plot, given what he called the desperation of former president Dr. Bakili Muluzi:

There must be a plan B for getting to Sanjika as the candidacy of Muluzi is barred by the Malawi Constitution. Therefore, the zeal to get back to power spells real danger to Malawi because Muluzi, or those around him, show signs of desperation and are probably willing to do just about anything to achieve their goal. Let's no one forget that the whole process to change the Constitution was being done by means that were either borderline or outright criminal.

However, not all bloggers have found the coup issue worthy spending their time on. Blogger Buckaroo Thandi states upfront:

You know I won't make mention of the coup d'etat situation here, I'm wary of being coup d'etated myself so I'll go on ahead and say please read about it from reliable sources, speak to people who are in the know and pray that the nation will get over this with minimal damage. There is so much that needs to be done in Malawi, I hope to God a coup is at the very bottom of the list, we don't need fighting to solve anything.

Section 65, the heart of the matter

The eye of the storm, Section 65 of the Malawi Constitution, prohibits members of parliament from abandoning their party and joining another party in parliament without seeking a fresh mandate from their constituents. From September 2007 to April 2008, President Mutharika prevented parliament from meeting, fearing that once parliament met, the Speaker would invoke the dreaded section, and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) would lose most of its parliamentarians, who joined the party by crossing the floor. The political temperature in Malawi has been high since President Mutharika formed the DPP in February 2005, nine months into his presidency, when he abandoned the United Democratic Front (UDF) whose chairperson and erstwhile Malawi's president, Dr. Muluzi, had plucked Mutharika from opposition ranks to campaign for him as the UDF's presidential candidate over other aspirants.

Finally arresting people like Retired General Joseph Chimbayo, Joseph Aironi, John Chikakwiya, Humphrey's Mvula and Kennedy Makwangwala will not solve the current political impasse. I am hesistant to add the military officials also in the cooler for Treason. Some of us saw the signs of times, long time ago, but we chose to ignore it.

Political temperatures have reached boiling point, but it is the man in Karonga who has no food. I was in Lilongwe Kumachenga, when the MCP legislator was screaming that he cannot go to Parliament. I was happy when Bingu called for the talks only to be dejected later when he went on a political rally to reveal what was going on secretly.
I don't know where Malawi is going to as of today, arrests and intimidation seem to be much more like Kamuzu era not a democratic regime people opted for 15 years ago. I hope my country will wake up to realisation that leadership is more
of a gift from God. Restraint and patience develop good leaders and not tempers. I hope in the next few years, posterity will prove many of us right in our decisions and be remembered as “great leaders” who brought impact
on our people than sheer politicking.

In his long post “Cry the Beloved Country,” he bemoans the political developments which he says do not help the rural poor in
Malawi. A week ago Munthali was arrested by the police on allegations that he was behind stories that speak ill of the president in online publications.

When asked why he would like to return as Malawi's president he said because Bingu wa Mutharika (Muluzi's successor) had dumped the party after he was elected president and as such he needed to return the UDF to power! This type of reasoning to me is not only gravely flawed but also defied all logic. Mr Muluzi needs to be reminded that people do not ascend to power to simply punish others or for the sake of being a ruling party. They are placed in positions of authority to serve the people and going by Muluzi's past record, that is not likely to feature high on his agenda.

A prominent Malawian political science commentator and University of Malawi lecturer Boniface Dulani started blogging a few weeks with the sole purpose of sharing his views on politics in Malawi. His recent post is titled On the UDF Convention and Why Muluzi will not get my vote. He critically looks at Muluzi's candidature and the UDF convention which he describes as a joke since its delegates were themselves not democratically chosen:

Even if I was to be persuaded to believe that Muluzi did a wonderful job in his first ten years in office (and it would not be a mean achievement to convince me), I just cannot accept that the UDF does not have any other individuals from within their ranks that are capable of leading the party into the next elections. The only way we know Muluzi has the potential to be President is because he was given the chance to serve in the first place. This only goes to show that what the country, and the UDF, lack is not people with leadership potential, but opportunities to serve. If Muluzi is so important to the UDF, he can serve an important advisory role to a different UDF nominee instead of clinging on to the candidacy himself.

Now to something different about Malawi. The Botswana-based blogger Bennet Kankuzi launched a bog titled I Love Malawi with the primary purpose of sharing photos about Malawi fondly called the Warm Heart of Africa. So if one someone wants to follow the beauty of Malawi, here is the blog to give you some relief from the politics and economy. Below is one of the pictures showing the tea plantations of Southern Malawi:

Civil society and Zimbabwe

Collins Magalasi opens his post on the Zimbabwe situation with the words “Our governments in Africa have failed us, and they will prove their failure further on Zimbabwe. In this case I see the citizens and civil society as the only hope.” Magalasi, Head of Policy at ActionAid International Malawi, writes about a recent meeting of Zimbabwean civil society organizations, at which was agreed a campaign of nonviolent protests across the country:

Noting that the ongoing anxiety and uncertainty around election results is a breeding ground for civil unrest, Civil Society has launched a massive national campaign to call for peace and respect for the voices of the people. Communities from all over the country will from now on be encouraged to converge in their local areas to conduct different non violent social actions such as marches, prayer meetings and public meetings. The colour white will be used as a show of support for the campaign and citizens are encouraged to wear white ribbons, scarves and apparel as a sign of support for peace in Zimbabwe.

Magalasi says civil society groups in southern Africa are joining in the action, with a demonstration planned at the Zimbabwe High Commission in Lilongwe, Malawi, among others.

Ownership of the problem

Austin Madinga finds it puzzling that everyone seems to be denying ownership of the problem, starting with South African president Thabo Mbeki’s statement that the situation was not a crisis, asking “the rest of the world to butt out and let Africans resolve the problems in an African way.” Yet, Madinga wonders, the Southern African Development Community, SADC, has washed its hands over ownership of the problem, saying it is really a Zimbabwean problem to be solved by Zimbabweans themselves. Wonders Madinga:

So it’s not a world problem but an African one? But wait, at the SADC meeting in Lusaka the head of states said it was a Zimbabwean problem that would be resolved by Zimbabweans. So it’s a Zimbabwean problem now? But Morgan Tsvangirai has been lobbying regional leaders to help resolve the problem. So it would seem it’s not a Zimbabwean problem after all! It’s a problem that seem to lack ownership.

George Ng’ambi takes Mbeki’s statement personally, and expresses why:

As a Malawian I am hurt by sweeping statements such as the declaration by Thabo Mbeki that there is “No crisis in Zimbabwe.” It hurts because the economic turmoil in Zimbabwe impacts negatively on Malawi but most importantly, Zimbabweans are like a family member. Our Malawian brothers and sisters settled in Zimbabwe for economic reasons and now consider themselves as Zimbabweans. We have also been at the mercy of some unspeakable dictatorial tendencies under Dr.Kamuzu Banda and no sane person would wish another country to go through the same hurt as we did.

Ng’ambi sees an eerie parallel with two other famously reported denials from Mbeki, first, the purported denial that the HIV virus causes AIDS, and second, the high rate of crime in South Africa:

Zimbabwe has gone through the worst economic period in history. The facts are there for everyone to see yet Thabo Mbeki deliberately chooses to wear blindfolds for the sake of personal relationship with Mugabe. As far as Mbeki is concerned nothing exists in his infinite wisdom. First, he denied that HIV/Aids existed, today, South Africa remains one of the highly ravaged nations with the epidemic. His persistent denials refused him the opportunity to institute HIV/Aids preventative programmes. Many children are now opharned and live in care. Second, he denied that crime rate is high in South Africa but the truth is that RSA is the worst country on armed robberies and gun crimes in the southern Africa. Today, he does not seem to appreciate that the situation in Zimbabwe is worth of a crisis.

Buckaroo Thandi makes a brief comment on some of the speculation as to why the election results have still not yet been released, alluding, without mentioning names, to criticisms about the Zimbabwe opposition’s deference to the West:

Some sources tell me it's for the best that Zimbabwe's results are not out yet. something about fear someone will be used as an instrument by the powers that be to effect certain purposes that will mostly only satisfy the powers that be. I say, prayer is the only answer here, too many pie eaters and only one pie.

Mugabe and the West both as root causes

Bennet Kankuzi sees the Zimbabwe issue a little differently, touting an article by Brendan O’Neill, editor of Sp!ked Online, as “a thought provoking and balanced view on the current contentious issue of Zimbabwe.” Without further editorializing, Kankuzi provides a link to O’Neill’s article, in which O’Neill does what has become characteristically rare in analyses on Zimbabwe; a detailed, documented description of how Western sanctions have crippled Zimbabwe’s economy.

Convening the Malawi parliament

Outside the views of Malawian bloggers on Zimbabwe, other Malawian bloggers focus on Malawi’s own political problems, as well as new developments in personal lives. On Malawi’s own political problems, new kid on the blog, Boniface Dulani, takes issue with President Bingu wa Mutharika’s claim that he is vested with the authority to convene the Malawi parliament.

The president prorogued parliament on September 7, 2007, before it had exhausted all its deliberations on pending bills. It has not met again since then, despite widespread concerns that another meeting was long overdue.

Dulani, a University of Malawi political scientist currently a Fulbright doctoral student at Michigan State University, uses a careful reading of Section 59 (1) of the Malawi constitution to point out that it is in fact the Speaker of Parliament who is vested with the power to convene parliament. The president can only serve a consultative role. Dulani points out that:

the president’s reading and interpretation of the Constitution is wrong. While he is correct to assert that he acted within his powers to have prorogued parliament after the passage of the Budget last year, he does not, contrary to his recent claims, have the power to decide when to convene Parliament. That authority belongs to the Speaker, with the president’s role limited to an advisory one upon being consulted by the Speaker.

Blogger moves to Japan

In recent blogger news, Clement Nthambazale writes about his move to Japan for his doctoral studies. Clement arrived in Japan in the first week of April, and has been getting acclimatized to scholarly life in Japan. He writes:

There are more than 25 students from more than 10 countries. Apart from Malawi, my nation and Japan, the host nation, other nations represented in this lab include Vietnam, China, Croatia, Bulgaria, Tunisia, Canada, Cuba, Brazil and Peru. I am so far the only member from Sub-Saharan Africa. But I have been informed that a Nigerian student will be joining us in October 2008. This is globalization at its best!

Today's Blogger of the Week series takes us to the heart of Africa, where we catch up with our Malawian blogger Victor Kaonga, who talks to us about his journey with blogging, the media and technology scene in Malawi and his special relationship with God.

A radio journalist, 35-year-old Victor, who blogs in English, is currently working towards obtaining a Masters degree in Global Journalism, from Orebro University, Sweden, which he hopes to complete by the summer. Once back home, he aims to coach his colleagues, where together they will embark on a fascinating journey of learning how to communicate with people and the world at large, using modern technology, in a country which had its first television station opened in 1999.

Following is our interview with Victor, who left his home in August 2006, started blogging the following month and joined Global Voices Online in January 2007 to amplify the “untold stories of Malawi to the global community.”

When did you start blogging and why?

In September 2006. I was looking forward to blogging having heard about it the year before at a Highway Conference in South Africa. At that time, I did not know how until I came to Sweden for the course, when one of the former course mates taught us about blogging and how to do it.
I have been blogging for several reasons: One to share information about and on Malawi. I thought I am a privileged person being a journalist in Malawi who can say something on the Internet especially through blogs. Two, I really wanted to tell my own stories in a way that I had never thought of before hoping to expand my social networks. Three, I just wanted to grow and learn more about this Information Highway by ‘being in it.' Fourthly, I come from a background where I have always admired participating in global issues and I thought the blogosphere was the perfect place for me to start from.

Being a career journalist, how different is blogging from journalism?

I have lots of freedom to express myself, put things into both global and personal perspective in ways I cannot in a normal media outlet. Blogging gives me space also to mix text, images and sounds sometimes, which is not possible in radio alone where I am used and where I started working in August 1999. In my career as a journalist, I have mostly been in broadcasting hence blogging is a way of making putting words into sentences on ‘paper.' Otherwise, I am mostly a voice person.

How many languages do you speak?

I speak four fluently and can use them all on air also and I am able to hear a few others, which I cannot speak.
I am fluent in English, Tumbuka, Lambya and Chichewa - the last three are all Malawian languages spoken also in parts of Zambia and Tanzania.

How many Malawian bloggers are there? And do they all blog in English?

There are about 60 known to me and all of them blog in English except for two, who blog in Chichewa and Lambya.

Amazing! Why is that? Are they all in Malawi or abroad?

Many bloggers find it tough to blog in their mother tongue as we have grown up using English for instruction in school - but I also think that many have not been that patriotic!! We tend to look down on our own languages but that seems to be changing now. Our political background also has had some influence in Malawi. We were taught that an educated speaks or writes in English. For now, I would say that most of the bloggers are in the diaspora, where it is much easier as they have better Internet access and a few are in Malawi - with not so regular access but one I would describe as considerable access! The ones blogging in Malawi mostly access Internet at places of work or cafes as extremely few people ever access Internet from their homes. In fact, the number is almost negligible.

Do blogs have a big following of readers?

By readers in the diaspora, yes, but not at home, due to limited access to the Internet as as well as lack of awareness. Many people who have the potential do not know what blogs are but my personal observation is that the number of readers and bloggers is picking up now.

Do you expect that to change soon?

Already it is changing I think, as there is growing Internet access according to people that work with ISPs in Malawi. There is also a popular Malawian online paper, which once in a while features stories from Malawis blogs.

What are the main issues effecting your blogosphere?

There is a whole range largely on politics especially the elections coming up in 2009. We also have lifestyle issues, and a mixture on socio-economic challenges. On a few occasions we have Information and Communications Technology (ICT) stories.

How would you like to see the Internet and blogging utilised in Malawi? Would you like to see bloggers spread say health awareness? Or be an outlet for news mainstream media doesn't cover?

Mostly, it would be important if blogging could be used as lobby tool. If several bloggers make noise, the authorities wake up and respond. The issue is that the authorities in Malawi (in my view) are scared of many things published online. As such, if there is some pressure on them on a particular issue, they tend to respond and attend to the problem at hand. So the blogging can be on anything of concern to Malawi and it will work as long as the bloggers are consistent and write with facts.

Is the media in Malawi free? Do you have censorship issues?

There is considerable amount of freedom in Malawi. Censorship is there but I would say mostly, it is self-censorship, having come from a background of 30 years of dictatorial rule until 1994. But the biggest challenge in my view in Malawi is political influence on and in the media and not necessarily censorship per se. There is both public and private media and I think private media is doing a very commendable job.

Victor, you have a foot in both worlds. One is Radio - which reaches to people and doesn't need technology and the other is really hi-tech considering that not many people even know what blogs are. Which one is more gratifying for you as a journalist and why?

Interesting question! Radio is more gratifying to me for many reasons. With radio, I am able to impact or reach more people. In Malawi, radio is still the main mass medium, contributing about 70 per cent of the media. Ambition wise I wanted to be on radio right from I was eight, in primary school! Having said this, I enjoy writing and find it fulfilling as it gives me a written record that I can turn to later on. But also writing is enriching me as I hear or get feedback from those who have read the posts. So indeed I am between two worlds but I believe I serve two ‘audiences.' I have learnt that if you have an idea, share it in writing, and not just on radio alone! So now with blogging, I have that opportunity to balance those interests and audiences.

Why did you only work for radio then? Why not TV or newspapers?

When I was in primary school, I only knew of radio, no newspaper - of course there was one but dad never bought it. And there was no TV. Television only came to Malawi in 1999. And I am that kind of person who grew up in a very rural area where all we had was radio to connect us to the world.

You come from a country where there are people who are suffering from famine - and with the high incidence of AIDS - can you envision a way to use technology, specifically online tools, to help them?

Yes. I have always thought that such people in any situation can share their experiences, diarise them and share what keeps them on or what inspires them. In fact I have mentioned to several people to jot down and share their life stories, in a kind of a online journal and as long as it is a personal story, someone will find it exciting. So people going through any problems of health, such as with AIDS in Malawi, market vendors in town, small entrepreneurs and young girls cantell their stories online but I know the challenge for most of them is knowledge and fear of the Internet!

Fear of the Internet?

To begin with some people feel challenged by the computer. So when you start talking about writing something for online consumption, you are scaring them further and that is why some people fear the Internet. We have very few people who are well exposed to the ICTs. Of course, there is a lot of interest but this is only by younger people but not those categories whom you would want to target immediately. We have majority of secondary schools that do not computers at all.

So when are graduates first exposed to computers and the Internet? And who has access to them?

These days the computers are becoming more available but still limited to the urban schools. Most secondary students before say 1990 saw computers at the university or in colleges only.

So they saw computers before TV?

Yes, that was the case in Malawi. People saw computers before TV. We could hear of TV in neighbouring Zambia and Tanzania but not in Malawi itself. Of course there were video screens but then they could just are movies and those who had screens were elites! Also note that I think our society is an oral one mostly. So some people are not keen to write down things.

How are people taking on to TV? Was it seen as a positive development? And do you only have a state channel or are there now private stations?

We only have one state channel. There was attempt for a private one but it was suspended, so I am told. Otherwise, people welcomed it only to be disappointed by politicians who are using it for their ends. But being the only TV station, many people are glued to it and are proud to watch a relative, friend or Victor in the box.

What did you cover when you were a radio journalist?

A whole range issues, mostly Christian lifestyle, since I work with a gospel radio station but my work has also been around youth issues and news and then the last four years, I have spent relatively more time in managing the programming and developing programmes and projects.

What do you hope to achieve when you return with your degree home?

When I return, I want to mostly be available for coaching as I think that is most of our work lies. We have a wonderful team in Malawi of media people there and normally they admire those with further qualifications, so coaching in general programming yes, but also I want to spend time help out in ICTs coverage as well if possible mobilise ourselves for internet journalism. By that I mean to promote use of the Internet for journalism in which case blogging too.. We have a tremendous lack of even basic skills in Malawi, among journalists especially.

What are your hopes for Malawi and its people?

I am just hoping that Malawians would have better health systems and facilities and then they can grow into knowing about the world as well as contribute to global conversations.

Talk to me about your family, whom I understand are back home in Malawi? What are your hopes for them?

I have three daughters. My first born is Nayumo, who is almost six, my second is Sayiwe, four, and the third is Angana, who is 18 months old. All these names are in my mother tongue Lambya. I hope that they grow into women who fear God, and are responsible. Most of all that they will respect their mother Thembi at all times. I miss them as I am way from home Malawi. But I look forward to returning to them this June.

My most memorable blogging experience also revolves around my family. On Valentine's Day, I wrote about how I met my wife. I was scared to blog about it yet I wanted to. This was the second Valentine's Day I was far away from my wife so I really wanted to do something special for her. The best I thought was to write about her and tell the ‘world'. I got and still do get comments from people. Some younger ladies laugh and are thankful I shared the story. They say they have learnt one or two things. Younger men have said they are encouraged theirs is on the way…..

And what is your relationship with God?

I grew up in a family where parents were Christians and all of us as children were taught to obey and fear God. In secondary school I made a personal decision to be a Christian much as I had grown up with that background. I was encouraged by many Christians I met in Secondary school to be a committed Christian. The same encouragement was available at the University of Malawi -the only one then and then finally in 1998 I joined campus organisation where were worked amongst university students. Then in 1999 I started working with a Christian organisation where I still belong to date - Trans World Radio. Something worth mentioning is that I am one of the 11 children in our family! But our parents encouraged us to fear God. Of course we have failed many times but ….whenever we failed, God picked us up.

Being a Malawian abroad, what are the stereotypes you face? Do people you come across know about your country?

Many many say they have never heard about Malawi, some ask if it is in Sudan or South Africa. It can also be implied that some people think I am an asylum seeker. I can tell this from their statements or actions, basically those are the main ones. Otherwise, I find lots of nice people and I have had to learn to adjust.

As a media person, do you feel you have a role to play to spread more awareness about Malawi and its people?

Part of my adjusting is based on the fact I am a journalist who has a role to inform them about my country and myself. I also take myself as diplomat. As much as I can, I feel that as a journalist, I am duty bound to share information about Malawi. I would live like a Malawian if they can allow me. And that makes me a very happy person.

Thank you Victor for your time and insights!

Zikomo, Ndagha (thanks)

The heated debate that has ensued in some Malawi's blogs and discussion forums followa female European blog post where she described Malawi's main staple food nsima as “the most disgusting and pointless food in the history of the world.”

Only identified as MissJenn-Malawi and working in Mulanje, Malawi, she had dozens of reactions when her story was spotted by two Malawian bloggers and then published on Nyasa Times.

She has since deleted the blog whose original post was copied by Cryton Chikoko. Meanwhile over 70 comments have been registered some calling for her immediate deportation.

Several bloggers made comments on this story while not writing about it on their blogs themselves. Joe Mlenga who blogs on said

The content I must say is distasteful…but I commend the posting of this write-up.

A female blogger Leah Gondwe said

I wonder if this woman is ok up there…was she thinking that we malawians wont see the article? To hell with being entitled to her own opinion… hope the police get hold of her ASAP before we angry Malawians break her bones, as her address and mobile number are posted on her blog.

While Sunga said

I think we should not bash the posting of the article. What is clear is the fact that she did not handle the shock of eating nsima with goat well. I have been around a few countries on the continent and got a few culcural shocks but did not express myself the way she did. There are better ways doing it and getting the message across. She scores pretty low on my diplomacy scale.

The reactions by Malawians to this post on nsima has also shown some Malawians also need to excercise restraint as some comments seem to go beyond mere expressing their feelings about their lovely food. This is the caution by this author on his blog ndagha where he wrote in reflection over the saga:

Some comments made by Malawians can also be said to have been and are equally offensive to the author. If indeed Malawians have been offended, it would have been fair to express that in a mature manner as doing as some of the comments only makes one fail to differentiate between the blogger and the one commenting.

In fact some of the comments were really showing that some people just found an opportunity to vent their anger on the azungu instead of simply registering your disgust at her way of writing. I am sure it is fair to say “I have been offended by what you have written” other than insulting the author. It is one thing to say how you feel about something and it is another to attack someone.

Nsima known by many different names in most Sub-Saharan countries is made from maize, cassava, etc, and eaten along with relish.

This is not the first time that visitors to Malawi especially from Europe and US tend to blog on some lifestyle or cultural things that offend some Malawians. The reactions to the nsima post has not only shown that gradually Malawians are reading blogs by others but also that some have been encouraged to create their won and express themselves.

Marriage and Child care

Sunganani Manjolo has a passion for family and children care. His blog is full of ramblings on marriage, family and all the in between. Based in Lilongwe, Malawi, Manjolo blogs from experience as a married man and having been associated with Christian ministries, he shares practical tips for a modern young professional. He started blogging February 2007.

One of his earlier posts was on Praying With Your Spouse raised and listed some benefits to him after he had practised what he blogged about:

I am beginning to be more open to her (I think she likes it)

I am praying and thinking about her more often. (I think she must like it)

There is a sense of growing intimacy about the entire practice.

New Language Blog

The Internet is a place where the dominant language is English and this poses a challenge to seekers of information in other languages or of their own. A blog called Manyani Choyowoyero cha Chitumbuka is dedicated to teaching the Tumbuka language dominantly spoken and used in Northern Malawi. It was introduced March 2007 by Tobias Kumwenda who claims to be a proud Malawian and always striving to beat the odds in ICT sector.

Here is a taste of the lessons from his blog:

(Sghawa = Groundnuts), (Ntchunga = Beans), (Kabichi = Cabbage),

(Chinanazi = Pineapple), (Mphatata = Sweet Potatoes), (Mpunga = Rice)

(Mchele = Salt), (Shuga = Sugar), (Mbambayila = Irish potatoes)

The Eye Specialist blogging

Dr Khumbo Kalua who blogs under his name is currently a Lecturer and Researcher at University of Malawi's College of Medicine and Senior Eye Specialist in Blantyre, Malawi. He prides himself in having studied at several Universities in 3 continents. Being a medical specialist, his blog mostly focusses on health and medical issues affecting Malawi's health system.

His latest post titled “Primary Health Workers: Is Quantity better than Quality in Malawi” takes the reader to the challenges Malawi's primary health system has but also highlights the role of its players:

HSA’s (Health Surveillance Assistants) are the first level of contact with the patients in the community and they are supposed to give health promotion (HSA were first recruited in Malawi for Cholera prevention programmes), but unfortunately currently they do a lot; give immunisations to children, treat fever in children, treat pneumonia, malaria, supervise patients on TB and ARV, give support to home based care, implement NGO’s programmes and many other duties.

Career Woman

Fingani Mphande started blogging late 2007. She has so far written about the International Women's Day and Being a Career African Woman. Her latest post on “Being a Housewife” takes her to her home in Malawi away from Sweden where she is researching on malaria. She reflects on the importance of respecting women who spend most of their days at home:

There are several men who would prefer a house wife because they will manage the home full time and may also respect their husbands more because that is their only source of income. As for me I would say a house wife is a woman whom we have to respect in society even though she is not a career woman (like lawyer, secretary, doctor, scientist, you name it), being a house wife is a career on its own.