The Malawian Police. What a nuisance. Last week our friend Greg was almost arrested and his car impounded because the Police Officer at a roadblock said that he didn't have insurance to drive in Malawi. Greg has insurance from South Africa that covers him in all of southern Africa. The Police Officer just couldn't read well enough to comprehend the writing on the policy.
This past Monday Courtney and I were driving to get some cheap wicker furniture near the lake. We knew we'd have to pass 3 roadblocks to get where we were going. We have learned to expect almost anything. We passed the first without being stopped. At the second, two nice looking female officers stopped us and greeted us. They didn't ask for my license, they didn't want to check insurance. They simply said "What have you brought for us? We're hungry." Courtney was eating a bag of Sour Cream & Onion Lays chips and they wanted that bag. Trying to smooth my way out of even having them check my paperwork, I held the bag up so that they could each take a hand full. Instead of taking a hand full, one of them snatched the bag and said we could be on our way. I quickly drove off before they could change their mind while Courtney's eyes got about as big as dinner plates as she asked, "What just happened????" I said, "We just got our chips stolen by the Police!" We continued to talk about just how crazy it is to get robbed by the Police. It's a normal thing here. A guy from Zimbabwe told us that "There is no problem with the Police that a cold bottle of Coke won't solve."
The law is not important, it's what the Police want. Man, sometimes this place makes no sense at all.
Saturday, 26 April 2008
Madonna shows her documentary on Malawi at Tribeca festival
Madonna's harrowing new documentary on Malawi is clearly designed to draw attention to the poverty-stricken nation's plight and help to its people. But the superstar doesn't think much about enlisting aid from the U.S. government.
"I don't know what our government does period, instead of getting us in more debt and blowing up countries," she told the audience at the Tribeca Film Festival after premiering the film "I am Because We Are" on Thursday night. The packed audience included close friend Rosie O'Donnell and Natalie Portman.
Madonna produced and narrated the film on Malawi after she traveled there, where she met the toddler David Banda, whom she took home and is in the process of adopting.
The film shows the abject poverty that children face, how the AIDS crisis is claiming lives, the deplorable conditions that cause disease and other hindrances to Malawian life. However, the film urges people to volunteer and tries to offer hope.
After the film, Madonna and director Nathan Rissman took questions from the audience — one of which was from a filmgoer who wondered what the federal government could do. Madonna replied that change should come from the people, not the government.
"It's our own job to change that and I think it's a fool's errand to rely on the government to change things."
Madonna was also asked about the difficulty in adopting children from Malawi. Her adoption of David with husband Guy Ritchie has yet to be approved, though the boy has been living with the family since the fall of 2006.
"It's a new concept, the concept of adoption, consequently it's very very time consuming," she said. "I guess if you really want to do it you have to be willing to walk through the fire."
Madonna said she is looking for a distribution deal so the film can be seen in more theaters, and hopes to get it on DVD soon: "Fingers crossed, that will be happening soon."
"I Am Because We Are," is not Madonna's only project these days — her new album "Hard Candy" is released in stores on Tuesday."
"I don't know what our government does period, instead of getting us in more debt and blowing up countries," she told the audience at the Tribeca Film Festival after premiering the film "I am Because We Are" on Thursday night. The packed audience included close friend Rosie O'Donnell and Natalie Portman.
Madonna produced and narrated the film on Malawi after she traveled there, where she met the toddler David Banda, whom she took home and is in the process of adopting.
The film shows the abject poverty that children face, how the AIDS crisis is claiming lives, the deplorable conditions that cause disease and other hindrances to Malawian life. However, the film urges people to volunteer and tries to offer hope.
After the film, Madonna and director Nathan Rissman took questions from the audience — one of which was from a filmgoer who wondered what the federal government could do. Madonna replied that change should come from the people, not the government.
"It's our own job to change that and I think it's a fool's errand to rely on the government to change things."
Madonna was also asked about the difficulty in adopting children from Malawi. Her adoption of David with husband Guy Ritchie has yet to be approved, though the boy has been living with the family since the fall of 2006.
"It's a new concept, the concept of adoption, consequently it's very very time consuming," she said. "I guess if you really want to do it you have to be willing to walk through the fire."
Madonna said she is looking for a distribution deal so the film can be seen in more theaters, and hopes to get it on DVD soon: "Fingers crossed, that will be happening soon."
"I Am Because We Are," is not Madonna's only project these days — her new album "Hard Candy" is released in stores on Tuesday."
BOOST TO LINKS BETWEEN EAST AYRSHIRE AND MALAWI
Links between schools in East Ayrshire and schools in Malawi have been given a boost, following a visit to Malawi by Lainshaw Primary school Headteacher Jean Keenan.
A team of teachers from across East Ayrshire will now work towards establishing closer links between the two regions - including the development of materials for pre-school, primary and secondary school children - to raise awareness of the poverty faced by children in Malawi, with the promotion of issues around Fair-Trade.
The group will also investigate the possibility of inviting the head of the Malawian charity Chismoso Club to identify ways in which links can be strengthened and it is hoped that plans can be put in place to encourage school personnel to join one of the twice yearly study visits to Malawi organised by the British Council.
Councillor Iain Linton, spokesperson for Lifelong Learning, said: “ We are delighted to be encouraging links between East Ayrshire schools and schools in Malawi. It is very important that our school children are aware of the difficulties, needs and challenges facing children in Malawi. This new team of teachers will work to encourage this.
“Local schools will be invited to donate a proportion of their funds raised in this school session to charities operating in Malawi and we also have a container of gifts with school materials being shipped out in the coming weeks.”
A team of teachers from across East Ayrshire will now work towards establishing closer links between the two regions - including the development of materials for pre-school, primary and secondary school children - to raise awareness of the poverty faced by children in Malawi, with the promotion of issues around Fair-Trade.
The group will also investigate the possibility of inviting the head of the Malawian charity Chismoso Club to identify ways in which links can be strengthened and it is hoped that plans can be put in place to encourage school personnel to join one of the twice yearly study visits to Malawi organised by the British Council.
Councillor Iain Linton, spokesperson for Lifelong Learning, said: “ We are delighted to be encouraging links between East Ayrshire schools and schools in Malawi. It is very important that our school children are aware of the difficulties, needs and challenges facing children in Malawi. This new team of teachers will work to encourage this.
“Local schools will be invited to donate a proportion of their funds raised in this school session to charities operating in Malawi and we also have a container of gifts with school materials being shipped out in the coming weeks.”
Malawi planning to introduce malaria vaccine
Malawi is among several countries in Africa planning to introduce a malaria vaccine as one way to prevent the disease that kills an African child every 30 seconds, officials said here Friday.
Deputy Minister of Health Juliana Guga said in Lilongwe during the commemoration of the first World Malaria Day on Friday that once introduced, the vaccine is expected to complement the current tools used to reduce the impact of malaria.
\”The vaccine, if introduced, could save lives of countless people in the country and across Africa,\” she said.
According to her, Malawi records an average of 350,000 malaria patients per month – which translates into more than four million malaria cases annually.
Guga added that the country is playing a critical role in global malaria vaccines development by hosting pediatric clinical trials of the most advanced vaccine candidate, being developed by the GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals.
She said the vaccine candidate is preparing to enter the third phase of trials in late 2008 or early 2009 at sites across Africa, and the results conducted from clinical trials in Malawi will be used to help governments across the continent to make informed decisions about the role that a licenced malaria vaccine could play within their national health systems.
Deputy Minister of Health Juliana Guga said in Lilongwe during the commemoration of the first World Malaria Day on Friday that once introduced, the vaccine is expected to complement the current tools used to reduce the impact of malaria.
\”The vaccine, if introduced, could save lives of countless people in the country and across Africa,\” she said.
According to her, Malawi records an average of 350,000 malaria patients per month – which translates into more than four million malaria cases annually.
Guga added that the country is playing a critical role in global malaria vaccines development by hosting pediatric clinical trials of the most advanced vaccine candidate, being developed by the GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals.
She said the vaccine candidate is preparing to enter the third phase of trials in late 2008 or early 2009 at sites across Africa, and the results conducted from clinical trials in Malawi will be used to help governments across the continent to make informed decisions about the role that a licenced malaria vaccine could play within their national health systems.
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