How was it in Malawi?

That is the question. The question I receive every time I talk to someone I haven’t seen since before I went to Malawi early in 2014. The question to which people seem to know the answer better than me, even before I answer.

It's not that I don’t appreciate the question, actually. But it’s not an easy question to answer. It feels like my year in Malawi gave me more experiences than I have had during the rest of my life in sum. Some of them were of course good, and others were not so good. But, in order to not talk for hours on end each time I get that question, I normally simplify the answer to “Well, it was a very good experience for me, and I am very happy that I did it.”

Then, to my big surprise in the beginning, my friend in the commonest version of this conversation gives me the contrary: “Well, it wasn’t really that nice, was it?” – like if I would lie about it to conceal the fact that Malawi is a shitty country and that it was a mistake of me to go there for a year – “I have read your blog, Trygve, and you did complain a lot, didn’t you? It wasn’t so nice all the time, was it, really?”.  

It seems that my friends who read my blog tend to remember all the worst posts, while I have a selective memory which favours the good memories. That might be, but after a quantitative study of the 34 Malawi-related posts in my blog, 41% are mostly positive, 32% are mostly neutral and 26% are mostly negative. So I don’t think it was so bad, in the end. My theory is that the negative posts fit more in with the expectation people have of going to work a year in a serious job in one of the world’s most poor and under-developed countries. Or maybe it’s just shocking for Norwegians to read about things that go really wrong.

The other surprise I got when some friends tried convincing me that I went to Malawi due to an inspiration to help poor people and give of myself. That would be a very noble inspiration, but it’s not how I remember it. Actually, I claimed to my friends, I saw the job in Malawi as an opportunity to do something different and interesting, and to get to know a new culture and a new country. It was of course positive that I got to work with poor people’s access to solar energy, but I don’t think my only motivation for applying for the job ever was that I wanted to help the people in need. My friends refused to accept my complaint, and persisted that I had gone there because I was a great person that wanted to help the vulnerable and the poor. I’m happy to observe that my friends have such a nice conception of me, but I still don’t recognise myself in that role, even after considering it for a good while.

May 17, 2014. Lilongwe, Malawi

One year ago I had a revelation: Celebration of May 17, the Norwegian Constitutional Day, is much more fun when you are not in Norway. To my surprise I discovered that they are much better at celebrating this day in Malawi than in Norway. Celebrating outside of Norway brings in a dimension that makes the regular hot dog taste better, not to speak of the vafler, lefse and smoked salmon.

After this day, I and my friend Sille have talked about it regularly because it was so great. For Sille the experience was so overwhelming that she wrote her last blogpost ever after this event and she has never since entered blogger.com. When we in November 2014 got a hold of the “documentary” that the Norwegian Embassy shot about the event, we laughed so much that it hurt for days after.

The "trailer" of the "documentary" prepared by the Norwegian Embassy.

This was somehow the start of a new life for us in Malawi – it was the start of having a network in Lilongwe and getting to know all the talented artists that have after come to Nkhotakota to help build the culturalactivities and inspire the youth.

As said, the usual things that you do in Norway become much more fun when in Malawi, as e.g.:

• Raising the flag in the morning when its already 25 degrees C 
• Walking in a parade with a music band composed by mostly Malawians who play Norwegian songs
• Waving with the Norwegian flag when nobody really understand what it’s all about and they think you are going crazy
• Eating Norwegian food
• Playing typical Norwegian 17 May games with Malawians who have no idea but they are anyway much better than the Norwegians
• Listening to the Norwegian hymn being song by a Malawian choir who does not at all speak Norwegian

But there were so many other aspects about this day that made it better than a normal Norwegian 17 May:

• Nobody screamed “Hurra” for no apparent reason (well...almost nobody)
• During the break between breakfast and dinner we went to buy solar panels and batteries in Area 2 all dressed up and with Norwegian flags waving from the vehicle
• During that break we also went for a dip in the pool at Lilongwe Sunbird Hotel
• The entertainment of the night was a 2-hour show at the Norwegian Ambassador’s residence, with a heap of politicians, diplomats and the cultural elite of Malawi present
• It was interesting how different people dressed at the residence – Norwegians in student gala, black suits, bodyguard style, Idi Amin style, Baba Buntu style, Norwegian bunad, young hipster Indian guru style etc. 
• After the official program we moved on to Lilongwe’s limited but vibrant nightlife, where we had our first jamsession experience at Chameleon and ended up in the shady bling bling disco Chez Ntemba Disco.

The pursuit of happiness and the perfect life

Now that I am back from 14 months in Malawi, I often ask myself what I have brought back. What is it that will stick with me, what will I always remember?

Nkhotakota, Malawi - one of the poorest regions of one of the poorest countries in the world, at least in monetary terms. But still – what does that really mean for happiness? Does that make them miserable and unhappy? I would say no.

Today, 20 March, is the United Nations International Day of Happiness. I think it is worthwhile for us contemplate a bit more about happiness. We in the western world are overloaded with propaganda every day which in one way or another try to convince us that consumption is the key to happiness. There are millions of different products and services out there that will please us and entertain us, make us better looking and more popular. In order to consume, you need to have money. The ultimate freedom to consume you get only if you are rich. That is maybe why most people somehow choose to pursue monetary wealth – as a way to get to this ultimate freedom to choose on how to consume and thereby attain happiness. But is it so? Does it make you happy? I would say no.

This is what 14 months in Malawi has taught me: 

There is absolutely no relation between happiness and monetary wealth.

Before going to Malawi, some of my colleagues and friends back home in Norway considered me to be a kind of hippie. Mostly because of my dreadlocks I suspect, if it wasn’t for them I would probably just have been perceived as another average guy. Before going to Malawi I would probably have exressed it something like “There is not a strong relation between happiness and wealth”, but now I am getting to “absolutely no relation”. Is it so? Not completely unrelated maybe, but happiness is much more strongly related to other factors. The United Nations International Day of Happiness has proposed the following guidelines to have a happy life, based on a literature review of scientific publications on the topic of happiness:

More...

Let me try to analyze this in the context of my experiences from Norway and Malawi:

Factor	Average Norwegian answer	Score	Average Malawian answer	Score
Do things for others	I do things for myself so I can feel good. And nobody really needs my help anyway.	2	I mostly try to support my family and my community	5
Connect with people	Headphones on - leave me alone	2	Good morning! How are yooouuu!?!?	9
Take care of your body	I work out, I run Oslo Marathon, I do Birkebeineren on skis and bicycle, I do Zumba and crossfit	6	Walking to work, walking to get water, lots of manual work in the field – I keep active	6
Notice the world around you	No time for that - I'm busy	2	I have time, and not too much is happening anyway – so anything is interesting!	8
Keep learning new things	Plenty of opportunity for that in Norway	8	Limited opportunities for learning	2
Have goals to look forward to	Too many of them. Goals you said? No, they are deadlines	7	We focus on what's going on today, tomorrow is not so important - we are not there yet	3
Find ways to bounce back	No need to worry about that, that is the kommune’s responsibility	5	In Malawi you learn how to bounce back - sometimes you have to bounce back several times in one single day	7
Take a positive approach	Norwegians are more interested in criticizing than in being positive. An extremely good meal in Norway would be characterized as "not too bad" (ikke så verst)	2	If you can smile, then why don't you?	10
Be comfortable with who you are	Bombarded by propaganda about how you should be it is not easy and most Norwegians strive to be something they are not	2	Who else can I be, if not myself?	9
Be part of something bigger	What "something bigger" are you talking about?	1	I believe in God.	10
Average score	Norway	3.7	Malawi	6.9

Alas, we Norwegians are doomed to live in the unhappy pursuit of the perfect life. Malawians don’t really care, but they are happy anyway. And it has nothing to do with money. 

All the last times

I just finished my first last week in Malawi. It has been a lot of things to sort out in the office before I leave, but I've also enjoyed so much of the things I really love about Malawi - the good mood, the beautiful landscape, the random and crazy things, and hanging out with good friends.

Now I have arrived to South Africa for the homecoming workshop with FK Norway. Then I'll have another final last week in Malawi before I'm off to Florence.

Saturday - The last event at Nkhotakota Cultural Centre

Sunday - The last afternoon at Fish Eagle Bay and the last time to see Edson take chambo fish home to Lilongwe hanging from the side mirror of his hitchhike ride.

Monday - The last time to walk around Nkhotakota in the lunch break and discover totally random stuff.

Tuesday - The last time to bike home racing the local bicycle taxis, this one taking my housemate Cecilie on the passenger seat.

Wednesday - Last time to take a sunset Carlsberg (green) at Sungu Beach with my partners in crime, Sille and Thomas.

Thursday - Last time driving to Lilongwe with Sille, Robert, Andrew and Solace.

Friday - Last (and first) time to travel with Malawian Airlines from Lilongwe to Johannesburg

Also Friday - well back in the civilization, enjoying a cold beer in 7th Street in Melville, Joburg.

Random encounters

I'm biking through the villages on a Saturday afternoon, through these peaceful and innocent villages of Malawi. Where people have nothing, but still everything. Where people always smile. Where nothing is dangerous, nothing is unknown. Where time is just another thing passing by. Where nothing is wrong, where there is no shame. The kids run as freely and safely around as the chicken and the goats do. This is where everyone greets you, where you can always have a conversation, even without words. This is where people will treat you as you were their family even though they have never seen you before, even if you don't speak their language. Even if you are just passing through it will hit you; the curiosity, the friendlyness and the interest.

Is this what we lost with the invention of cities, the invention of roads, cars and escalators? The invention of high-rise buildings, the invention of TVs, cellphones, sunglasses and computers? The invention of property, borders, money, weapons, universities, hospitals, books and courts? What have we gained, and what have we lost? 

My little devil and my little angel

My little devil: Why are you still here? You've already had the "African experience", you know how it is now. You leave your wife, your old friends, your good job and your comfortable life behind, for this? Living in a country where everything is difficult? You have a stressful job with tons of responsibility, causing you sleepless nights and that leaves you with the feeling of not being able to deal with all the tasks? For what? For a ridicoulus salary, for living in a house where nothing really works well. If the worries from your job doesn't keep you awake, the bugs and the malaria-infested mosquitoes in your bedroom certainly will! With your small salary you even spend of your own pocket to make things run smoothly, both at home and at work? And what do your friends back in Norway get? Nice offices, well defined responsibilites...comfortable jobs and nice lives! And what if they have to travel from home and stay away from their families? Yes, they get tons of extra benefits, free travels, compensations.. They do not get their salaries reduced down to fraction of what they originally earn, do they!?! Go back! Don't stay here anymore. You have already done so much good here, why should you continue torturing yourself like this?

My little angel: Come on, this is an amazing experience! You should be grateful for this opportunity. You see so much, you learn, and you have so great friends here. And this little devil makes you complain about your salary? That's so selfish! You are so much better off than almost everybody here in Malawi. You are so lucky! You live in one of the best and most comfortable houses in the town, how can you complain? You have all the facilities you need, you cruise around in your air-conditioned car while everybody else has to walk under the scorching sun. You have such a great time with your friends, every weekend is just great, with the beach of Lake Malawi at your doorstep and all of this beautiful country to visit. And your job? It is marvellous! The experience you are getting is unique on so many levels, you learn so much, your colleagues are great. This is how you have always been wanting to work. Isn't it great to see all the results you have acheived? All the grateful faces? The people are dancing and singing in the honour of the things you have acheived! Hundreds of families have better lives now than before because of you, and you are helping the solar energy revolution to come to a new country and give a new, better and more sustainable lifestyle to the people who need it most. Isn't that the best motivation!?! Enjoy your last time here, you are so priviledged! Enjoy the country, the people and your job!

Me: It was not so easy to come back to Malawi this time. I've just came back after five weeks back in Europe and I have gotten used to that life. I'm only back for a short time though - I have less than four weeks left here in Malawi, and one week in South Africa. Now I have to concentrate to listen as much as possible to the little angel and make the best out of it, but I'm also looking much forward to come back to start up my life back in Europe again.

2014 in review - Nkhotakota

Nkhotakota - sometimes known as the worlds largest village south of Sahara - is a quite lively place, a lot of things happen, but most of them go unnoticed anywhere else because of the lack of a news agency or coverage for the region. With this as a backdrop, you know that I have almost no official sources of information, and being an expat I don't even really understand what is going on most of the time. But these are minor challenges, I anyway think I will be able to wrap up the news of the year quite nicely.

Happy green new year 
The year 2014 started off nicely with plentiful and quite stable rain. Everything was nice and muddy, the grass was green, the trees were happy and the maize and rice was thriving in the fields. I arrived in January with my friend Sille, taking over for Eva and Thomas. For most people in Nkhotakota that didn't really matter, I guess they just thought that the white guys had changed their hairstyle.

Rice fields in Nkhotakota. 

Transport and road situation
With the rains came problems with the roads, especially on the stupid old bridge on the road between Salima and Nkhotakota. Most of the time it was closed and an substitute bridge was used instead, but to get to the substitute bride you sometimes had to drive through an incredible mudhole which was virtually impossible if you weren't travelling in a CV90 tank. That was good news for the local boys and young men, who worked as lifters to carry vehicles out of the mud every day and made a decent salary from that I guess. On days when the road between Nkhotakota and Salima was completely closed, the alternative was to drive through the Game Reserve towards Kasungu, on a mud road for about 40 km. In the start of 2014, work was being started to construct a new road on this stretch, but the funds were unfortunately withdrawn even before the work was really started up. As if this wasn't a challenging enough transport situation, the gas station in Nkhotakota has been out of diesel or petrol half of the time in 2014, so you had to be kind of lucky and smart to make your way out of Nkhotakota.

The last way to get to or from Nkhotakota is to take the "Ilala" ferry which travels up and down Lake Malawi dropping and picking passengers here and there. At the start of the year the saying was that the ferry wouldn't stop in Nkhotakota due to the destroyed dock (for which money is said to have been disbursed to repair at least two times, money disappeard each time). Later, it seemed the ferry was broken down, and it actually was. It came back in service, after more than six months in the dock, around October, but only for about two weeks before it broke down again. However, by the end of the year it seemed that it was running again and even stopping in Nkhotakota. I don't know if I would take it though...

Drugs, drugs, drugs
Even though the roads are not in the best conditions, they are the best way to transport large amounts of cannabis out of Nkhotakota. Nkhotakota is known in Malawi to be the home of cannabis and tons of the substance is shipped out from the plantations "hidden" in the Game Reserve every year. The police apprehended about one cannabis transporter every week - and we are not talking about backpackers with a few grams in their wallet - these are buses and cars loaded with the stuff - at one incident a minibus packed with more two tons was stopped.

A police officer from Nkhotakota with the catch of the day - 2 tonnes of cannabis! Photo courtesy: Nkhotakota Police/Facebook

In May, a couple of British guys were caught with close to one tonne of cannabis stuffed into a boat on a hanger behind their car. A bit suspicios? A nice and modern boat on a hanger - I've never seen that anywhere in Malawi. Anyway, they were brought to Nkhotakota prison, and from there they managed to make out a deal with a local guy to sell their boat for a ridicolously low price, which was anyway enough to cover the bail to get out from prison. They left, of course, but came back a few months later to pick up their car and buy the boat back (probably for a ridicolously high price compared to the ridicolously low sales price). It seems that this drug trafficking is good for local business - it brings money into the local economy and it keeps the police from getting too bored at the roadblocks.

A roadblock in Malawi, ehm, with a Carlsberg promotion for driving responsibly. Hmm... That brings us to the next topic... Photo courtesy: FK Family/Sille/Facebook

Road kills and accidents
Don't get me wrong, roads in Malawi aren't that bad, really. But the drivers are. And certainly the cars! So - effectively - traffic is quite dangerous in Nkhotakota. Even though the traffic is limited to a few hundred cars per day on the highways leading to Nkhotakota, there seems to be fatal accidents almost every week. Most of these might be related to drug abuse and alcohol - both from the drivers and the pedestrians. I have several times had to stop to complete halt from 100 kmph because of drunk people lying sleeping in the middle of the road or just wandering aimlessly around. But the cars are also a problem - cars in Malawi are old, repairing is expensive and it is difficult to get spare parts. In December, a truck from Yanu Yanu bakery in Nkhotakota apparently lost control on the roads down from Mzuzu. I don't remember exactly, but I think seven people were killed. And things like this happen quite frequently, surprisingly so considering the low density of cars and the little traffic that there is.

I've seen quite a few upside down cars in 2014. Many accidents are due to the bad state of the cars.

Disappearings
It seems that people disappear quite frequently in Malawi. I have during the year come to know about two disappearings in the near family of people that I know in Nkhotakota. Malawians claim that it is because bad people capture them to sell their internal organs to witch doctors. I am doubtful about that. I might be wrong, but I imagine that alcohol or drug abuse is involved in many of these situations. Maybe even traffic accidents can turn into disappearings if the driver is afraid to be discovered as the killer. Or falling into the river - getting eaten by a crocodile - or some people maybe just wander off to new adventures somewhere else in Malawi or Africa.

Culture on the rise in Nkhotakota
It has been a good year for culture in Nkhotakota. The Cultural Centre has strenghened its position and events have been organised regularly. The music school of the Centre that was started up in 2013 has increased it's activity in 2014 and now has two teachers and music classes every weekday. The cultural year culminated in the start of December with the first Nkhotakota Cultural and Music Festival, bringing local and national artists together on the stage in Nkhotakota. Also several new bars and restaurants have opened over the year - I think I should come back with a review of the Nkhotakota cuisine at a later point.

The Nkhotakota Culture and Music Festival 2014 - one of the highlights of the year in Nkhotakota! Photo courtesy: FK Family/Christine/Facebook

Another year has passed
It has been another year. Good or bad, hard to say. There is of course a lot of challenges and problems, but the people in Nkhotakota are happy and smiling most of the time. Lake Malawi was highlighted by Huffington Post as one of the Emerging Travel Hotspots of 2015. I hope that this will inspire more people to travel here and visit the large and, after all, wonderfully innocent village that Nkhotakota really is.

Local kids playing with the wind in front of the lakeshore in the centre of Nkhotakota. Emerging Travel Hotspot 2015! (I forgot to cover the elections in 2014 in Nkhotakota: Former president Joyce Banda came with a helicopter and gave out a lot of free stuff, as seen in the picutre here, but that old professor guy with the sunglasses won anyway.)

Thanks to: The Facebook page of Nkhotakota Police - the only written source of news from Nkhotakota as far as I know.