Blog on African airlines and aviation:
africanflyer
Entries on Air Malawi
[Update] Air Malawi has a website at www.airmalawi.com
For reservations contact: reservations at airmalawi.net
Category: Malawi-related
somehow related to Blantyre or Malawi
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africanflyer
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Nyala Lodge, Lengwe National Park, Malawi
Roz of the Friday Team has posted this photo of Nyala Lodge in Lengwe National Park:
an ideal retreat and so near to Blantyre, I really think it’s yet another one of Malawi’s hidden gems..
And it’s always warm there.
More infos:
Malawi Tourism
Jambo Africa
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Catherine Chikwakwa
Catherine Chikwakwa, long distance runner from Malawi, won today’s Silvesterlauf in Zurich. Again.
Well done!
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Online version of Malawi’s Daily Times
My Google Alert for Malawi now includes articles from the The Daily Times. Looks like another major malawian newspaper has joined The Nation online.
Just noticed that Google still considers its Alerts service as “Beta”… I’ve been using alerts for a quite a while now. In time the definition of a beta release will change with all of these endless betas around.
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Watch dogs in Lilongwe
I like this photo from Lilongwe. The gate, Securicor sign and watch dogs are so typical of many residential areas in Malawi.
It reminds me of my regular walks in Nyambadwe with my small dog. A very clever mongrel: If the gate was closed, she’d run up to the gate and bark and provoke the big watch dogs, if the gate was open or if the property had no fencing, she’d quietly walk past.
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How big is Malawi’s Blogosphere?
Soyapi Mumba asks:
How big is Malawi’s Blogosphere? -
Linux-Magazin on Open Source in Malawi
Brave Gnu World on Microsoft and open source in Malawi (in German)
Couple of links mentioned in the article:
Malico Project: http://www.bunda.unima.mw/malico.htm
Malawi Polytechnic: http://www.poly.ac.mw
School Net Malawi: http://www.schoolnetmalawi.org
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Basler Zeitung on Malawi Hunger Crisis
Due to poor rains Malawi is experiencing food shortages:
Hungerregion in Malawi zum Katastrophengebiet erklärt
Blantyre. AP/baz. Angesichts der bedrohlichen Hungersnot in Malawi hat die Regierung alle 28 Provinzen des ostafrikanischen Landes zum Katastrophengebiet erklärt und die internationale Gemeinschaft um Hilfe gebeten. Die Krise bedrohe fünf der elf Millionen Einwohner, sagte Präsident Bingu wa Mutharika am Samstag in einer Radio- und Fernsehansprache. Die Dürre habe zu einem Einbruch der Mais-Produktion geführt.
Die Opposition kritisierte, dass der Schritt der Regierung viel zu spät komme. Das Welternährungsprogramm (WFP) der Vereinten Nationen hofft aber, dass die Erklärung Mutharikas die Regierungen der reichen Länder zu neuen Hilfszusagen veranlasst. «Die Zeit läuft uns davon», sagte WFP-Sprecher Peter Smerdon. Die Vereinten Nationen haben die Staatengemeinschaft um eine Malawi-Hilfe von 73 Millionen Euro gebeten. Bislang sind aber nur 23 Millionen eingegangen.
source: Basler Zeitung Online
More Malawi news:
United Nations – OCHA IRIN Malawi News
The Malawi Nation
BBC NEWS | Africa | Malawi issues food crisis appealMike McKay in Lilongwe describes in his blog a number of factors which may have led to this situation.
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cycle tour along the shores of Lake Malawi…
There’s a Malawi cycle tour being organized by a British charity organization next Sept 2006:
Cycle Malawi for Transaid
Registration costs £299 and you need to raise a minimum of £2,750 in sponsorship.
The itinerary is very scenic along the shores of Lake Malawi.
Sounds like a lot of fun and something I would love to do. I wonder how hard it is to raise the above sum of money…
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Wikipedia on Malawi
The Malawi entry in Wikipedia has grown considerably over the past year.
For example, there’s an entry on Malawian music:
Music of Malawiand Malawian English.
If you’re from Malawi or doing research on a topic related to Malawi… check the pages to see if you can contribute any useful facts and references.
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Toys made from Tin and Wire
The toy museum in Riehen is showing African toys made from tin and wire:
Museen Basel
Riehen Info
According to a newspaper article, the above show focuses on toys from West Africa.
A couple of years ago, a friend and I were discussing an idea to import these very original, handmade toys. I have seen some great toys in Blantyre.
It also explains why some wire fences disappear so fast… kids finding new uses.
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On Microfinancing
zapped into this TV report on microfinancing:
Mikro-Kredite
Basically, microfinance provides loans and insurance to entrepreneurs too poor to qualify for traditional bank loans.
An alternative and maybe more effective way to fight poverty…
These two institutions were mentioned in the report:
OikoCredit
Procredit Holding
[update] Another similar institution is:
Opportunity International Bank of Malawi
see also Mike’s blog entry -
Fish Eagle, Lake Malawi
found this photo of a fish eagle at Flickr:
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Malawi Madness: Everything has its own time
while browsing through Bloglines, i stumbled across this new blog from Nkhata Bay in northern Malawi:
http://njayalodge.blogspot.com
A story of the most unlikely couple you could imagine, from Clapham London who packed it all in to discover a new reality. In 1993 on the shores of Lake Malawi two naà ¯ve 26 year olds, Paul and Claire Norrish begin to construct their dream ‘lodge’ in the remote African town of Nkhata Bay
I guess, the blog is new, judging from the test postings. Nevertheless, I encourage you to read the 3 long entries describing how the authors moved to Nkhata Bay. Included: a letter by the former Foreign Secretary, Douglas Hurd, describing the political situation in Malawi in 1993.
And here’s the link to their lodge:
Njaya Lodge -
Working on the Nyika
Read Jeff’s and Leslie’s blog from Nyika Plateau in northern Malawi:
Working on the NyikaThe Nyika – Vwaza Trust (referred to as the Trust) was established in 2004 to promote for the benefit of the public, the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment of primarily the Nyika National Park and the Vwaza Wildlife Reserve. The Trust also aims to advance the education of the public in nature conservation, in particular those who live in adjacent areas. Recently, with the involvement of the Peace Parks Foundation (South Africa), Malawi and Zambia signed a memorandum of understanding that will lead to the creation of the Nyika – Vwaza Trans Frontier Conservation Area.
see also: Ministry of Tourism, National Parks & Wildlife > Wildlife Conservation Projects
Excerpt from Jeff’s latest entry:
Maybe the reason that I feel a bit down at times is that everything here is past its use by date. It’s all a bit sad. The forest, planted at great cost and with such expectations, is dying and no one really knows what to do with it. It is self seeding and presents a huge problem. In places it’s impenetrable. In most of the original forest trees are falling at odd angles resembling a giants game of Pick up Sticks . The houses and offices are falling down or in a severe state of disrepair, the responsibility of the Dept of National Parks and Wildlife who have no money. The roads are also in a sad state of disrepair. It’d be impossible to access Chilinda in a two wheel drive as one could in the past.
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Internet Resources on Malawi
Comprehensive list of Malawi links at Columbia University:
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white Landcruiser phenomenon
No where is the white Landcruiser phenomenon more prevalent than in Zambia or Malawi. In the city of Lilongwe, Malawi, you can find a typical African town with dodgy mini-taxis held together by pieces of tape, bustling markets and poor people. However you can also drive three minutes into the new city centre and find a brand new glass building that wouldn’t look out of place on the streets of Manhattan, where the car park is full of new 4WDs, courtesy of European donors. I wonder what the Africans to whom the aid is supposedly directed must think of these circuses that roll into town, buy new vehicles and laptops, and just as quickly leave without much tangible progress.
Source: http://matthewroach.blogspot.com
I know of at least one African who wouldn’t mind having a white Landcruiser job with a salary paid out in US$. I remember we used to discuss the perks and benefits of a job at the IMF or WHO while we were at school.
I agree that there’s something amiss if the brains of Africa prefer working for NGOs and international organizations. Africa needs entrepreneurs that create jobs and build industries. But issues such as widespread corruption, high crime rates, bureaucracy, and volatile political systems don’t make building a business any easier. And like everywhere in the world, people weigh the pros and cons based on their personal life situation and then decide.
Some of the funds would be better spent on grass roots projects with mid- and long-term goals… such as education.
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What One Does With a Geography Major
here’s another blog from Malawi – this one’s from Livingstonia in the northern part:
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blogging from Lilongwe
Read Mike McKay’s blog on living in Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi.
update:
The blog address has changed to http://www.vdomck.org/blog/