Temwa - Sustainable Community Development, Malawi

Wednesday, 17 May 2006 00:00

On Sunday 19th March an open day was held at the Community Centre in Usisya - this was organised by our volunteer Jaime Walsh, who tells you all about it:

The Community Hall Open Day started in true Malawian style- 2 hours late. It opened with a prayer before the speeches commenced. Temwanani Community Project Representatives, District Representatives and the Guest of Honour, Mr. Chinduti Chirwa, all managed to over come a few technical hitches with the PA system to make themselves heard to the large crowds crammed into every corner of the hall and spilling out through the doors and windows.

Then the day really began. Numerous groups performed songs, dances, poems ndakatulos (Chichewa poems), dramas on HIV & AIDS issues, Done Bells, which consists of holding two wooden done bells, shaped like the weights, and knocking them together whilst singing and dancing to the rhythm. There was even a Kwaito Dance performance by a local trio. This dance comes from South Africa and seems to combine break dancing with the smooth moves of Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake!!

After the crowds had been thoroughly entertained the awareness raising stage of the day took place. Temwanani Committee members kindly acted as Tour Guides for the hour and led small groups around the hall to view project demonstrations and informative posters. There were three tailors demonstrating how to make different garments, two bricklayers demonstrating their skills, the Stepping Stones facilitators having a mock session, an HIV & AIDS and associated issues video playing, posters on the walls about Temwanani itself, every project it has undertaken as well as future plans. People were then led outside to the now thriving Demonstration Garden where they viewed the variety of crops, vegetables, farming techniques and irrigation systems being used. Here the Agricultural Representative for the area, Moses Gondwe also gave a small talk on the garden and its aims and objectives.

Still running very late with the light soon to be fading we quickly moved on to traditional dancing. Four women’s groups performed their traditional dance- Chiwode- complete with drumming, singing and a token male participant who wore long plaits as a not so convincing disguise!!

The last ‘official’ part of the day surrounded the ceremonies. Our Guest of Honour first presented each of the five schools in the area with a football kit, a set of netball bibs, a calculator and a pack of colouring pencils. These gifts were to thank them for their participation in both the ‘naming of the hall’ competition and the painting of the partitions in the hall. Next the winning team of the Football Tournament last year was presented with a trophy. The runners up in the Netball Tournament, which had commenced just the day before, all received a netball with the winners also taking home a netball plaque, which is to be engraved.

The day reached its climax with the unveiling of the ‘new’ hall name. Project Manager Sam Clark said a few words about the hall and it uses for the community before the Guest of Honour pulled down a covering and ‘ Usisya Community Hall’ was revealed to rapacious applause.

Now came ‘dance wa moto moto’ time – dance of fire and more fire!! The Assistant Project Manager Jumbo acted as both DJ and MC in the halls first ever disco complete with its first ever lights. It was a big event and many people stayed to dance the night away.

The day was extremely successful, people came from all over to join in the festivities and Temwanani were given the chance to convey to the community at large that the hall is theirs and for their use in whatever ways they see fit. In the coming weeks we hope to see many more faces through the doors.

Report by volunteer Jaime Walsh.