My Dear Malawi

MY DEAR MALAWI

Do you realise that I still love you in spite of your bad roads and other facilities? Dr Banda was a ruthless Dictator; but he did do his best to develop the country. He insisted on breaking up the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland which he thought was a 'White Man's Club' run from Salisbury.

I understand that the name 'Malawi' means "the glitter of the sun across the lake". What a glorious image, and how appropriate in your case! Before Independence you were called 'Nyasaland'.

You are a small and narrow landlocked country with a long lake stretching down much of your eastern side. Much of the south and centre is surrounded by Mozambique. Your population has risen from about four million in 1966 to over 15 million now in spite of the AIDS epidemic. Your people are very friendly, but most have had little education and are very poor. The lack of a coastline does not help.

I worked in Zomba in the Southern Region for six years, and Lilongwe in the Central Region for a further three years in the late 1960s and early 1970s. My job was to plan and evaluate the National Development Programme. Most of my time was spent in the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Zomba, the Capital then, is a hilly and scenic town. It consisted of a number of well spaced out Government Departments, two main grocery ships, and an Outdoor Market selling a wide variety of fruit and vegetables. The market was surrounded by clothes shops run by Asians . Perhaps the focal point was the Zomba Gymkhana Club - a relic of colonial times.

As you know, a large Plateau hovers over the town. The steep road up the Plateau operated on a clock system - up on the hour and down on the half-hour. At the top was a small hotel whose owner was reputed to dislike having visitors! We drove around the Plateau quite a lot and had picnics there. The scenery is more like Europe than Africa.

I met my future wife Irene in the Zomba Hostel in 1967. She grew up on the Castlereagh Road and nearly went to Tanzania. She was working in the Ministry of Works. At weekends we drove sometimes about 100 miles north to Cape McClear on Lake Malawi for rest and recuperation. It has a stunning beach on the turquoise shores of the lake, encircled by granite boulders and woodland. I was always worried about the crocodiles!

You will be aware that Lake Malawi is the third largest lake in Africa - and the second deepest. it stretches for about 600 kms down the eastern side of the country. A UNESCO Report says that it has more fish species than any other lake in the world!.

One day a former fiancé of Irenes arrived unexpectedly at my office in Zomba, having flown up from Capetown. I told him that Irene and he needed to sort out their relationship as I wasn't thinking about marriage at that stage. It seems that Irene chose me! A few years later we married in Zomba Presbyterian Church.

As you know Dr Banda wanted to move the capital from Zomba in the South to Lilongwe in the centre - a distance of about 180 miles. Finance was available from South Africa, then under 'apartheid'. It was a 'marriage of convenience' - you needed the money and South Africa wanted more influence in black Africa. Many of us thought it would have been better to carry out a significant transport or agricultural project. However we knew better than to argue with the President!

Most expatriates preferred he charm of Zomba to flat and dusty Lilongwe. Having just returned form leave, Irene and I were sent to the New Capital early accompanied by a lorry-load of house furniture. For some weeks I was almost the only person working in a brand new office block!

In 1975 Irene and I decided it was time for us to leave your country with our two young children. In fact our daughter Sally was only three months old. After a three day train journey to Capetown, we sailed home on the 'Windsor Castle'.

The elderly and authoritarian Dr Banda was overthrown in the mid-1990s. Aid donors forced him to hold an election, and he lost. He died in lonely exile in South Africa a few years later. His fortune of several hundred million pounds seems to have 'disappeared'.

I understand you have a more democratic government nowadays.

My Dear Malawi,

I must go now, but I cannot let go of you. After all these years you're still a large part of my life. How can I forget the beauty of Lake Malawi? Or the impressive Mount Mlanje - the third highest mountain in Africa - rising steeply out of the plain? Your're renowned for the friendliness of your people. I'm conscious also of the daily struggles of millions of your farmers to feed their families. At least you've not suffered the fate of nearby Zimbabwe - once the breadbasket of Central Africa. I think about you every day of my life.