Day 6. Tue 15th August
Bangula
I appear to have survived the chicken with no ill effects!
It seems that Isaac has had to go to Nsanje today, so I set off to walk
to Kalambo Secondary School, which is a good deal further than I
remembered - over a mile. Luckily Mr. Makena comes to meet me on his
bike, and quickly arranges another bicycle to take me the rest of the
way.
He has organised a group of 17 children, which is a bit more than I had
planned, but it all goes well, and it turns out that they already made
pictures (some have made two or three) using their own paper and pens.
I have borrowed a very primitive digital camera for the project, in the
hope that maybe I can actually get the kids to take photographs of
something relevant to their lives or to PAW - but this doesn't really
work out. The school is too far from both the town and the reserve, and
just taking photos of the school, or of each other, seems a little
pointless.
We sit under the trees and discuss the reserve, the environment and the
community and they are
lively and interested. I bring up last year's photos on the laptop,
which
causes great delight, especially when some of them recognise
themselves, and several other kids, who are not in the group but are in
the photos, are dragged out of class to look at themselves. I lose
track of time, but we must have been going at least two hours.
Finally
Mr Makena and Mr. Ben call time, and help me to pick the best picture
and present the winner with a T-shirt. Then the kids go back to their
classroom. The school is having two new classrooms built, and one is
already in use, although not completely finished, so I take some
more photos, and then disrupt Mr. Kembo's class by taking
photos of his pupils.
Back at the Aska I have a drink, and then settle down to sort out the
pictures, and text a list of the names of all the participants to Jon in
England. Mr. Makina's son, also called Harris, was in the group, and he
turns up with one of the others, and the two of them help me photograph all the
pictures ready to email to England.
A quick exchange of texts with Mark in the UK has got me the answer to
Kirsten's technical question, so I take another walk up the airstrip to
Will
and Pam's.
They are back from Blantyre, but are busy packing up to go home to
Canada for four months, so they are extremely busy. I sort out
Kirsten's back-up problem, and then she shows me round the mission.
They have recently acquired a couple of jig-saw puzzles for the kids,
but it seems that none of the local staff know what to do with a
jig-saw, so I find most of the staff on the floor in one of the
classrooms, having decided that maybe they should find out how
they work before giving them to the kids. As always I am full of
admiration for the work that is done here, nevertheless there is an
all-pervading atmosphere of piety that I'm afraid I find slightly
cloying after a while, and it is not without a slight feeling of relief
that I set off for my next appointment.
This
is at the football ground, behind the Chiromo Post Office*
where Bangula United are having their football practice with their new
footballs, under the watchful eye of Mr. Kariofasi, the coach. When I
arrive they are already there getting changed and warmed up. Mr. Makena
has also come along, and Isaac turns up too a little later and I take
loads of photos to take back to England, including quite a good movie
clip. 
Mr. Kariofasi has invited Mr. Makena and me back to his house for
supper, which is extremely kind of him. He has a small house, which is
rented, and very nicely furnished. He even has a TV, although reception
is atrocious. Supper is chips and salad. I have no way of knowing
whether it is "tourist's tummy friendly", but I can hardly
say no, and anyway, I'm starving. His wife does not join us, but brings
the food in and kneels as she presents it to us. Beer is also in good
supply. Unfortunately I don't get any photos. For one thing it is dark,
and also I don't want to seem rude by wandering around his home
flashing madly.
After supper we walk back to the Aska and have a few more beers with
Isaac. Also with us is a guy who works at the ginnery. This
is not, as I ignorantly
suggest, the place where Malawi gin is made, but where cotton is
ginned. It is just up the road past the football pitch, so I put it on
my list of places to visit. It seems that Mr. Kariofasi is moving house
at the weekend, and would very much like me to come and visit him at
his new one when I come back next week, so that goes on the list as
well.
And so we pass a very pleasant evening, as men will, moaning about the
world in general.
*The Post
Office used to be in Chiromo, the next town, but moved to
Bangula several years ago. Nevertheless it is still called Chiromo Post
Office, and everyone in Bangula has a Chiromo postal address - that is
to
say a Chiromo PO Box, there is no house delivery of post in Malawi.