The debate is flagging

Not the new dawn any more?

A hot discussion topic in the country this year has been the plan by the Government to change the design of the national flag, replacing the one that has been in use since independence in 1964.

The two designs are shown on the right (current version at the top).  The Flag Bill passed in Parliament this month, in part because of a series of opposition boycotts and walk-outs during the last Parliamentary session after the budget and some other bills were allegedly rushed through.

The Government's argument, as reported in the press, is that the original depiction of a rising sun was fine for its time (reflecting the exciting new dawn for the country), but Malawi has moved on since then and so a full sun would be more appropriate.

The opposition says that this is not a sensible use of resources when the economic situation is not strong, and so many Malawians are living on less than US$1 per day.

The impact, hassle and cost of the change will be significant.  Time alone will tell when the debate and argument will die down.

I'm Actually Blogging from Malawi!

Yep - it's Tuesday 8 June 2010 and here I am in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi.  I arrived this afternoon after a journey that began when my beloved Jan dropped me at Terminal 4, Heathrow Airport in London yesterday.  After dropping off my check-in bag, I made my way to the lounge where I chilled out watching the world go by until I went to the boarding gate for the Kenya Airways flight to Nairobi, and then on to Lilongwe.

The flight was very good (although the ambient temperature was a bit on the warm side), and despite a slightly delayed departure, we reached Nairobi not too late.  A quick stroll round to Gate 9 let me check in to my next flight to Lilongwe in good time.

The flight to Lilongwe included a brief stop at Lusaka International Airport in Zambia.

Immigration in Lilongwe was excellent, and I was met by Lawrence, an extremely nice guy working with Cecilia, the Challenges Worldwide Programme Manager in Lilongwe.  Lawrence drove me to my overnight accommodation at the Heughlins lodge which is absolutely brilliant - a lovely room, delightful lounge, beautiful grounds and swimming pool - one suspects one is being spoiled!

After a couple of hours R&R, Lawrence picked me up to give me a quick tour of Lilongwe, the capital/ political/government centre of the country and a fine job he did. I've seen the new Parliament building, the major Ministries, embassies, areas of upper-class housing compounds, the old town, and the areas where the "average" Malawians live.  This is just a proto-typical insight into life in Africa - good, bad and indifferent, but my initial impressions are of a country of truly kind and open people.  For example, Lawrence has already started to teach me rudimentary Chichewa, so that in the morning I will be able to amaze the locals with my fluency in saying "Good morning".

I'm now in my room preparing to go to dinner, so watch this space for more news and pics.