Kondwani Munthali -Malawi

Happy New Year!! Most people have written a lot about different issues and at the centre of it all remains simple issues that we did not solve in 2008. Darfur is a scar on International consience the same with Somalia and DR Congo. The shame of conflicts in Sri Lanka, Afghanstan, Iraq, Columbia and even Zimbawe still stares and remains with us all as human beings. Gaza decided to be a new way of changing our focus from Obama's day, Tuesday 20th January, 2009. But today, Malaria, AIDS, TB and even cholera is still a challenge killing thousands of Malawians and Africans. Today is just a greeting to you all and wish you happy Obama day this Tuesday and appeal to Hamas and the Israel's to give peace a chance. I asked a freind of mine from Jordan why did Hamas terminate the six months ceasefire, Hamza thats the name of my freind gave me enough excuses to fill out two pages. To me, when you start talking solutions are found. Guns are never a solution. Nothern Ireland is an example Ha...

I last met the Late Mary Kaphwereza Banda, my teacher for years on November 23 at Johannesburg's O.R Tambo. She was coming from graduation of one of her daughters. She proudly told me "aliyonse akumalizga masters mwana wane." She was very proud of her daugthers, her achievements and as Bakili Muluzi put it rightly at her role in the history of Malawi. In September before primaries for Lilongwe City Central, she told me she was yet to make a decision to contest though there was pressure for her return. I dismissed her jokingly that that was a politicians white lie. She invited to me to a tour of her properties. I had attended Walani brefiely in the 90's and my niece is at Peter Pan. I have some distant cousins at Mount Sinai. We ended our tour at her office at Mount Sinai it was lunch hour. She had a meal prepared at the school, an ordinary nsima with some green vegetables and meat. She refused me to have it and offered to buy me lunch at a "proper resturant"...

First published in Nation on Sunday 21 Dec. 2008 Malawi sacrifices 7,000 to save tobacco ..DDT can eradicate Malaria-WHO by Kondwani Munthali Top civil servant in the Ministry of Health Chris Kang’ombe on Wednesday admitted that the country’s reliance on tobacco has affected the fights against malaria as there are resistance to the adoption of use of Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane (DDT) spraying which is proven to eradicate the fatal disease. DDT was banned due to environmental and toxic effects, but the World Health Organisation has recognised that spraying the insecticide can eradicate malaria, as since the ban there has been increase in the incidents of malaria in South America and Africa. “I would say yes it is a difficult choice, either we forgo all the foreign exchange that the country depends on tobacco or we accept to continue sacrificing 7,000 lives that we lose due to malaria,” Kang’ombe said. He said the Ministry had started the process of consultations and it was still o...

Somali pirates are fast becoming what Captain Jack Sparrow of Pirates of the Carribean would admire. Instead of chasing a deadmans chest for a heart of someone, they are real in chasing money. And its hard currency. Earnings from the pirates business are said to be heading towards US$35 million and it is becoming more attractive. The capture of the Saudi sirus with US$100 million worth of crude oil is just the beginning of things. At one point I wrote a proposal to all G7 Governments and celebrities who have shown interest in Africa, it was about inspiring young Africans to do more for themselves. I still enjoy reading the no so but we regret letters from Tony Blairs office, Angel Markel and even George Bush. The African 2000 Generation could not have solved many of the challenges African youth face, but it could have touched where young people get shaped and have their ideals born. But it was not of strategic importance to the European and Western nations to develop a vibrant youth so...

I conclude my holiday series today with a revisit to the Holy Bible and what it says about Politics and Leadership. I had had time in Durban and Port Elizabeth to read widely, relax and listen and watch news on South African, Zimbabwe and follow abit on Malawi politics. The truth is that amazingly, almost leaders in the countries that I have had focus on all go to Church and Mosque to pray. Today in conclusion I offer my prayers to God to reach out to the hearts of our leaders, let greed and lust for power be replaced by the will to serve and save humanity. I pray for the elections in South Africa, Malawi, Mozambique and the safe return to democracy for the people of Zimbabwe. I pray for the victims of cholera who can not get even safe water in Harare, Beitbridge and now Gweru. I pray that Robert Mugabe will have the power of Holy Spirit in him to realise that the suffering and the cries of people of Zimbabwe is the cry of God. He needs to soul search his decisions and honestly evaluat...

Totally a different front. I have been reflecting on some of social issues tha engulf Africa and the role of different people that claim that they love Africa. I will not today talk of the snail pace of trying to establish the African Healthcare Journalists network though it seems the tobacco control activist promise more support than what we have tried to get from other health sectors in the past one year. Today is the story of our own rich men and women in all Africa. Philanthropists from USA, UK and others in the name of Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and Hunter are driving many causes to the global agenda using their self made wealth not the ones stolen from Governments. Africa has had 206 Presidents, Kings and Rulers, yet very few than 10 schools, hospitals or any other public causes bears their signature and pocket money label as having come from them. The richest people on the continent are mainly Presidents who led bandits masquedering as politicians looting the already poor state c...

The former President of Malawi Bakili Muluzi has generated a stir that no other African leader has in the recent past. While in Durban and Johannesburg, I met a Journalist from Kenya, another from Zambia and another from South Africa all asked me exactly what is wrong with Bakili Muluzi and Malawians. I have told them that there is nothing wrong with Malawians, they are honest and hard working people who normally leave politicians to make a fool out of themselves if they want to. However on Muluzi I had no answer since I can not with my public health knowledge claim to have reached the levels of a qualified physciatrist. Reading through Muluzi's speeches during his first term of office (1994-1999) one hears of a democrat that repented the MCP atrocities and that one who would want to give power back to the people. The speeches change radically, when towards 1999 general elections, when he claims to have only 'laid foundation' for the development projects that the country ha...