Malawi on Tuesday joined the world community to kick-start 16 days of activism against gender based violence from 25 November to 10 December, APA has learnt here.
Speaking during a ceremony to start the campaign in Lilongwe, Deputy Minister of Women and Child Development Patricia Mwafulirwa said there was need for local communities to be sensitised on the consequences of gender based violence in relation to women’s rights in the country.
"People should be aware of the dangers of various forms of gender based violence against women and children by providing them with necessary information to stop these prevalent human rights violations," he said.
She said government was committed to reduce gender based violence in society by putting up strategies in place which include gender based violence related programmes and a gender based anti-violence law so that the perpetrators should be answerable to justice.
Mwafulirwa therefore called upon Malawians and NGO’s to assist in promoting and upholding women’s rights, thereby desisting from gender based violence in the country.
The annual campaign was set up by the United Nations for member states to consolidate their efforts and initiatives to prevent and eradicate gender based violence.
Tuesday, 25 November 2008
Malawi football back on the map
A fever is rising in Malawi. And the Flames, the national football team caused it. Hope is now very much alive that the small country will qualify for the World Cup 2010. One men is responsible for turning the country up side down: coach Kinnah.
The years between 1977 and 1988 could be described as the golden age in Malawi football. It is an era when Malawi won Confederation of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) challenge cup three times in 1978, 1979 and 1988.
During this period, Malawi produced icons such as Kennedy Malunga, Frank Sinalo, Young Chimodzi, Jack Chamangwana and Kinnah ‘Electric’ Phiri. The same Kinnah who now is responsible for the renewed excitement.
Twenty-four years later, on October 11, after decades of despair, the Flames beat DR Congo 2-1 to proceed to the last qualifying round, but celebrations that followed could have made someone mistake that Malawi had qualified for 2010 World Cup.
The carnivore that followed in the streets of Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu cities started two hours way before the end of the games that would determine if the Flames had qualified as best runners-up. Who could blame the victory starved fans who had lost trust in the Flames regarded as regional under-dogs?
And to borrow the Malawi FA President Walter Nyamilandu’s words; It was one of the most single moments in the country in recent history when the nation celebrated together despite the social-political divide that exits among its 12 million people.
The hero of the day was not Black Leopards’ midfielder Robert Ng’ambi, who scored the equalizer. Nor was it Chiukepo Msowoya, the super-sub who scored the winner in the dying minutes of the game in a fashion similar to that when he destroyed Egypt in June.
Instead fans lifted Flames coach Kinnah sky high, the man who took over from beleaguered Stephen Constantine in May, less than ten days before the qualifiers kicked-off.
Kinnah’s background
Born 54 years ago, Kinnah started his football career at secondary school where his talent saw him recruited in Malawi schools national team. He was part of the squad that beat Botswana 8-0 in 1972 scoring four of the goals. He joined one of the country’s most successful clubs, Big Bullets where his exploits attracted national team coach Ted Powell.
Kinnah earned the nickname ‘Electric’ from Zambian football commentator Dennis Liwewe because of his wizardly dribbling skills at 1975 CECAFA championship where Malawi lost to Kenya in the final.
In 1978, Kinnah, steered Malawi to CECAFA championship after banging in seven goals including a brace when Malawi beat Zambia in the final.
His extraordinary skill, that allowed him to waylay defenders at will, caught the eye of agents. In 1982 he was offered a $2 million contract by Saudi Arabian side Sharja FC with a salary of $25,000 per month. Sadly, the then one party dictator system of government refused to clear Kinnah fearing that he would end up switching nationalities.
Excile
Disgruntled, Kinnah sneaked out of the country, joined Manzini Wanderers in Swaziland where he spent most part of his exile as coach and player.
His brilliant performance impressed Swazi FA who offered him national team coach job on condition that he denounces his nationality, but patriotic Kinnah turned down the offer.
After decades of self imposed exile, Kinnah returned home in 2003 and joined his former club Big Bullets. In 2004 he took the ‘People’s Team’ to Caf Champions league group stage to become the first local club to reach that stage.
Despite his impeccable CV, the FA remained sceptical and was reluctant to employ Kinnah as Flames coach.
Frustration crept in and impatient Kinnah left for South Africa in 2005 where he picked up a job with national division side Free State Stars.
Foreign coaches
Between 2000 and 2005 the FA tried expatriates Kim Splidsboel (2001-2002), Allan Gillet (2002-2003), and later locals Eddington Ng’onamo, Yasin Osman and John Kaputa but with no significant result to boast about.
In 2005 Burkhard Ziese signed a two-year contract but the German’s stint was disastrous and after a year of losses and wrangles with the FA, he faced the boot.
The FA took heed of public outcry and called Kinnah, but only to engage him on caretaker basis. Kinnah managed to beat Zimbabwe 1-0 in the first leg of Africa Nations Cup qualifier and things seemed to be turning a corner for the Flames.
However, in a twist of events, Fam decided to employ former Constantine and eventually Kinnah was dumped in controversial circumstances.
Kinnah left for United Kingdom for a Uefa B Licence course and while in UK, Free State recalled him and his return to SA so the club earning promotion to Premier Soccer League.
Constantine’s reign proved scandalous. His fist eight months saw him losing a record six consecutive games as Malawi failed to qualify for Ghana Africa Nations Cup, but though it was obvious that his strategies were backfiring, he refused to quit.
Malawi government, the Flames’ main sponsors, who were coughing a salary of K1.5 million (about 10,000 US dollars), lost patience and so did the pressure mount on the FA.
Caught between maintaining Constantine and firing him to risk paying millions in damages, the FA found itself between a rock and a hard place.
Constantine was given a two game ultimatum which he passed after beating Swaziland and Namibia in friendlies.
He beat Mozambique 2-1 at home in African Champions but failed to qualify to the next round after losing 1-0 away to Mozambique.
Dreading the reception back home, Constantine took a flight back to his homeland straight from Maputo citing lack of resources as his main obstacle.
Kinnah as the national coach
Kinnah was immediately recruited with a salary of K500,000, (about 3,000 US dollars) one third of Constantine’s. "I felt honoured that I was given an opportunity to return home and coach our national team,” Kinnah said. “It’s not about money, but serving my country.”
Kinnah confesses that the job of rebuilding the team was tough. “The main problem was the players’ confidence. The game against Djibouti which we won 8-1, did a lot of self esteem building,” explained Kinnah.
Sadly, the Flames’ 1-0 away loss to DR Congo in their second game took the team back to the drawing board.
With the date for the next game against Egypt fast approaching pressure started piling on Kinnah.
Malawi beating Egypt
On that winter Saturday afternoon the Flames were never given a benefit of a doubt, but they put up a classic performance outclassing the Pharaohs. "Malawi played a better game, that's all I can say," a visibly shocked Egypt coach Hassan Shehata summed up the Flames’ performance after the game.
Celebrations went on for days but analysts warned that Egypt would be hard to overcome at home. The Pharaohs came flat out spitting venom in the return leg in Cairo. A brace from Emad Moteab left Malawi’s hopes of qualifying frail.
A two-month recess followed punctuated by a cloud of uncertainty hovering over the Flames’ future. A poor showing at Cosafa in South Africa where Malawi was booted out in the preliminary stage left many sceptical.
Kinnah was dealt a blow when Russia based marksman Essau Kanyenda and Sweden based gangling forward Russell Mwafuriwa were ruled out of Djibouti game due to injuries.
Although Malawi beat Djibouti 3-0, the result was worthless considering that it would not count in determining who would be the best runners-up. The game against DR Congo remained Malawi’s only chance to qualify.
The 2-1 victory over DR Congo completed the Flames’ rekindling but Kinnah is aware that the war is far from over.
A strict disciplinarian, a trend typical of players of his era, Kinnah’s legacy makes him a role model.
‘It is leadership that matters’
Asked what the secret behind the Flames’ success was, the soft spoken coach points out that it is the leadership that matters.
The coach pays tribute to his backroom staff of his assistant former Flames internationals Young, technical director Jack.
“It boils down to the leadership starting at the Sports Ministry who have supported the national team, down to the captain in the field of play. This is what enables the team to prepare through for the games,” Kinnah said.
On the draw that has for the first time pitted Malawi against West Africa rivals Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Guinea in Group E, he said:
“We are like a closed book waiting to be opened. That’s what makes us unique. They don’t know our style of play, but we know them very well. It’s going to be quite interesting playing them.”
Kinnah says while the West Africans rely much on individual performance, the Flames advantage was team work.
“They have the bulk of their star players playing in European top leagues. Once these star players are tightly marked, its trouble for them. But as for us, we don’t need names, we play as a unit,” Kinnah said.
Malawi president urges Malawians to give Hazel grand welcome
Malawi President Bingu Wa Mutharika on Tuesday urged his compatriots to give the country’s representative and finalist in South Africa\’s popular TV Reality Show Big Brother Africa, Hazel Warren, a grand welcome when she returns home on Wednesday.
Hazel, a Lilongwe resident, is expected to land at Kamuzu International Airport in the Malawi capital after successfully reaching the finals of the three-month contest in which she lost the grand prize of US$100,000 to Angolan Ricco Venancio.
The president said the young lady deserved a grand welcome from fellow Malawians for doing the nation proud during her stay in the house which lasted 91 days.
"The nation is very happy of her superb performance, and for putting Malawi on the international map of cultural achievers," he said.
He said although Hazel lost by a small margin to the Angolan, it clearly indicated that Malawians had the capability and had the stamina to participate in international competitions.
Hazel lost to Venancio after a tie broken by a percentage calculation.
Hazel, a Lilongwe resident, is expected to land at Kamuzu International Airport in the Malawi capital after successfully reaching the finals of the three-month contest in which she lost the grand prize of US$100,000 to Angolan Ricco Venancio.
The president said the young lady deserved a grand welcome from fellow Malawians for doing the nation proud during her stay in the house which lasted 91 days.
"The nation is very happy of her superb performance, and for putting Malawi on the international map of cultural achievers," he said.
He said although Hazel lost by a small margin to the Angolan, it clearly indicated that Malawians had the capability and had the stamina to participate in international competitions.
Hazel lost to Venancio after a tie broken by a percentage calculation.
Malawi intensifies fibre-optic installation as demand for telecom technology grows
AS the demand for communication technology continues to grow in Africa, Malawi Telecommunications Limited (MTL) is intensifying efforts to speed up laying of underground fibre-optic cables throughout the country with a view to boast free flow of information.
Malawi is keen to ensure that it is easy to connect and inter-link with the world as far as information technology is concerned, and more importantly to enable the country to compete with the rest of the continent and the world at large.
As the historic FIFA 2010 World Cup comes to Africa for the first time, when it is hosted by South Africa, it appears most countries are catching up on the bandwagon of telecommunications and mobile technology advancement.
It is estimated that a total of US$30 million would be required for the ambitious project in Malawi in order to replace the old system of Very Small Aperture Technology (VSAT).
MTL information technology expert, Lester Tandwe, said the latest development sought to keep the country moving with the times in the field of information and technology.
“The first part of the capable will be operational by April 2009 while the second part will be operational by 2010 and will connect to international cables to provide international bandwidth,” said Tandwe.
Given growing user demand in technology, Malawi is now laying an average of 50 kilometres of underground capable with a view to provide internet and telecommunication services to both urban and the countryside.
Malawi is the second country in Africa after Namibia to broker the interconnection and sharing of infrastructure by service providers to promote effective and cheaper communication.
Malawi is keen to ensure that it is easy to connect and inter-link with the world as far as information technology is concerned, and more importantly to enable the country to compete with the rest of the continent and the world at large.
As the historic FIFA 2010 World Cup comes to Africa for the first time, when it is hosted by South Africa, it appears most countries are catching up on the bandwagon of telecommunications and mobile technology advancement.
It is estimated that a total of US$30 million would be required for the ambitious project in Malawi in order to replace the old system of Very Small Aperture Technology (VSAT).
MTL information technology expert, Lester Tandwe, said the latest development sought to keep the country moving with the times in the field of information and technology.
“The first part of the capable will be operational by April 2009 while the second part will be operational by 2010 and will connect to international cables to provide international bandwidth,” said Tandwe.
Given growing user demand in technology, Malawi is now laying an average of 50 kilometres of underground capable with a view to provide internet and telecommunication services to both urban and the countryside.
Malawi is the second country in Africa after Namibia to broker the interconnection and sharing of infrastructure by service providers to promote effective and cheaper communication.
'Malawi's farmers need green gold'
Machinga, Malawi - Under a scorching sun, 62-year-old William Mose kept on pacing up and down to a stream to collect water for his withered tobacco nursery.
"The rains have been lazy this year, otherwise I will keep on watering the nursery until the crop is ready for planting," Mose, a water can in hand, said at his village in Malawi's southern district.
Mose has grown this impoverished southern African country's chief export, dubbed "green gold" here, for the past four years.
"I can't quit growing tobacco. Without tobacco, my family would be doomed... Malawi would also be doomed," he said.
Tending only an acre of the crop, Mose still smiled all the way to the bank this year. He sold only two bales of thin-leafed burley tobacco and netted 35 000 kwacha (US$245).
It's money rarely seen in one of Africa's poorest countries where the majority of citizens survive on less than a dollar a day.
"I am very happy this year because I have never realised this type of money in my lifetime. If I had grown more tobacco, I could have been richer and afford to buy iron sheets for my house," Mose said.
But the World Health Organisation (WHO) wants farmers like Mose - one of some 300 000 small-scale growers in Malawi - to replace tobacco farming with economically viable alternatives.
The task is immense. Tobacco growing has shifted to developing countries like Malawi where the crop fetches 70 percent of its foreign currency earnings and employs close to half-a-million people.
But the WHO argues that farmers face long-term losses from selling to a non-open market regulated by the tobacco industry and illnesses associated with growing the crop, not to mention problems of child labour and environmental degradation.
Experts researching the proposal - which falls under the WHO framework convention on tobacco control (FCTC) - acknowledge the challenges and expect resistance.
"(The farmers) are absolutely correct that they can't live without it because it is their livelihood. Not that it's the best choice but at the moment it is what they're earning a living from," said Ahmed Ogwell, a Kenyan expert on WHO's study team.
"It's a big problem and it has to be tackled slowly. You can't take it on at once," he admitted.
Malawi, which is not party to the WHO framework and therefore not able to access its support for tobacco alternatives, has in the past eyed macadamia, apples, roses, and fruits as potential crops that farmers could switch to.
Farmer Saizi Komakoma, who made 70 000 kwacha this year, said he had long heard of the government diversification plans to wean the country of its tobacco dependence but had seen few concrete steps.
"I don't see any other cash crop that can replace tobacco. Tobacco has a steady market and I will never stop growing it," he said in Liwonde, a busy trading area.
"No concrete plans have been taken. Which crop do we diversify to?" the 49-year-old asked.
Robert Salama, chief researcher at the state-funded Malawi Export Promotion Council, admits that plans to diversify the country's farm-based economy have not been successful.
"Malawi is an agricultural country... we can grow almost anything, but investment required to grow other crops such as apples, tea, fruits or roses is immense compared to tobacco."
"Tobacco does not need electricity, rose flowers need light and there is no rural electrification in Malawi," Salama said.
He said tobacco "needs only a farmer, land, seeds and fertiliser".
But Ogwell said examples in other African countries show there are financially viable alternatives through pilot projects set up in tobacco strongholds.
"I'm very confident that if it starts, it will meet with success. All that is required is political willingness to begin the process because the farmer is not a hindrance at all," he said.
"What the farmer wants is livelihood and if you can be able to give them an alternative that provides for their everyday living, they will shift. The biggest barrier is the industry." he said.
Godfrey Chapola, general manager of Malawi's state regulatory body, the Tobacco Control Commission (TCC), says the industry "faces a lot of great challenges, including price declines and the anti-smoking lobby".
"Tobacco has a future. Its a strategic crop for Malawi and the country has to adapt to the challenges."
"We will defend the industry till death do us part," he said.
"The rains have been lazy this year, otherwise I will keep on watering the nursery until the crop is ready for planting," Mose, a water can in hand, said at his village in Malawi's southern district.
Mose has grown this impoverished southern African country's chief export, dubbed "green gold" here, for the past four years.
"I can't quit growing tobacco. Without tobacco, my family would be doomed... Malawi would also be doomed," he said.
Tending only an acre of the crop, Mose still smiled all the way to the bank this year. He sold only two bales of thin-leafed burley tobacco and netted 35 000 kwacha (US$245).
It's money rarely seen in one of Africa's poorest countries where the majority of citizens survive on less than a dollar a day.
"I am very happy this year because I have never realised this type of money in my lifetime. If I had grown more tobacco, I could have been richer and afford to buy iron sheets for my house," Mose said.
But the World Health Organisation (WHO) wants farmers like Mose - one of some 300 000 small-scale growers in Malawi - to replace tobacco farming with economically viable alternatives.
The task is immense. Tobacco growing has shifted to developing countries like Malawi where the crop fetches 70 percent of its foreign currency earnings and employs close to half-a-million people.
But the WHO argues that farmers face long-term losses from selling to a non-open market regulated by the tobacco industry and illnesses associated with growing the crop, not to mention problems of child labour and environmental degradation.
Experts researching the proposal - which falls under the WHO framework convention on tobacco control (FCTC) - acknowledge the challenges and expect resistance.
"(The farmers) are absolutely correct that they can't live without it because it is their livelihood. Not that it's the best choice but at the moment it is what they're earning a living from," said Ahmed Ogwell, a Kenyan expert on WHO's study team.
"It's a big problem and it has to be tackled slowly. You can't take it on at once," he admitted.
Malawi, which is not party to the WHO framework and therefore not able to access its support for tobacco alternatives, has in the past eyed macadamia, apples, roses, and fruits as potential crops that farmers could switch to.
Farmer Saizi Komakoma, who made 70 000 kwacha this year, said he had long heard of the government diversification plans to wean the country of its tobacco dependence but had seen few concrete steps.
"I don't see any other cash crop that can replace tobacco. Tobacco has a steady market and I will never stop growing it," he said in Liwonde, a busy trading area.
"No concrete plans have been taken. Which crop do we diversify to?" the 49-year-old asked.
Robert Salama, chief researcher at the state-funded Malawi Export Promotion Council, admits that plans to diversify the country's farm-based economy have not been successful.
"Malawi is an agricultural country... we can grow almost anything, but investment required to grow other crops such as apples, tea, fruits or roses is immense compared to tobacco."
"Tobacco does not need electricity, rose flowers need light and there is no rural electrification in Malawi," Salama said.
He said tobacco "needs only a farmer, land, seeds and fertiliser".
But Ogwell said examples in other African countries show there are financially viable alternatives through pilot projects set up in tobacco strongholds.
"I'm very confident that if it starts, it will meet with success. All that is required is political willingness to begin the process because the farmer is not a hindrance at all," he said.
"What the farmer wants is livelihood and if you can be able to give them an alternative that provides for their everyday living, they will shift. The biggest barrier is the industry." he said.
Godfrey Chapola, general manager of Malawi's state regulatory body, the Tobacco Control Commission (TCC), says the industry "faces a lot of great challenges, including price declines and the anti-smoking lobby".
"Tobacco has a future. Its a strategic crop for Malawi and the country has to adapt to the challenges."
"We will defend the industry till death do us part," he said.
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