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5 Reasons I Watch Big Brother Naija
If you follow me on Twitter, you might have noticed that since August, my tweets have majorly centered on Big Brother Naija. This is a Nigerian version of the Big Brother franchise that followed after Big Brother Africa was ended. Recently, I found myself chatting with a friend who asked me why I bother watching the show. While the obvious answer was that I enjoyed the drama that unfolds, explaining to the person made me realize the hidden reasons why I watch Big Brother Naija. Reasons that many may carry but not realize them. During the explanation, I found myself elaborating reason upon reason, which I thought I should share.…
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How Jehovah’s Witness Members were Sentenced to Poverty in Malawi
The history of the Jehovah’s Witness in Malawi is not often talked about. The organization has operated freely since 1993 when Malawi voted for a multiparty system instead of the one-party rule that had existed from 1964 till 1992. It was only in 1993 that the ban on the Jehova’s Witness Organization was lifted. However, with the actions that had taken place from 1972, one tends to wonder if Jehovah’s Witnesses were sentenced to poverty by the first president of the country, Dr. Kamuzu Banda. It could be misunderstood how members of an organization could have been sentenced to a long life of poverty by one man and his system…
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Review: Fearless Fighter by Vera Chirwa
Fearless Fighter by Vera Chirwa is an autobiography that teaches many about betrayal, leadership, and imprisonment during Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda’s leadership. The biography gives us a glimpse of the man that was the first president of Malawi. It also gives a perfect insight into the fight against colonial rule that led to Malawi’s Independence. It was important to review this book by Vera Chirwa, as a way to help us understand the history of Malawi and make sense of the chaos we are enduring now. Reading through Political Prisoner 3/75 by Sam Mpasu gave us an insight into prison life during Banda’s time. This autobiography, however, gives more detail…
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Initiation Ceremonies and the Evil Side of Them
As we are approaching August and schools nearing close, elders in different districts are preparing for initiation ceremonies for the year. Known as chinamwali in Chichewa, these are ceremonies that ‘initiate’ one from being a child to an adult. This is a practice done by most cultures, but most common in the southern region of Malawi. As I am in the quest of learning more about the different cultures in Malawi, I wanted to share this piece. Although widely covered, I still wanted to share the evil side of initiation ceremonies even though they remain practiced. From a young age, I knew about the existence of initiation ceremonies. As a…
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Of Chakwera’s Presidency and Sigh
Chakwera’s presidency is one of the most dramatic we have seen. After a year of presidency, many are starting to wonder if he was indeed the right choice for the job. It has been a year of expectations not being met, promises to fade, and lost hope. I wanted to take time to reflect on Chakwera’s presidency and all that has happened within the year of Tonse Alliance leadership. Mind you, these are my opinions and should be respected as such. To begin with, we have to look back at the tripartite elections that were held in 2019, where Prof. Peter Mutharika was declared the winner. This was the beginning…
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Review: Political Prisoner 3/75 By Sam Mpasu
My curiosity about the post-colonial rule in Malawi has increased my appetite for biographies. I was partly raised in a home where Dr. Kamuzu Banda was seen as the savior of Malawi. My late father would tell me tales of his return in 1958 and how he won against British rule and led the country to independence. Smouldering Charcoal by Tiyambe Zeleza was the first book that portrayed the first president of Malawi as the ruthless person he was. Now, all grown, I have realized the cruelty that most Malawians experienced during the Banda era. One of them being my own uncle, arrested in 1991 because of a letter written…
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Breaking Down If Malawi Have a Poor-Documented History
Sometimes, I look at Malawi as a country and I honestly feel we are a lost nation. We hardly understand the land we live in and the events that have happened. While some attribute this to the fact that a lot of the people here are settlers who came from different countries and different cultures. A good example being the Ngoni. Thus, the thinking that there is a lack of interest in the issues that happen. I have come to believe that a major problem is also the lack of well-documented history that allows people to learn and understand their past. I vividly remember my form one history teacher standing…
Louisa Msiska
a little bit of everything
