Category: Malawi-related

somehow related to Blantyre or Malawi

Coffee from Chipunga, near Mzuzu

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 than… Continue reading Coffee from Chipunga, near Mzuzu

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.

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 have… Continue 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 mom… Continue reading ET phone home

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 the… Continue 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 favourite… Continue 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 centre… Continue reading Basel to Blantyre and back

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 great… Continue 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 and… Continue 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 in… Continue reading Online dictionary for Chichewa

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 government… Continue 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 of… Continue 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, Oracle… Continue reading Malawi Twitterers