Kondwani Munthali -Malawi

Kondwani Munthali Personal account of July 20, 2011 Sunday: July 16: A vehicle belonging to Zodiak Broadcasting Station is smashed in broad day light by seven men with hummers and panga knives. A colleague who is at the scene calls me and gives me details. Zodiak confirms. Monday July 17: Another ZBS vehicle is torched at around 11pm. I am called by colleagues at the station around midnight. Tuesday July 18: DPP Youth cadets are seen in Blantyre brandishing machete in public. This is under the laws of Malawi an offence as machetes are considered as ‘dangerous weapons.’ Police take no action and the ruling DPP spokesperson backs them up. 11pm: Some unidentified man calls saying Chiza Mbekeani has been granted an injunction stopping the demonstrations. I confirm the same with Court clerks after doubting its authenticity. I ask them to drop it at Area 18 filling station as they insist on trying to get it to me at night. JULY 20 06:15: I arrive in town with a colleague Brian Satha who will...

I had to rush and buy Political Philosophy's controversial book The PRINCE, by Niccolo Machiavelli from Harvard Bookstore during my short trip to Cambridge earlier in the month. I remembered Bentrand Russell reference to the book in the History of Western Philosophy as I reflected on the current crisis affecting Malawi. The crisis has been well documented and Government has become so defensive that it has lost the plot in the eyes of the public, its antics of survival do not inspire any hopes and His Excellency President Bingu wa Mutharika looks like a man on the corner. This is a President, institutions World over invited to lecture on food security and democracy, an achiever whose light went off faster than it stayed in office. Bingu is a man let down by his team of advisers, aides and Cabinet but to a greater chunk he has let down himself. Here is a President who has always been said to be in charge of things, having his World crumble before him. His leuitanants have resorted to...

On Monday night, I joined thousands of people at Arlington in Boston, Massachussettes to watch beutiful fireworks commemorating the 235th Independence of the United States of America. Over the Weekend I was among the Malawian community in Washington DC, who came together to commemorate our 6th July indepence celebrations. In between the two events, ny thoughts turned to those women who die every minute during or post delivery period. Those Malawians who today are being subjected to very poisonous Anti-Retroviral Drugs because Government claims it cannot afford the other type of drugs. My independence thoughts, created more of a gloomy picture as thousands of vehicle owners and drivers are being denied a rest as they stay all night looking for fuel which has become a precious commodity. My thoughts wondered how could my President, someone I admired and still hope will come to his senses and save his reputaion, could change so much and fail to grasp the basic details like the lowest paid...