A three-day Lake of Stars International Music Festival kicks off in the lake resort district of Salima, 70 km southeast of the Malawi capital of Lilongwe, on Friday.
According to festival organiser Harry Gibbs, the event seeks to promote Malawian music and tourism on the international market.
"The event provides travellers and Malawians alike with the opportunity to enjoy incredible live music in an exotic and beautiful location," he said.
Gibbs added that the event would also act as a platform for international and African artists to gather for music, social and cultural exchanges.
He said with musical genre ranging from Afro Pop, reggae and folk to beat-boxers, gospel and the best of international DJ’s, the festival has something for everyone.
Lake of Stars is a summer music festival that takes place in the “Warm Heart of Africa” – Malawi’s nickname — on the palm fringed shores of the continent’s third largest freshwaters of Lake Malawi.
Thursday, 9 October 2008
Minister appeals to supporters in Malawi-DRC clash to rally behind Flames
Malawi Youth Development and Sports Minister Symon Vuwa Kaunda on Thursday appealed to local supporters to rally behind the national football team, the Flames, when the home boys face the Simbas of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in a joint 2010 World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations to be played at Blantyre’s Kamuzu Stadium on Saturday.
Speaking at a press conference in the capital Lilongwe, the minister said the Flames have the potential to qualify for the next round of the two tournaments if the nation solidly stood behind the team and give them the much needed support to beat the visitors.
"We are looking for nothing but a win against the DRC. The home game gives us a chance to flood the stadium in multitudes against the few supporters which the DRC will bring in," he said.
The DRC recently announced in the press that it would bring over 300 supporters for the game, which is also a do-or-die affair for them.
The Flames have 9 points alongside the DRC (9), while Egypt is leading the Group B with 12 points. Djibouti has no points.
Speaking at a press conference in the capital Lilongwe, the minister said the Flames have the potential to qualify for the next round of the two tournaments if the nation solidly stood behind the team and give them the much needed support to beat the visitors.
"We are looking for nothing but a win against the DRC. The home game gives us a chance to flood the stadium in multitudes against the few supporters which the DRC will bring in," he said.
The DRC recently announced in the press that it would bring over 300 supporters for the game, which is also a do-or-die affair for them.
The Flames have 9 points alongside the DRC (9), while Egypt is leading the Group B with 12 points. Djibouti has no points.
Malawi: Cotton production gets a boost
Cotton farmers in Malawi are waiting for the commencement of production by a Chinese company to earn more on their commodity. Integrated Cotton and Textile Manufacturers, A chinese company, has already started ground work aimed at improving proceeds farmers earn on cotton products in Balaka.
Industry and Trade Minister, Henry Mussa, said the company was one of those that recently visited the country to explore investment opportunities, in line with government's goal to improve the number of industries.
Mussa said the coming in of foreign direct investors spelled the beginning of good prospects for Malawi, as most people would now get employed, apart from increasing the number of textile and garment products manufactured in the country.
"Right now, officials from the Chinese textile and Garments Company are on the ground in Balaka district, and it is hoped that by the end of this year they will have brought all the equipment necessary to scale up their activities and bring tremendous improvements as far as the cotton industry is concerned," Mussa said.
He lamented current trends, where the country exports raw products- a development that translates into low returns for the local grower while those who add value on the products elsewhere reap more profits.
"That is why we need more industries like this, inorder to transform the economy and bring about change. The good thing is that we have held a lot of fora on the issue of investment with foreign investors from Chana (Mainland), Britain, and even those from Asia. The idea is to transform this country by scaling up industrialisation," he said.
China’s impacts in Africa
While the coming in of Chinese companies may be good for Malawi, other countries have complained about the influx of Chinese products as Garment companies working in China are, for instance, making their own thread now, which they are exporting, thus increasing global competition.
Even the regional giant, South Africa, has not been spared, as the country's employment opportunities in the textile industry dropped from 70, 000 in 2003 to about 50, 000 in 2007. This came against increased cheap imports from Asia.
Yarn imports rose from 77, 000 in 2001 to over 100, 000 tonnes last year, though the truly alarming increase that fretted South African textile makers was the 600 per cent rise in imported textiles- up from about 5000 tonnes in 2001, to about 30, 000 tonnes in 2007.
This comes at a time when China's impact on the region's inputs is being felt, though local manufacturers like Mapeto DWSM offer outlets for locally produced materials. Regional textile trade is facilitated by the Southern African Development community (SADC) Free Trade Agreement, whose goal is to create a unified 'borderless' trading bloc for member states.
Malawi's neighbour, Mozambique, with its reviving economy at the north-eastern part of Maputo Corridor, has been putting in place initiatives aimed at garnering a share of the region's textile business. One big encumbrance, though, is that cotton production last year yielded only a forth of raw materials required by the country's ginning mills, a development that saw cotton being sourced from South Africa and Malawi, among others.
Cotton yields were 90, 000 tonnes in 2007, down from a record 122, 000 tonnes in 2006. Bad weather- droughty conditions in some growing areas but too much rainfall in other places- was blamed for the drop. Mozambican ginning mills require 400, 000 tonnes of cotton for their operations, a trend that necessitates measures to address the influx of cheap products from Asia if the region is to make any in roads into the textile market.
This has prompted South Africa to start addressing the influx of Chinese textiles through the introduction of a quota system. A China Restraint Agreement was introduced by government in January last year. It also covers such areas as firefighter gear and specialised sporting gear.
However, while conditions get tougher opportunities exist for fabrics for industrial applications globally, a market that has a growth rate of approximately 3 to 4 per cent per annum, which is far above the 1.5 per cent annual growth for conventional fabrics.
Malawi, however, is in dire need of industries, following the closing shop of most industrial players over the past ten years, a development trade expects blame on unfavourable policies and privatisation during the previous administration. However,
David Whitehead and Sons Malawi Limited, a textile and garments manufacturer has proved these assertions wrong as it continues to do better on the market, years after being privatised.
Industry and Trade Minister, Henry Mussa, said the company was one of those that recently visited the country to explore investment opportunities, in line with government's goal to improve the number of industries.
Mussa said the coming in of foreign direct investors spelled the beginning of good prospects for Malawi, as most people would now get employed, apart from increasing the number of textile and garment products manufactured in the country.
"Right now, officials from the Chinese textile and Garments Company are on the ground in Balaka district, and it is hoped that by the end of this year they will have brought all the equipment necessary to scale up their activities and bring tremendous improvements as far as the cotton industry is concerned," Mussa said.
He lamented current trends, where the country exports raw products- a development that translates into low returns for the local grower while those who add value on the products elsewhere reap more profits.
"That is why we need more industries like this, inorder to transform the economy and bring about change. The good thing is that we have held a lot of fora on the issue of investment with foreign investors from Chana (Mainland), Britain, and even those from Asia. The idea is to transform this country by scaling up industrialisation," he said.
China’s impacts in Africa
While the coming in of Chinese companies may be good for Malawi, other countries have complained about the influx of Chinese products as Garment companies working in China are, for instance, making their own thread now, which they are exporting, thus increasing global competition.
Even the regional giant, South Africa, has not been spared, as the country's employment opportunities in the textile industry dropped from 70, 000 in 2003 to about 50, 000 in 2007. This came against increased cheap imports from Asia.
Yarn imports rose from 77, 000 in 2001 to over 100, 000 tonnes last year, though the truly alarming increase that fretted South African textile makers was the 600 per cent rise in imported textiles- up from about 5000 tonnes in 2001, to about 30, 000 tonnes in 2007.
This comes at a time when China's impact on the region's inputs is being felt, though local manufacturers like Mapeto DWSM offer outlets for locally produced materials. Regional textile trade is facilitated by the Southern African Development community (SADC) Free Trade Agreement, whose goal is to create a unified 'borderless' trading bloc for member states.
Malawi's neighbour, Mozambique, with its reviving economy at the north-eastern part of Maputo Corridor, has been putting in place initiatives aimed at garnering a share of the region's textile business. One big encumbrance, though, is that cotton production last year yielded only a forth of raw materials required by the country's ginning mills, a development that saw cotton being sourced from South Africa and Malawi, among others.
Cotton yields were 90, 000 tonnes in 2007, down from a record 122, 000 tonnes in 2006. Bad weather- droughty conditions in some growing areas but too much rainfall in other places- was blamed for the drop. Mozambican ginning mills require 400, 000 tonnes of cotton for their operations, a trend that necessitates measures to address the influx of cheap products from Asia if the region is to make any in roads into the textile market.
This has prompted South Africa to start addressing the influx of Chinese textiles through the introduction of a quota system. A China Restraint Agreement was introduced by government in January last year. It also covers such areas as firefighter gear and specialised sporting gear.
However, while conditions get tougher opportunities exist for fabrics for industrial applications globally, a market that has a growth rate of approximately 3 to 4 per cent per annum, which is far above the 1.5 per cent annual growth for conventional fabrics.
Malawi, however, is in dire need of industries, following the closing shop of most industrial players over the past ten years, a development trade expects blame on unfavourable policies and privatisation during the previous administration. However,
David Whitehead and Sons Malawi Limited, a textile and garments manufacturer has proved these assertions wrong as it continues to do better on the market, years after being privatised.
Malawi pupils get dolls gift from school
PUPILS from Pocklington's Montessori school have been raising funds for schoolchildren thousands of miles away in southern Africa.
Year 2 pupils made dolls which will be used at a school in Malawi.
Katie Dennison, the daughter of Jan Dennison, a teacher at Montessori, teaches children in the country who have been orphaned by AIDS.
She uses the dolls to decorate the classroom and for the children to take home with them.
The school has been fundraising for Kate’s project and has also donated school uniforms for her pupils.
Year 2 pupils made dolls which will be used at a school in Malawi.
Katie Dennison, the daughter of Jan Dennison, a teacher at Montessori, teaches children in the country who have been orphaned by AIDS.
She uses the dolls to decorate the classroom and for the children to take home with them.
The school has been fundraising for Kate’s project and has also donated school uniforms for her pupils.
Early childhood centres help children affected by HIV in Malawi
The nondescript building could pass for any other, except on Saturday mornings, when it is transformed into a beehive of activity by children. They sing ‘Let Us Be Glad and Dance’, their voices reaching a delightful crescendo, their joy a world away from the sorrow that defines their lives.
Three hundred and fifty children, many of them orphans, attend a programme at the Kanengo AIDS Support Organization (KASO) every Saturday morning. They participate in drama, song and dance, a much-needed diversion in a country where some 550,000 children – more than half of all orphaned children in Malawi – have lost one or both parents to AIDS.
Founded at one location in 1997, KASO has since opened seven other community-based child care centres, or CBCCs, which serve some 4,000 children.
The centres provide activities for children from three to five years of age, home-based care for children living with HIV and a Children’s Corner for those between the ages of 7 and 18, as well as Girl Guides’ activities. There are 5,700 CBCCs reaching more than 400,000 children across Malawi.
But it is the support these centres give to the very young that has caught the imagination of early child care practitioners in Africa. Children develop cognitively through songs, games, stories and other forms of play.
The CBCCs’ learning programmes are run by community volunteers. An elected committee of parents and local leaders oversees the day-to-day management, and learning materials are locally sourced.
At KASO, children learn how to use the toilet and wash their hands, and their play area is equipped with swings. About 190 children attend the centre’s early childhood development classes four times a week. Nutrition is a big part of the attraction.
The Kanengo AIDS Support Organization provides a safe and supportive environment for children living with HIV.
In the last two decades, Malawi and most other countries in sub-Saharan Africa experienced a proliferation of privately owned pre-schools – many of them located in urban areas. These schools were simply beyond the reach of most Malawians.
The AIDS pandemic also left an army of children without access to early childhood care, overstretching the capacity of social welfare officers.
In response, communities began establishing CBCCs. From a total of 649 in 1996, the centres mushroomed to more than 5,000 by 2005. But as they sprang up, many of the centres did not have buildings; their activities took place in borrowed classrooms or makeshift shelters. Few of the caregivers and committee members were formally trained, and the quality of care left much to be desired.
Improving the quality of services
The situation improved somewhat in 2003, when UNICEF helped the Government of Malawi draft a national policy on early childhood development. A five-year plan was subsequently developed to improve the quality of services provided by the CBCCs.
UNICEF has since helped the government to develop a syllabus, training manuals and a caregivers’ guide, which have been used to train volunteer teachers and caregivers. UNICEF has also recently funded an inventory to ascertain the number of CBCCs in the country and the quality of care provided.
Young children attending CBCCs enjoy distinct benefits. They develop their physical, mental and social skills, enjoy a nutritious meal each day and receive psychosocial support and cognitive stimulation – all of which puts them in good stead for primary school learning later on.
Three hundred and fifty children, many of them orphans, attend a programme at the Kanengo AIDS Support Organization (KASO) every Saturday morning. They participate in drama, song and dance, a much-needed diversion in a country where some 550,000 children – more than half of all orphaned children in Malawi – have lost one or both parents to AIDS.
Founded at one location in 1997, KASO has since opened seven other community-based child care centres, or CBCCs, which serve some 4,000 children.
The centres provide activities for children from three to five years of age, home-based care for children living with HIV and a Children’s Corner for those between the ages of 7 and 18, as well as Girl Guides’ activities. There are 5,700 CBCCs reaching more than 400,000 children across Malawi.
But it is the support these centres give to the very young that has caught the imagination of early child care practitioners in Africa. Children develop cognitively through songs, games, stories and other forms of play.
The CBCCs’ learning programmes are run by community volunteers. An elected committee of parents and local leaders oversees the day-to-day management, and learning materials are locally sourced.
At KASO, children learn how to use the toilet and wash their hands, and their play area is equipped with swings. About 190 children attend the centre’s early childhood development classes four times a week. Nutrition is a big part of the attraction.
The Kanengo AIDS Support Organization provides a safe and supportive environment for children living with HIV.
In the last two decades, Malawi and most other countries in sub-Saharan Africa experienced a proliferation of privately owned pre-schools – many of them located in urban areas. These schools were simply beyond the reach of most Malawians.
The AIDS pandemic also left an army of children without access to early childhood care, overstretching the capacity of social welfare officers.
In response, communities began establishing CBCCs. From a total of 649 in 1996, the centres mushroomed to more than 5,000 by 2005. But as they sprang up, many of the centres did not have buildings; their activities took place in borrowed classrooms or makeshift shelters. Few of the caregivers and committee members were formally trained, and the quality of care left much to be desired.
Improving the quality of services
The situation improved somewhat in 2003, when UNICEF helped the Government of Malawi draft a national policy on early childhood development. A five-year plan was subsequently developed to improve the quality of services provided by the CBCCs.
UNICEF has since helped the government to develop a syllabus, training manuals and a caregivers’ guide, which have been used to train volunteer teachers and caregivers. UNICEF has also recently funded an inventory to ascertain the number of CBCCs in the country and the quality of care provided.
Young children attending CBCCs enjoy distinct benefits. They develop their physical, mental and social skills, enjoy a nutritious meal each day and receive psychosocial support and cognitive stimulation – all of which puts them in good stead for primary school learning later on.
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