I finished drinking my souvenir of Malawi coffee last week. I like the strong, rich flavour of Malawi coffee. It’s strong, it’s chocolatey, it’s earthy. Each time I wonder how I could help to promote Malawi coffee and its unique taste in Europe. Rather than importing green beans, could we import roasted beans? Rather thanContinue reading “Coffee from Chipunga, near Mzuzu”
Category Archives: Malawi-related
Baking Banana Bread
3 mushy bananas means… It’s time for Banana Bread. Today’s variation: I used whole wheat flour I added 150 grams of plain joghurt I added lots of walnuts (omega 3 for the win) I added nutmeg, kambuzi sauce, and vanilla sugar for taste It’s in the oven, baking at a low heat.
Single-origin coffee from Malawi
Single-origin coffee from Malawi
Responsive web design and low and expensive bandwidth
Some time ago, the Malawi daily newspaper, The Nation, released a new web design. More recently Nyasa Times updated their web design. In both cases, it’s an improvement. And from my current home base here in Switzerland, both sites load promptly. From family in Malawi I hear that the loading times for both sites haveContinue reading “Responsive web design and low and expensive bandwidth”
ET phone home
I like this blog post on the Crossroads website: Home for Christmas. ET phone home. Growing up in Malawi, I probably don’t share the same level of contemplative Christmas (“besinnliche Weihnachten”) memories that my fellow German compatriots may have experienced. It’s difficult to emulate some Christmas traditions when it’s over 30 degrees warm. My momContinue reading “ET phone home”
Papaya is a super food
Via “50 foods you should be eating”, papaya is highly recommended: 34. Papaya If you’re feeling the onset of a cold, reach for this tropical fruit instead of an orange next time. One papaya has more than three times the daily recommended intake of vitamin C and is also stocked with flavonoids, vitamin B, potassium,Continue reading “Papaya is a super food”
Underperforming students at Chanco
This is sad news: http://www.nyasatimes.com/2013/11/29/university-of-malawi-withdraws-116-unperforming-students-at-chanco/ It’s so tough to get to Chanco in the first place and then this. Their relatives will be devastated. I’m sure lots of aunts and uncles paid towards their secondary school and exam fees. I know very few students that make it to uni level in Malawi. Most lack theContinue reading “Underperforming students at Chanco”
501 members in the Malawi Flickr group! http://bit.ly/1bfP07I
Awesome. The Malawi Flickr group silently crossed the 500 member mark. If you’re living in Malawi and have access to enough bandwidth, get the Flickr app ( Android | iOS ) and post everyday scenes to the group. Show what life in Malawi is like. If you’re travelling to Malawi, share your best and favouriteContinue reading “501 members in the Malawi Flickr group! http://bit.ly/1bfP07I”
Basel to Blantyre and back
My daily routine has engulfed me already. But I want to add some notes on my recent visit to Blantyre. And point you to some photos. And travel tips. Let’s start with the travel tips: A very favourable recent development for Blantyre-bound travellers is the fact that Ethiopian Airlines now flies to Malawi’s commercial centreContinue reading “Basel to Blantyre and back”
#wokongola #malawi – Liwonde National Park
So close that i managed to get quite a good snapshot with my small digicam: More Malawi photos to follow…
Malawi on Twitter – Version June 2013
Twitter lists are its most powerful and least-used feature. (Source) While I am fully aware, that Twitter lists have lost significance in the past years, I still maintain a list on Malawi. Since the early days of Twitter, Malawian content has increased many fold. Social media content about Malawi during general election time, or aboutContinue reading “Malawi on Twitter – Version June 2013”
Nchenga as seen from space
Sunny Sunday
I just got back from a run around the Finnenbahn. The distance is nothing to write home about, but it was a pleasurable experience with temperatures around 18 degrees. Spring is here. With all the fresh air rushing thru my system, I was in mindblogging mode. Reflecting on all the data I have been consumingContinue reading “Sunny Sunday”
Blantyre photos
on Flickr
Busy roads
from my huge photo archive on Flickr:
Back from Blantyre
I am back from BT. I spent two and a half weeks in Malawi’s biggest city. I started off in snowy Zurich with some delay. There was a long and slow queue of aircrafts waiting for de-icing. The transparent and open explanations by the Lufthansa captain, at the beginning and throughout the delay, were greatContinue reading “Back from Blantyre”
Nom de web: Nchenga
Today I talked to @sufranke about an event I am planning at the day job. Before long I was explaining how I was fascinated by the power of blogs and Twitter and the possibility they offer to bypass the gatekeepers who decide which media content you are supposed to consume. In my case, blogs andContinue reading “Nom de web: Nchenga”
Online dictionary for Chichewa
I am really excited about this online Chichewa/Chinyanja dictionary, which I just heard about on Twitter (hat tip @kristungati). Try entering Mchenga. Select Chichewa/Chinyanja to English Click Translate mchenga 1.sand; maziko ena onse npamchenga = all other foundations are on sand (see: hymn 362, Nyimbo za Mulungu); expression: walemba pamchenga (lit.: you have written inContinue reading “Online dictionary for Chichewa”
HHI school hall
Technology Leapfrogs
I like this quote from Hacktivate: We need to stop underestimating people. Don’t expect Africans to be content with boring old SMS and voice for long. Smartphones, droids and even iphones are much higher up Maslow’s hierarchy of needs than we realize, especially if nobody around owns a computers, your schools suck, and the governmentContinue reading “Technology Leapfrogs”
Connecting to the Internet from Blantyre
Just got back from visiting family in beautiful Blantyre. It’s rainy season now and there are regular rain showers every other day. Everything is green and lush. The sun is hot. The air is moist. And the shopping centres and outdoor markets of Blantyre are busy with holiday shopping. And except for a couple ofContinue reading “Connecting to the Internet from Blantyre”
Malawi Twitterers
As Malawi celebrates independence day tomorrow, here is a list of Malawi twitterers you might like to follow: Vincent Kumwenda – currently at Muloza border, Mulanje; topics include Malawi news, world news, interesting Malawi web pages, and soccer. He also writes a blog. Fred Bvalani – in Blantyre; tweets about mobile applications and phones, OracleContinue reading “Malawi Twitterers”
Coverage
Compare and contrast 5 years ago to now.
OpenStreetMap of Blantyre
Stumbled across this tweet about Malawi on OpenStreetMap.org. See for example the streets of Blantyre:
Malawi Cell Phone Numbers Change on April 1
Malawi cell phone numbers have changed: Zain: Add 099 and the remaining 7 digits. TNM: Add 088 and the remaining 7 digits.