Temwa - Sustainable Community Development, Malawi

Temwa Open Day 2007

Friday, 18 May 2007 00:00

Following on from the success of last year’s Open Day the Temwa team spent a long time preparing the day’s events to ensure it was every much as informative and entertaining as 2006. The event was focused around Usisya community hall which was built by Temwa in 2003 and has since then been used by many different groups in the area for community group meetings, school examinations, training sessions and such like.

The day itself started in true Malawian style, with the proposed starting time of mid-morning gradually slipping to midday due to a lack of attendees, both spectators and participants. One of the reasons for this is the fact that Usisya is such a large area and people wanting to come from far away have to ensure their usual working duties for the day are completed and have had a full lunch in preparation for the day ahead.

Once a decent crowd had gathered the day kicked off inside the hall with a number of youth groups in the area performing traditional song and dance routines all based around the theme of the day “What HIV means to me”. This subject was chosen by Temwa to highlight the fact that HIV/AIDS affects many people in Malawi, not only those who have been tested positive and are living with the virus, but also relatives, friends and others who have been directly and indirectly affected by it. There is also a big problem with stigma related to HIV/AIDS and one of the areas Temwa are working hard in is trying to reduce this and encourage people to be open and positive about it and hopefully the 2007 Open Day will only go to help this.

After this it was time for the speeches. The first speaker was Sophie Elson, trustee and co-founder of Temwa. It was her first visit to Usisya since the building of the community hall was completed and she spoke of the great work Temwa are doing in the area and also of the large network of support in the UK from all the many volunteers, trustees and donors.

Temwa’s Project Manager in Malawi, Luke, then gave a speech highlighting the areas Temwa are and will be working in and encouraging people to visit the hall and speak to members of staff should they wish to find out more. This was followed by a short speech from Muwelo Mhango, Chairman of the Temwa Committee in Usisya, again encouraging people to work with Temwa to help build a better future for themselves and their family.

Next up were two speakers from NAPHAM, a group of people living openly and positively with HIV/AIDS in Nkhata Bay (about 50k from Usisya). It is hoped that the introduction of NAPHAM in Usisya will only serve to encourage others that it is possible to live an open, positive life with HIV. These speeches were followed by the very influential and well respected guest of honour Mr. Chinduti (click here for news story on Mr Chinduti) who spoke to the audience about the need for hard work and education as the way out of poverty. His speech was well received by the ever-growing crowd inside the hall and it was then time for the chief of the whole of Usisya, TA Mbwana, to address the audience.

His speech was followed by more singing and dancing from a good representation of groups in the area, including schools and youth-groups, again based on the theme of “what HIV means to me”. By this time any newcomers had to be content with a view from outside the hall as it was currently running at full capacity.

Part of the preparations for the day involved putting up a number of displays around the inside of the hall detailing various projects Temwa are running in the area (our projects page) including case studies, photographs and other materials (one such display involved a the use of various fruits and vegetables). Logistically it would have been impossible to show all the attendees around within a week, let alone a day, so it was arranged that numbered cards would be handed out at random to groups of people who would then be escorted around the hall to each of the displays in turn. The displays are now a permanent fixture in the hall and people can come and visit at any time should they wish to find out more about the projects.

Once the sun had dropped below the mountains the remainder of the day’s events were held outside the hall, still within the grounds. Firstly a number of small thank-you gifts were handed out by the Project Manager, followed by a handshake from TA Mbwana to the individuals and groups who helped to make the day such a success.

When this had finished it was down to a number of traditional women’s dancing groups to compete against one another to secure victory by popular majority from the crowd. For those unfamiliar with this event, the beat for the dancing is provided by 2 energetic drummers usually situated in the centre of a circle of women of varying ages, accompanied by the ‘master of the dance’, who then proceed to dance around them whilst singing. The lyrics of the song often involve friendly digs at the other groups as to the competence of their dance and their claiming to be the best. Whilst the dance is in full flow, members of the crowd are encouraged to give a small token of their appreciation (usually in the form of money) to a dancer or drummer who catches their eye or ear. At the end of each group’s dance the spectators then vote by making as much noise as possible and then it the next group’s turn.

After a few hours of dancing and singing and with the light fading it was time to wrap up the daytime events and prepare the hall for the evening entertainment which consisted of a disco and the ‘2007 Usisya dance-off competition’. The disco was a mainly male affair, due to cultural reasons, but was nonetheless very popular and with a selection of Malawian and other African music the hall was soon packed with people enjoying themselves.

Once everyone was suitable warmed up it was time for the main event, the ‘2007 Usisya Dance-Off’ completion. A selection of about 20 people, including Luke and myself (unknowingly) had 30 seconds each to produce their best moves in front of a panel of judges which included Sophie Elson and Jamie McCoubrey (Temwa donor who visited Usisya for a month). What followed proved to be an hour of sheer quality entertainment, which had the crowd applauding and laughing in both equal measures (the latter mainly when the white men were up). The winner was then chosen by the judges and asked to perform a victory dance which went to prove that ‘The Robot’ dance move certainly didn’t die out in the 80’s in Usisya! There was just about time for a few more songs for everyone to shake their stuff to until the half past 8 curfew came into affect and drew to a close Temwa’s Open Day 2007.

After overcoming a nervy start to the day with a distinct lack of numbers at the proposed start time, full credit must go to Luke, Jumbo, Godrick, Kate, Benson and other members of the Temwa staff in Malawi for organising what can only be described as a resounding success. The day had just the right mix of information, education and entertainment for all ages, leaving everyone who attended in good spirits and counting the days to the next open day in 2008.

Report by Chris Darts, Temwa volunteer.

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