Just Mary

Sammy sosa, famous baseball player in 1989,2004 and 2015.   “I would like to be light skinned like my friend   Praise” these were the exact words coming out of my   nephew’s mouth, who is as black as ebony with remarkably good features yet he doesn’t like how he looks. He thinks having a lighter skin colour would make him extremely better than the darker one, but where did he get this mentality that being light skinned is better off; well it is everywhere, the vocabulary of the people around him, the movies he watches, songs and the society which acknowledges light skin and anything close to the Caucasian as being better and associates it with great intelligence, richness and beauty. A lot of black people have gone extremes to appear as white as possible; the never ending purchase of Bleaching crèmes to lighten complexion, straighteners and relaxers to straighten the curly hair or cover the hair up in wigs and extensions which are among the natural features of Blacks an

In Malawi agriculture is regarded as an integral part of the nation’s economic growth, almost every family in the country is involved in the agriculture sector whether as a farmer, a labourer, or a vendor and what have you. Fortunately the country is favoured with productive natural resources, including soil, water, and moderate climate conditions which all necessitate agriculture production, be it animal or crop husbandry. We say Malawi is an Agriculture country ,some jokingly say it’s like a very big farm because almost everywhere people are practicing agriculture urban settings are no exception. But how many are really prospering because of it? Only a few are considered big farmers, a few can only produce enough for their families but you look at these people, they have been farming all their lives! road side marketing of farm produce Our farmers are encouraged to work extra hard, which from my experience they do but where are the readily available markets where t

  Some people think telling people about your problems only makes you a fool of yourself; well I think differently, problems are to be shared. I think a person aspiring for college would not believe that water problems do exist even in institution of higher learning. People assume students in colleges are living a glorious life, but this is not the case in some public universities. Visiting some of these campuses, you could not believe your eyes; slippery bathrooms which can no longer be properly scrubbed, stinky and blocked toilets, talk of dirty utensils in the domes, dirty water in restaurants and cafeteria. Since my freshman year, I have been experiencing these horrors brought forward by water scarcity. The big question in everyone’s mind can be; how big is the problem that it’s taking years to be addressed? Unfortunately we don’t get to know what really causes this crisis year after year and nothing seems to change for the better. A   Lot of us choose to turn a blind e

roadside charcoal selling Charcoal burning has long been declared illegal in Malawi since independence from Britain in 1966. The government now seem to be serious more than ever about charcoal burning with the issue of climate change.  Government of Malawi signed an edict empowering soldiers to arrest people found burning charcoal. When these people are arrested, their items too are confiscated for example bicycles. To my surprise, the confiscated items are used by the law enforcers themselves rather than following right procedures. When people are asked why they burn charcoal despite the growing concern in climate change, they always blame the countries blackouts. They say charcoal is their only alternative source of energy which is reliable and affordable too. The issue of charcoal burning is far more difficult to curb because a lot of households depend on charcoal use. Rural and urban people support their families through charcoal business. Criminalizing c