Nkhani yomwe yamveka kuti pali mpungwepungwe ndi chinyengo pakayendetsedwe ka ngongole yomwe boma linakhazikitsa, ya Youth Enterprise Development Fund (YEDF), yomwe cholinga chake ndikutukula achinyamata m’dziko lino powapatsa ngongole yoyambira mabizinesi osiyanasiyana, ndiyomvetsa chisoni kwambiri.
Poyamba, tidamva mtsogoleri wa dziko lino pomwe ankakhazikitsa ngongoleyi kuti omwe alandire ngongoleyi ndi achinyamata okhaokhawo omwe ndi a chipani chawo, chomwe ndicholamula boma, cha Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Kenako, tikumva kuti Mafumu akumauza achinyamata omwe akufuna kupindula nawo ndi ngongoleyi kuti aziwapatsa ndalama kuti awasayinire mapepala ofunsira ngongoleyi.
Pano, tikumva kuti nduna ya achinyamata ndi zamasewero, a Lucius Kanyumba, akumanka nayendayenda m’maboma a dziko lino kukumana ndi aphungu a kunyumba ya malamulo omwe ndi a DPP okhaokha, nkumawafotokozera momwe achinyamata a m’madera mwawo angapindule ndi ngongoleyi. Izi n’zokhumudwitsa kwambiri kwa wina aliyense amene amalifunira dziko lino zabwino.
Kwa nthawi yayitali achinyamata a m’dziko lino, omwe ndi atsogoleri amawa, akhala akulira kuti boma ndi makampani osiyanasiyana sakukhazikitsa mwayi woti achinyamata azipeza nchito akamaliza sukulu. Mwachitsanzo, boma ndi makampaniwa pamodzi ndi mabungwe omwe siaboma, amapempha kuti munthu amene akufuna kumulemba nchito akhale atagwirapo nchito yangati yomweyo kwa zaka zina zambiri. Izi zikupangitsa kuti achinyamata ambiri akhale paulova wa dzaoneni m’dziko lino chifukwa choti achinyamatawa amakhala kuti angochoka kusukulu kumene ndipo amakhala alibe mbiri yina yiri yonse yanchito. Pamapeto pake, achinyamata ambiri sakupeza mwayi wa nchito m’dziko lino. Izi n’zochita kuonekeratu.
Kotero, anthu ambiri m’dziko lino amaona kuti m’mene boma lakhazikitsa ngongole ya achinyamatayi, yithandiza achinyamata omwe ali paulova wadzaoneniyu kuti ayambe timabizinesi tosiyanasiyana ndi kumapeza zofuna zamoyo wawo watsikunditsiku.
Koma chokhumudwitsa n’chakuti pali anthu ena monga mafumu ena adyera ndi anthu andale makamaka achipani cholamula m’dziko lino cha DPP, akufuna kupondereza achinyamata ena kuti asakhale ndi mwayi olandila nawo ngongoleyi. Zachisoni ndithu.
Kodi mafumuwa popempha kuti achinyamatawa azipereka ndalama kwa iwowa akuona ngati achinyamatawa aziyipeza kuti ndalamayo? Kodi m’chitidweyu sichinyengo chomwe boma limaletsa m’dziko lino? Mesa iwowo mafumuwa ndi nchito yawo ndipo amalandira malipiro anchitoyi kuchokera kuboma? Ndiye chowapatsira kangachepe ndi chiyani? M’chitidwe onyasawu utha kupangitsa kuti achinyamata amene alibe ndalama yomwe mafumuwa amafuna, asalandile nawo ngongoleyi.
Zomwenso boma likuchita pomakumana ndi aphungu a DPP okhaokha kumawauza m’mene achinyanyamata am’madera mwawo angapezere mwayi olandila nawo ngongoleyi, zikuyenera kudzudzulidwa kwambiri.
Angangakhale izi sizikubwera ngati zodabwitsa, pokumbukira mawu omwe mtsogoleri wa dziko lino adanena tsiku limene ankakhazikitsa ngongoleyi, kuti achinyamata okhaokhawo omwe ndi otsatira awo ndiamene alandire ngongoleyi, tiyenera kukambapo kuti izi zikutsutsana ndi mfundo za demokalase zomwe chipani cha DPP chimalalika kuti ndingodya zake.
Chomwe boma liyenera kudziwa ndichakuti siachinyamata okhawo omwe ndi otsatira achipani cha DPP, amene ali paumphawi wadzaoneni.
Komanso, kukondera anthu achipani cholamula boma chokhachokha ndikosayenera chifukwa ngongoleyi ndi ya boma ndipo ndalama yake yinachokera kumsonkho omwe anthu amapereka m’dziko lino. Siotsatira chipani cha DPP okha omwe amapereka msonkho kuboma. Boma liyenera kugawa ngongoleyi mwachilungamo ndimosakondera kuti yipindulire achinyamata ovutikadi m’dziko lino. Komanso mafumu omwe akufuna kumadyera achinyamata ovutikawa pomawapempha ndalama ayenera kunjatidwa kuti aone polekera ndi m’chitidwe waumvewu.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Let's Restore the Reading Culture
Late last year, when National Library Service (NLS) boss, Gray Nyali, graced Parliament deliberations to avail himself to the MPs on information regarding his institution’s drive to distribute books throughout the country using the MPs constituencies, he bemoaned the downward trend in the country’s reading culture.
Admittedly, reading habits are indeed changing in Malawi. Nowadays, many Malawians are not reading for the simple reason that they do not care enough to take time to concentrate on reading. By reading here, I mean reading any kind of literature whether books, newspapers, novels, magazines or anything of this sort. Gone are the days when people could go into a bookshop and order for a book or a novel. Indeed, the number of people visiting the national libraries for the of reading has plummeted over the years. Those who read spend a smaller part of their leisure time doing so as compared to many years ago.
And for the younger generation? They are even reading less. More laughable to note is also the fact that many of them are reading for the purposes of passing examinations and not for leisure. Many of them even abandon books after they have succeeded in their studies.
The advent and proliferation of the new media such as the internet, cell phones, I-pods and I-phones, social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, MXit, has even exacerbated the problem.
Nowadays, the younger generations are busy toying with their phones for whatever purposes among them listening to music, playing games and interacting with their peers.
The dwindling reading culture can also be attributed to the fact that nowadays people lead a busy life combining work with social and cultural interests like music, television, games and other entertainments.
But, one can also safely argue that the downward trend in reading culture is also because of the fact that several institutions which are key role players in the promotion of reading such as the National Library Service (NLS) and school libraries, are nowadays swimming in financial hiccups. For example, several books available in these institutions are old and in poor conditions and therefore not inviting enough to stimulate additional reading.
However, it’s a shame that all these observations point to the fact that the downward trend in reading culture, is not because of illiteracy problems in Malawi.
The paradox is that although many people are attaining a considerable higher level of education nowadays, it hasn’t brought about an upsurge in the time spent on reading by majority of people. Very unfortunate indeed!
However, there are many benefits people can reap from mere reading. For one thing, reading adds quality to life as it makes one know a number of things. Reading also develops creative thinking by ensuring that people think and make good decisions for themselves. Unlike in movies, where everything is determined by the producer, writer and director, books allows one to create on their minds, how a particular character looks like or imagine how a scene plays out.
But this is not all.
Reading also helps one improve fluency in language and communication skills—it increases vocabulary, spelling and writing skills. Reading also emancipates citizens and brings people together. Moreover, reading provides access to culture and cultural heritage. And to clinch it all, reading is a reliable source of information. Sure!
In fact, one can safely fear that the negative trend in reading culture can eventually lead to a split in the population between those who do have access to information and those who do not. This could seriously affect participation in cultural issues and society and might eventually pose a threat to democracy and national culture. For example, how can people make carefully informed political decisions if they do not have free access to information?
It is precisely against this background that I strongly feel that there is a need to restore the reading culture in Malawi. But, how can we do this?
Firstly, reading should be part of cultural and educational policy. The government needs to encourage and sensitize people and the youth in particular on the importance of reading. This is why we applaud the government for the re-introduction of literature subjects and making them compulsory in secondary education. Perhaps, this has to extend to primary level of education. Furthermore, parents and teachers should also instill in students a real love for reading and groom them into becoming lifelong readers. Children should also have access to books, newspapers and magazines so that they may be turned into readers for life.
More resources also need to be drawn for the support of institutions which promote reading such as the National Library Service (NLS) and school libraries as it is undeniable that these institutions are in dire straits.
There is also need for public and private partnership for the promotion of reading in the country. This should be between the government, which is the major player, and booksellers, librarians, writers including publishers.
Finally, it should be noted that reading can not only be fun but that it is also a great way to spend ones leisure time apart from being valuable and enriching. Books are the key to the world. So, let’s love reading.
Admittedly, reading habits are indeed changing in Malawi. Nowadays, many Malawians are not reading for the simple reason that they do not care enough to take time to concentrate on reading. By reading here, I mean reading any kind of literature whether books, newspapers, novels, magazines or anything of this sort. Gone are the days when people could go into a bookshop and order for a book or a novel. Indeed, the number of people visiting the national libraries for the of reading has plummeted over the years. Those who read spend a smaller part of their leisure time doing so as compared to many years ago.
And for the younger generation? They are even reading less. More laughable to note is also the fact that many of them are reading for the purposes of passing examinations and not for leisure. Many of them even abandon books after they have succeeded in their studies.
The advent and proliferation of the new media such as the internet, cell phones, I-pods and I-phones, social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, MXit, has even exacerbated the problem.
Nowadays, the younger generations are busy toying with their phones for whatever purposes among them listening to music, playing games and interacting with their peers.
The dwindling reading culture can also be attributed to the fact that nowadays people lead a busy life combining work with social and cultural interests like music, television, games and other entertainments.
But, one can also safely argue that the downward trend in reading culture is also because of the fact that several institutions which are key role players in the promotion of reading such as the National Library Service (NLS) and school libraries, are nowadays swimming in financial hiccups. For example, several books available in these institutions are old and in poor conditions and therefore not inviting enough to stimulate additional reading.
However, it’s a shame that all these observations point to the fact that the downward trend in reading culture, is not because of illiteracy problems in Malawi.
The paradox is that although many people are attaining a considerable higher level of education nowadays, it hasn’t brought about an upsurge in the time spent on reading by majority of people. Very unfortunate indeed!
However, there are many benefits people can reap from mere reading. For one thing, reading adds quality to life as it makes one know a number of things. Reading also develops creative thinking by ensuring that people think and make good decisions for themselves. Unlike in movies, where everything is determined by the producer, writer and director, books allows one to create on their minds, how a particular character looks like or imagine how a scene plays out.
But this is not all.
Reading also helps one improve fluency in language and communication skills—it increases vocabulary, spelling and writing skills. Reading also emancipates citizens and brings people together. Moreover, reading provides access to culture and cultural heritage. And to clinch it all, reading is a reliable source of information. Sure!
In fact, one can safely fear that the negative trend in reading culture can eventually lead to a split in the population between those who do have access to information and those who do not. This could seriously affect participation in cultural issues and society and might eventually pose a threat to democracy and national culture. For example, how can people make carefully informed political decisions if they do not have free access to information?
It is precisely against this background that I strongly feel that there is a need to restore the reading culture in Malawi. But, how can we do this?
Firstly, reading should be part of cultural and educational policy. The government needs to encourage and sensitize people and the youth in particular on the importance of reading. This is why we applaud the government for the re-introduction of literature subjects and making them compulsory in secondary education. Perhaps, this has to extend to primary level of education. Furthermore, parents and teachers should also instill in students a real love for reading and groom them into becoming lifelong readers. Children should also have access to books, newspapers and magazines so that they may be turned into readers for life.
More resources also need to be drawn for the support of institutions which promote reading such as the National Library Service (NLS) and school libraries as it is undeniable that these institutions are in dire straits.
There is also need for public and private partnership for the promotion of reading in the country. This should be between the government, which is the major player, and booksellers, librarians, writers including publishers.
Finally, it should be noted that reading can not only be fun but that it is also a great way to spend ones leisure time apart from being valuable and enriching. Books are the key to the world. So, let’s love reading.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
A DISCUSSION OF TERRY EAGLETON’S CONCEPTUALIZATION OF CULTURE
INTRODUCTION
The history of the concept of culture is complex and tantalizingly ambiguous. Intellectuals from various fields have attempted to disentangle the manifold meanings which have become implicit in the term. These scholars have sought to find a basis for one unambiguous concept of culture that either resolves the differences between the existing meanings or replaces these with an entirely new definition of the term. Yet no satisfactory solution has evolved. In his well-known book called The Idea of Culture (2000), Terry Eagleton offered various important insights into the understanding of the concept of culture. He introduced several notions that are related and have very slight differences namely; culture, nature and civilization and highlighted the contrasts between them, more especially, between culture and nature but offered an important relationship between the two. More importantly, he linked the idea of culture to liberation. Eagleton’s work therefore, forms a rich set of reflections about culture, and its methods, and the ethics of liberation.
This essay critically discusses and responds to Terry Eagleton’s conceptualization of culture as presented in his book called “The Idea of Culture (2000).” It also outlines, some of the critical problems in the foundations of Eagleton’s view on culture, and suggests ways, in which some of his conclusions can better be improved, better supported or better applied. It is to the interest of this essay to start by defining what culture is, and then discussion shall follow before drawing the conclusion.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Eagleton (2000) starts by providing different versions of culture while setting the background. He suggests that “culture” as a word has evolved and keeps on changing its meaning with time. He then agrees with many scholars by saying culture is the way of life of a particular group of people. Culture, according to Barker (2004:7) refers to “the actual grounded terrain of practices, representations, languages and customs of any specific society and the contradictory forms of common sense which have taken root in and shape popular life.” Culture therefore is concerned with questions of shared social meanings, that is, the various ways we make sense of the world.
Looking at Eagleton’s arguments on the conceptualization of culture as presented in the aforementioned book, his arguments could be summarized into four key philosophical issues: Culture and nature, culture and liberation, culture and identity, and finally culture and civilization. On culture and nature, Eagleton gives the view that culture is both which is natural and that which is socially constructed. According to him, culture “suggests both regulation and spontaneous growth” (Eagleton, 2000:4). He further notes that it contains a tension between the making and being made (ibid). Eagleton also sees culture as a tool for liberation and autonomy. He says in the post colonial era, culture emphasizes the issue of liberation than oppression thus it refers to what is inside and outside a person rendering it difficulties in defining (Eagleton, 2000). He also says in the contemporary world, culture is seen as identity, a tool for socialization, a populist and tradition way of life characterized by quality that pervades everything and makes a person feel rooted or at home(Eagleton,2000:26). In other words, it gives people their identity.
DISCUSSION
Reaching this far, this paper finds it that it is ripe time to embark on a critical but precise discussion by providing some examples. At the outset, the biggest challenge of Eagleton’s writing has been to separate the two terms: culture and nature. According to Eagleton (2000:3), “nature produces culture which changes nature.” This is an important point of departure since it shows how the two terms are related and it also shows their inseparability. By asserting that nature produces culture which changes nature, it means that culture has got two dimensions. Culture is that which is naturally given and that which is humanly constructed.
That nature produces culture which changes nature does not need to be overemphasized here. There are several points to buttress this argument. For example, MacCormarck (1980:1) notes that “to exist as a species we must eat, copulate and meet other basic animal needs.” These things are natural in that they are necessary for all animals to live. In other words natural things are the ones people cannot do without them for example drinking, eating, elimination and sleeping. MacCormarck (1980:6) further notes that “the natural is that which is innate on our primate heritage and the cultural is that which is arbitrary and artificial.” For example, nature produces children; both male and female who procreate, eat, defecate and satisfy other survival needs (ibid). All these things come naturally from nature and form our different cultures.
On the other hand, this paper also supports the idea that culture is also socially constructed. This is so because much as there are certain things like eating, copulating and defecating which are natural, the society formulates rules and regulations which define how individuals ought to do these things in a society. For example, “societies create etiquettes of eating, the time, place and position for ejaculation”, what is moral or immoral, and all these things are cultural (MacCormarck, 1980:2). Culture therefore “is not programmed into the individual’s genetic structure but it is learned and most intensively in the early years of life” (Mead, 1994:11). It is precisely from this reason that Eagleton notes that culture is not separated from institutions which are mitochondria or powerhouses for “production, dissemination and regulation” (2000:21).
These institutions can imply political structures in society, media, educational institutions, religious institutions, family as nucleus of the society so on and so forth. For example, Ngugi wa Thiong’o argues that African schools or education teach western cultures to the Black people (Ngugi, 1986:14-15). By doing so, children acquire new meanings and values through especially language. Therefore, language is regarded as the machinery for constructing culture since language is a symbol and it is through language that people perceive and articulate their self awareness (Ngugi, 1986:13). Religious institutions also assist in constructing culture in many societies. For example, religious institutions such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism or African traditional religion, have certain values or practices that their followers follow to the letter. Each and every religion, for example, has got its dressing code, symbols and meanings. All these things are not natural but agreed upon in these religions.
The media are also not an exception as far as construction of culture is concerned. Television, for example, gives people a certain “symbolic environment—an environment that cultivates a specific world view” (Mc quail, 2002:100). For instance, some people after watching a certain western film, they try to be identified with certain actors or actresses in areas of articulation of language especially English, walking style, dressing and many more. In this case, such people acquire new ways of life that they did not have before. Eagleton (2000:6) also notes that the state “inculcate in its citizens the proper sorts of spiritual disposition.” This means that the state is another institution that helps to construct culture.
But they are not only these institutions that create culture. Society also helps in constructing culture. For example, in some Malawian tribes, they practice initiation ceremonies which are actually based on agreed premises in the society. According to them that is their culture and they cannot live without it. It is also interesting to note that even marriages are culturally constructed. It is the society which counts what should be regarded as marriage. In some areas of the world cohabitation is not regarded as marriage whilst others affirm it. One is also to find out that even some countries, Malawi for example, have created new culture of minority such as homosexuality which calls for members of the same sex to be marrying each other. This was not there in the past but it has been socially constructed.
Terry Eagleton has also linked the idea of culture to liberation and identity. On this, he says culture is a “kind of ethical pedagogy which fit us for political citizenship by liberating the ideal of collective self buried within each of us” (Eagleton, 2000:7). He also says culture embodies our common humanity and it plucks unity from diversity (ibid). This point deserves more attention. Indeed, one cannot agree more. For example, Ngugi (1986:13) notes that “language—any language has a dual character: it is both a means of communication and a carrier of culture.” It is not only language that gives people an identity but also cultural expressions such as food, music, paintings, poems, dressing and so forth. Moreover, culture also acts as a valuation concept which has a sense of approving or disapproving what is the best and what is not (Hebdige, 1993:361).In this sense, culture carries a differentiation factor between us and them which is a source of identity. It precisely from this reason that Terry Eagleton views culture as located in particular places and specific boundaries (2000:3).
However, what should be noted here, and perhaps what Eagleton losses sight of, is the fact that with the coming in of modernization which has been reinforced through globalization, the idea of culture as that which is located in particular places and boundaries, is to a large extent problematic. As Barker (2004:40) has observed, “nowadays place is socially constructed site or location in space marked by identification or emotional investment.” It is now forged globally by virtue of the movement of cultural elements from one location to another. This therefore requires the redefinition of the meaning of place. In particular, it involves the dislodging of long standing authenticity claims whereby a place is considered to be solely local, natural, true and pure (ibid). Gone are the days when cultural practices could be claimed as authentic, pure and locally bounded because culture has been contaminated by globalization. There is need to escape from a model of culture as a locally bounded ‘whole of life.’ Therefore, the processes of globalization suggest that we need to rethink our concept of culture. Culture is not best understood in terms of locations and roots but more as hybrid and creolized cultural routes in global space (ibid).
CONCLUSION
This essay has discussed Terry Eagleton’s conceptualization of culture as expressed in his book called The Idea of Culture (2000). The essay has thrown weight behind Eagleton’s idea that culture is both what is humanly constructed and naturally given. The paper has also showed how people construct what is moral and immoral according to their society’s agreed values and through various institutions such as the media, religions, education and society. Finally, it has looked at how culture gives people identity and liberation and the contemporary challenges that globalization is posing on culture. In summary, although a broad chorus of praise echoes a wide range of criticisms on Eagleton’s conceptualization of culture, it should be borne in mind that his ideas have a particular significance and provide thought-stimulating insights into the understanding and conceptualization of culture.
REFERENCES
Barker, C. (2004). Cultural studies: Theory and Practice. 2nd Ed. New Delhi. Sage Publications Inc.
Eagleton. T. (2000). The idea of Culture. Oxford: Blackwell
Hebdige, D. (1993). “From Culture to Hegemony”. In During, S. (Ed). The Cultural Studies: Reader. New York. Routledge. Pp 357-367.
MacCormarck C. and Strathern M. (1980). Nature, Culture and Gender. Cambridge University Press.
Mc Quail, D (2002). McQuail’s Reader in Mass Communication Theory. Thousand Oaks: Sage
Mead, R (1994). International Management: Cross Cultural Dimensions. Cambridge: Blackwell
Ngugi wa Thiong’o (1986). Decolonizing the Mind: Politics of Language in African
Literature. London: James Currey.
The history of the concept of culture is complex and tantalizingly ambiguous. Intellectuals from various fields have attempted to disentangle the manifold meanings which have become implicit in the term. These scholars have sought to find a basis for one unambiguous concept of culture that either resolves the differences between the existing meanings or replaces these with an entirely new definition of the term. Yet no satisfactory solution has evolved. In his well-known book called The Idea of Culture (2000), Terry Eagleton offered various important insights into the understanding of the concept of culture. He introduced several notions that are related and have very slight differences namely; culture, nature and civilization and highlighted the contrasts between them, more especially, between culture and nature but offered an important relationship between the two. More importantly, he linked the idea of culture to liberation. Eagleton’s work therefore, forms a rich set of reflections about culture, and its methods, and the ethics of liberation.
This essay critically discusses and responds to Terry Eagleton’s conceptualization of culture as presented in his book called “The Idea of Culture (2000).” It also outlines, some of the critical problems in the foundations of Eagleton’s view on culture, and suggests ways, in which some of his conclusions can better be improved, better supported or better applied. It is to the interest of this essay to start by defining what culture is, and then discussion shall follow before drawing the conclusion.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Eagleton (2000) starts by providing different versions of culture while setting the background. He suggests that “culture” as a word has evolved and keeps on changing its meaning with time. He then agrees with many scholars by saying culture is the way of life of a particular group of people. Culture, according to Barker (2004:7) refers to “the actual grounded terrain of practices, representations, languages and customs of any specific society and the contradictory forms of common sense which have taken root in and shape popular life.” Culture therefore is concerned with questions of shared social meanings, that is, the various ways we make sense of the world.
Looking at Eagleton’s arguments on the conceptualization of culture as presented in the aforementioned book, his arguments could be summarized into four key philosophical issues: Culture and nature, culture and liberation, culture and identity, and finally culture and civilization. On culture and nature, Eagleton gives the view that culture is both which is natural and that which is socially constructed. According to him, culture “suggests both regulation and spontaneous growth” (Eagleton, 2000:4). He further notes that it contains a tension between the making and being made (ibid). Eagleton also sees culture as a tool for liberation and autonomy. He says in the post colonial era, culture emphasizes the issue of liberation than oppression thus it refers to what is inside and outside a person rendering it difficulties in defining (Eagleton, 2000). He also says in the contemporary world, culture is seen as identity, a tool for socialization, a populist and tradition way of life characterized by quality that pervades everything and makes a person feel rooted or at home(Eagleton,2000:26). In other words, it gives people their identity.
DISCUSSION
Reaching this far, this paper finds it that it is ripe time to embark on a critical but precise discussion by providing some examples. At the outset, the biggest challenge of Eagleton’s writing has been to separate the two terms: culture and nature. According to Eagleton (2000:3), “nature produces culture which changes nature.” This is an important point of departure since it shows how the two terms are related and it also shows their inseparability. By asserting that nature produces culture which changes nature, it means that culture has got two dimensions. Culture is that which is naturally given and that which is humanly constructed.
That nature produces culture which changes nature does not need to be overemphasized here. There are several points to buttress this argument. For example, MacCormarck (1980:1) notes that “to exist as a species we must eat, copulate and meet other basic animal needs.” These things are natural in that they are necessary for all animals to live. In other words natural things are the ones people cannot do without them for example drinking, eating, elimination and sleeping. MacCormarck (1980:6) further notes that “the natural is that which is innate on our primate heritage and the cultural is that which is arbitrary and artificial.” For example, nature produces children; both male and female who procreate, eat, defecate and satisfy other survival needs (ibid). All these things come naturally from nature and form our different cultures.
On the other hand, this paper also supports the idea that culture is also socially constructed. This is so because much as there are certain things like eating, copulating and defecating which are natural, the society formulates rules and regulations which define how individuals ought to do these things in a society. For example, “societies create etiquettes of eating, the time, place and position for ejaculation”, what is moral or immoral, and all these things are cultural (MacCormarck, 1980:2). Culture therefore “is not programmed into the individual’s genetic structure but it is learned and most intensively in the early years of life” (Mead, 1994:11). It is precisely from this reason that Eagleton notes that culture is not separated from institutions which are mitochondria or powerhouses for “production, dissemination and regulation” (2000:21).
These institutions can imply political structures in society, media, educational institutions, religious institutions, family as nucleus of the society so on and so forth. For example, Ngugi wa Thiong’o argues that African schools or education teach western cultures to the Black people (Ngugi, 1986:14-15). By doing so, children acquire new meanings and values through especially language. Therefore, language is regarded as the machinery for constructing culture since language is a symbol and it is through language that people perceive and articulate their self awareness (Ngugi, 1986:13). Religious institutions also assist in constructing culture in many societies. For example, religious institutions such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism or African traditional religion, have certain values or practices that their followers follow to the letter. Each and every religion, for example, has got its dressing code, symbols and meanings. All these things are not natural but agreed upon in these religions.
The media are also not an exception as far as construction of culture is concerned. Television, for example, gives people a certain “symbolic environment—an environment that cultivates a specific world view” (Mc quail, 2002:100). For instance, some people after watching a certain western film, they try to be identified with certain actors or actresses in areas of articulation of language especially English, walking style, dressing and many more. In this case, such people acquire new ways of life that they did not have before. Eagleton (2000:6) also notes that the state “inculcate in its citizens the proper sorts of spiritual disposition.” This means that the state is another institution that helps to construct culture.
But they are not only these institutions that create culture. Society also helps in constructing culture. For example, in some Malawian tribes, they practice initiation ceremonies which are actually based on agreed premises in the society. According to them that is their culture and they cannot live without it. It is also interesting to note that even marriages are culturally constructed. It is the society which counts what should be regarded as marriage. In some areas of the world cohabitation is not regarded as marriage whilst others affirm it. One is also to find out that even some countries, Malawi for example, have created new culture of minority such as homosexuality which calls for members of the same sex to be marrying each other. This was not there in the past but it has been socially constructed.
Terry Eagleton has also linked the idea of culture to liberation and identity. On this, he says culture is a “kind of ethical pedagogy which fit us for political citizenship by liberating the ideal of collective self buried within each of us” (Eagleton, 2000:7). He also says culture embodies our common humanity and it plucks unity from diversity (ibid). This point deserves more attention. Indeed, one cannot agree more. For example, Ngugi (1986:13) notes that “language—any language has a dual character: it is both a means of communication and a carrier of culture.” It is not only language that gives people an identity but also cultural expressions such as food, music, paintings, poems, dressing and so forth. Moreover, culture also acts as a valuation concept which has a sense of approving or disapproving what is the best and what is not (Hebdige, 1993:361).In this sense, culture carries a differentiation factor between us and them which is a source of identity. It precisely from this reason that Terry Eagleton views culture as located in particular places and specific boundaries (2000:3).
However, what should be noted here, and perhaps what Eagleton losses sight of, is the fact that with the coming in of modernization which has been reinforced through globalization, the idea of culture as that which is located in particular places and boundaries, is to a large extent problematic. As Barker (2004:40) has observed, “nowadays place is socially constructed site or location in space marked by identification or emotional investment.” It is now forged globally by virtue of the movement of cultural elements from one location to another. This therefore requires the redefinition of the meaning of place. In particular, it involves the dislodging of long standing authenticity claims whereby a place is considered to be solely local, natural, true and pure (ibid). Gone are the days when cultural practices could be claimed as authentic, pure and locally bounded because culture has been contaminated by globalization. There is need to escape from a model of culture as a locally bounded ‘whole of life.’ Therefore, the processes of globalization suggest that we need to rethink our concept of culture. Culture is not best understood in terms of locations and roots but more as hybrid and creolized cultural routes in global space (ibid).
CONCLUSION
This essay has discussed Terry Eagleton’s conceptualization of culture as expressed in his book called The Idea of Culture (2000). The essay has thrown weight behind Eagleton’s idea that culture is both what is humanly constructed and naturally given. The paper has also showed how people construct what is moral and immoral according to their society’s agreed values and through various institutions such as the media, religions, education and society. Finally, it has looked at how culture gives people identity and liberation and the contemporary challenges that globalization is posing on culture. In summary, although a broad chorus of praise echoes a wide range of criticisms on Eagleton’s conceptualization of culture, it should be borne in mind that his ideas have a particular significance and provide thought-stimulating insights into the understanding and conceptualization of culture.
REFERENCES
Barker, C. (2004). Cultural studies: Theory and Practice. 2nd Ed. New Delhi. Sage Publications Inc.
Eagleton. T. (2000). The idea of Culture. Oxford: Blackwell
Hebdige, D. (1993). “From Culture to Hegemony”. In During, S. (Ed). The Cultural Studies: Reader. New York. Routledge. Pp 357-367.
MacCormarck C. and Strathern M. (1980). Nature, Culture and Gender. Cambridge University Press.
Mc Quail, D (2002). McQuail’s Reader in Mass Communication Theory. Thousand Oaks: Sage
Mead, R (1994). International Management: Cross Cultural Dimensions. Cambridge: Blackwell
Ngugi wa Thiong’o (1986). Decolonizing the Mind: Politics of Language in African
Literature. London: James Currey.
RESPONDING TO MARC RABOY’S DISCUSSION OF PROSPECTIVES OF PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING (PSB)
Marc Raboy, in his book called “Public Service Broadcasting for the 21st Century,” offered an important exploration on the prospectives of public service broadcasting (PSB). He presented several enlightening arguments about the challenges that have dogged public service broadcasting since time immemorial, some which are still the cause of much debate in and around the world. More importantly, he provided several suggestions that could help redefine the concept of PSB in many countries including Malawi.
The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to respond, in a critical way, to Raboy’s arguments on the prospectives of public service broadcasting. In its analysis, this paper shall use the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and Television Malawi (TVM) as case studies. Of particular interest to note, for the purposes of this discussion, is that this paper shall accomplish this discussion by responding to Raboy’s arguments from a political economy perspective. It is to the interest of this essay to start by defining what public service broadcasting is, and then a discussion shall follow before drawing the conclusion.
Mpofu (1996:6) notes that “different definitions of PSB exits and the definition of PSB lacks precision, marked by a certain absence of clarity.” However, public service broadcasting has been defined as any broadcasting system whose first duty is to a public within a democracy, serving to inform, educate and entertain, and not serving to fulfill the requirements of commercial interests (Watson and Hill, 1989:142 quoted in Fourie 2001:119). In other words, this broadcasting is supposed to be impartial in serving the welfare of the people without discriminating any group in the country. According to Fourie (2001:119) it is asserted that British broadcasting served as a model for the establishment and functioning of public broadcasting in almost all the rest of world in general and Malawi in particular. Furthermore, there are a number of principles of this broadcasting and some are: universality, provision of minorities especially for the disadvantaged by physical or social circumstances, encourages competition in good programming rather competition for audience numbers and liberates rather than restricts programme-makers (Tracey, 1998:26-27 cited in Fourie, 2001:120). It has been agreed that public broadcasters can enhance governance and development by achieving national reach, providing quality programs and journalism, articulating diversity views and promoting broad public debates (Buckeley, et al 2007:38 cited in Fourie, 2001:121).
However, it is important to note that PSB is undergoing major metamorphoses, which is as a result of a number of factors mainly those concerning the political and economic trends such as concentration, legitimacy, commercialization, liberalization, privatization amongst the others (Fourie, 2001:119). There is also a great concern that these economic trends are leading to decline of PSB. It is precisely from this reason that Raboy was prompted to make a discussion on the prospectives of PSB.
The first argument that Raboy makes is that PSB should be de-linked from both political authority of the state and the economic arbitrage of the market since PSB are linked to the notion of citizenship (Raboy, 2000:4). This is a very good proposition. Indeed any definition of a public service broadcaster should be underscored by the need for independence from the paymaster—whoever is it. However this is very difficult in practice. In fact, it is a far-fetched idea in many counties where democracy is in embryonic stage and even in countries where democracy has taken deep roots. The history of public broadcasting since time immemorial is one of constant political interference from ruling parties and media owners (Mpofu, 1996:12). This is so because politicians, from a political economic perspective, have got vested interests in the public broadcasters since they use them to advance their different ideologies. In Malawi, for example, the public broadcasters are in the hands of the ruling government of day and they try as much as possible to use it for their survival since they have that financial muscle to control them. Furthermore, to propose that PSBs should be de-linked from economic arbitrage of the market since they are linked to the notion of citizenship is also somewhat confusing. Conceptualization of a public as a citizen also requires a view that the same citizens are consumers. This means that the content of any media is sold as a commodity to the consumers who are also citizens (Mc Quail, 2002:10).
Perhaps it is because of this reason that Raboy makes another proposition that “public broadcasters should be allowed to engage in commercially lucrative activities--without being obliged to compete with their own programmes in order to make ends meet” (Raboy). He says due to multi channel environment, PSB should encompass both consumer choice and citizenship programmes. This is very true because in this day and age, no broadcasting unit can function without the power of commercials. In Malawi, for example, when parliament gave the two public broadcasters K1 each, they relied heavily on commercial advertising for their survival.
Raboy also says for public broadcasters to function effectively, there is need for a clear broadcasting policy. He says this can be done “by placing responsibility for the regulation and supervision of broadcasting in the hands of an independent public body.” Indeed, without a clear broadcasting policy, public broadcasting is always in shambles—a case in point being Malawi. The broadcasting policy in Malawi leaves much room to be desired and this has led the two public broadcasters to be used as political pawns. For example, both the Communication Sector Policy Statement and the Communications Act of 1998 are not clear and have so many loopholes to be abused by the state (Manda, 2007:259). In addition, MACRA has failed in its responsibilities because it has not enforced the law against the MBC when the latter has failed to provide impartial broadcasting as required by its public service broadcasting obligations. This may be because MACRA itself is as vulnerable to political interference as is the MBC, since its board of directors and director general are appointed by the executive branch of Government thanks to the loopholes that are in the Communications Act.
Another argument that Raboy puts forward is that of decentralization of public service broadcasting. He says PSB should be decentralized at community, regional other that at centrally national level. This, he says, is important because PSBs tend to abandon local and regional needs as they concentrate around high-profile prestigious services. One cannot agree more. In fact, this is in practice in many countries in the world except Malawi. According to Manyozo and Mwale (2009:3), “decentralization of PSBs into regional broadcasters helps the broadcasters to know and understand cultural, linguistic, economic and political background of the areas. This is important for broadcasting since it allows the audience to share the meanings of broadcasting with the broadcasters.
Perhaps the biggest challenge in Raboy’s writing is to separate public service broadcasting and private broadcasting nowadays since, as he says, private broadcasting, today, also fulfill public service goals. And more interestingly, he says, nowadays, PSBs have integrated objectives of private broadcasting. To this, he proposes that all broadcasting, regardless of being public or private should be considered in a public service framework comprising of different elements each with specific structural arrangements and purposes. However, what Raboy looses sight of is the fact that much as PSB looks to have integrated much with the objectives of private broadcasting, a private broadcaster cannot fulfill to a greater extent the goals of a PSB but they can complement each other. It is a crude fact that PSB is policy driven whilst private broadcasting is profit oriented—and these are two different motives altogether, period. When a PSB has been faced with the dilemma of identity crisis, it may begin to loose touch with the mass of the population to whom it is accountable for funding. (Mpofu, 1996:9).
In conclusion, this essay has looked at and responded to some of Marc Raboy’s arguments on the prospectives of public service broadcasting as presented in the book he edited called Public Broadcasting for the 21st Century. The assertion that this essay makes here is that Marc Raboy’s arguments on the prospectives of public service broadcasting are relevant to the understanding and application of public service broadcasting around the world.
REFERENCES
Fourie, P. (2001). “Characteristics, Trends and the Political Economy of the media,” in P. Fourie, (Ed.). Media Studies: institutions, Theories and issues, Lansdowne, Juta Education.
Fourie, P. (2001). Media Studies: institutions, Theories and issues, Lansdowne, Juta Education
Malawi Communications Act, 1998.
Malawi Communications Sector Policy Statement, 1998
Manda, L.Z (2007). Media in Patel, N and Lsvasand, B, Government and Politics in Malawi. Zomba: Kachere Book Series
Manyozo, L.P and Mwale, P. (2009). Reforming Malawi’s Public Service Broadcasters. Retrieved on Nyasa Times.
McQuail, D. (2002). McQuail’s Reader in Mass Communication Theory. Thousand Oaks: Sage
Mpofu, A, (1996). The Role of the Public Broadcaster in a future South Africa Broadcasting Policy Research; The Framework Project in Mpofu, A, Manhando, S and Tomaselli, K, Public Service Broadcasting: Policy Directions Towards 2000.Johannesburg: Anthropos Publishers
Raboy, M. Public Broadcasting for the 21st Century. John Dibbey Publishers
The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to respond, in a critical way, to Raboy’s arguments on the prospectives of public service broadcasting. In its analysis, this paper shall use the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and Television Malawi (TVM) as case studies. Of particular interest to note, for the purposes of this discussion, is that this paper shall accomplish this discussion by responding to Raboy’s arguments from a political economy perspective. It is to the interest of this essay to start by defining what public service broadcasting is, and then a discussion shall follow before drawing the conclusion.
Mpofu (1996:6) notes that “different definitions of PSB exits and the definition of PSB lacks precision, marked by a certain absence of clarity.” However, public service broadcasting has been defined as any broadcasting system whose first duty is to a public within a democracy, serving to inform, educate and entertain, and not serving to fulfill the requirements of commercial interests (Watson and Hill, 1989:142 quoted in Fourie 2001:119). In other words, this broadcasting is supposed to be impartial in serving the welfare of the people without discriminating any group in the country. According to Fourie (2001:119) it is asserted that British broadcasting served as a model for the establishment and functioning of public broadcasting in almost all the rest of world in general and Malawi in particular. Furthermore, there are a number of principles of this broadcasting and some are: universality, provision of minorities especially for the disadvantaged by physical or social circumstances, encourages competition in good programming rather competition for audience numbers and liberates rather than restricts programme-makers (Tracey, 1998:26-27 cited in Fourie, 2001:120). It has been agreed that public broadcasters can enhance governance and development by achieving national reach, providing quality programs and journalism, articulating diversity views and promoting broad public debates (Buckeley, et al 2007:38 cited in Fourie, 2001:121).
However, it is important to note that PSB is undergoing major metamorphoses, which is as a result of a number of factors mainly those concerning the political and economic trends such as concentration, legitimacy, commercialization, liberalization, privatization amongst the others (Fourie, 2001:119). There is also a great concern that these economic trends are leading to decline of PSB. It is precisely from this reason that Raboy was prompted to make a discussion on the prospectives of PSB.
The first argument that Raboy makes is that PSB should be de-linked from both political authority of the state and the economic arbitrage of the market since PSB are linked to the notion of citizenship (Raboy, 2000:4). This is a very good proposition. Indeed any definition of a public service broadcaster should be underscored by the need for independence from the paymaster—whoever is it. However this is very difficult in practice. In fact, it is a far-fetched idea in many counties where democracy is in embryonic stage and even in countries where democracy has taken deep roots. The history of public broadcasting since time immemorial is one of constant political interference from ruling parties and media owners (Mpofu, 1996:12). This is so because politicians, from a political economic perspective, have got vested interests in the public broadcasters since they use them to advance their different ideologies. In Malawi, for example, the public broadcasters are in the hands of the ruling government of day and they try as much as possible to use it for their survival since they have that financial muscle to control them. Furthermore, to propose that PSBs should be de-linked from economic arbitrage of the market since they are linked to the notion of citizenship is also somewhat confusing. Conceptualization of a public as a citizen also requires a view that the same citizens are consumers. This means that the content of any media is sold as a commodity to the consumers who are also citizens (Mc Quail, 2002:10).
Perhaps it is because of this reason that Raboy makes another proposition that “public broadcasters should be allowed to engage in commercially lucrative activities--without being obliged to compete with their own programmes in order to make ends meet” (Raboy). He says due to multi channel environment, PSB should encompass both consumer choice and citizenship programmes. This is very true because in this day and age, no broadcasting unit can function without the power of commercials. In Malawi, for example, when parliament gave the two public broadcasters K1 each, they relied heavily on commercial advertising for their survival.
Raboy also says for public broadcasters to function effectively, there is need for a clear broadcasting policy. He says this can be done “by placing responsibility for the regulation and supervision of broadcasting in the hands of an independent public body.” Indeed, without a clear broadcasting policy, public broadcasting is always in shambles—a case in point being Malawi. The broadcasting policy in Malawi leaves much room to be desired and this has led the two public broadcasters to be used as political pawns. For example, both the Communication Sector Policy Statement and the Communications Act of 1998 are not clear and have so many loopholes to be abused by the state (Manda, 2007:259). In addition, MACRA has failed in its responsibilities because it has not enforced the law against the MBC when the latter has failed to provide impartial broadcasting as required by its public service broadcasting obligations. This may be because MACRA itself is as vulnerable to political interference as is the MBC, since its board of directors and director general are appointed by the executive branch of Government thanks to the loopholes that are in the Communications Act.
Another argument that Raboy puts forward is that of decentralization of public service broadcasting. He says PSB should be decentralized at community, regional other that at centrally national level. This, he says, is important because PSBs tend to abandon local and regional needs as they concentrate around high-profile prestigious services. One cannot agree more. In fact, this is in practice in many countries in the world except Malawi. According to Manyozo and Mwale (2009:3), “decentralization of PSBs into regional broadcasters helps the broadcasters to know and understand cultural, linguistic, economic and political background of the areas. This is important for broadcasting since it allows the audience to share the meanings of broadcasting with the broadcasters.
Perhaps the biggest challenge in Raboy’s writing is to separate public service broadcasting and private broadcasting nowadays since, as he says, private broadcasting, today, also fulfill public service goals. And more interestingly, he says, nowadays, PSBs have integrated objectives of private broadcasting. To this, he proposes that all broadcasting, regardless of being public or private should be considered in a public service framework comprising of different elements each with specific structural arrangements and purposes. However, what Raboy looses sight of is the fact that much as PSB looks to have integrated much with the objectives of private broadcasting, a private broadcaster cannot fulfill to a greater extent the goals of a PSB but they can complement each other. It is a crude fact that PSB is policy driven whilst private broadcasting is profit oriented—and these are two different motives altogether, period. When a PSB has been faced with the dilemma of identity crisis, it may begin to loose touch with the mass of the population to whom it is accountable for funding. (Mpofu, 1996:9).
In conclusion, this essay has looked at and responded to some of Marc Raboy’s arguments on the prospectives of public service broadcasting as presented in the book he edited called Public Broadcasting for the 21st Century. The assertion that this essay makes here is that Marc Raboy’s arguments on the prospectives of public service broadcasting are relevant to the understanding and application of public service broadcasting around the world.
REFERENCES
Fourie, P. (2001). “Characteristics, Trends and the Political Economy of the media,” in P. Fourie, (Ed.). Media Studies: institutions, Theories and issues, Lansdowne, Juta Education.
Fourie, P. (2001). Media Studies: institutions, Theories and issues, Lansdowne, Juta Education
Malawi Communications Act, 1998.
Malawi Communications Sector Policy Statement, 1998
Manda, L.Z (2007). Media in Patel, N and Lsvasand, B, Government and Politics in Malawi. Zomba: Kachere Book Series
Manyozo, L.P and Mwale, P. (2009). Reforming Malawi’s Public Service Broadcasters. Retrieved on Nyasa Times.
McQuail, D. (2002). McQuail’s Reader in Mass Communication Theory. Thousand Oaks: Sage
Mpofu, A, (1996). The Role of the Public Broadcaster in a future South Africa Broadcasting Policy Research; The Framework Project in Mpofu, A, Manhando, S and Tomaselli, K, Public Service Broadcasting: Policy Directions Towards 2000.Johannesburg: Anthropos Publishers
Raboy, M. Public Broadcasting for the 21st Century. John Dibbey Publishers
Bail Out Nursing Students!
Events that have surrounded the admission of students into their respective Christian Health Association of Malawi (CHAM) nursing colleges and Malawi College of Health Sciences are deplorable, disheartening, and at worst bloodcurdling.
As a background, it all started when the media broke the news that the government was no longer interested in funding the training of these students in Malawi. No sooner did these reports fly, than we heard that these institutions had hiked their fees from K210, 000 to K310, 000 per year. What this meant was that each student was mandated to dig deeper into their pockets for one to be admitted into these institutions. Then the directive was extended to those studying various health courses at the state-run Malawi College of Health Sciences. The result? We gather, only 15 per cent of these students have managed to pay the minimum installment for the first term. But this is not all, for this decision has far-reaching ramifications for this country.
For a country like Malawi, grappling amidst many development challenges, many of them in the health sector, one cannot help but offer a clarion call for the reversal of this back peddling decision by government. For instance, diseases such as Tuberculosis, Malaria, and HIV/AIDS are still decimating a lot of Malawian lives. The HIV prevalence rate, we are told, is hovering somewhere around 12 per cent, Malaria claims many a Malawian child life a day and maternal mortality rate is still in skyscraping percentage. Surely, these nurses are much needed in our hospitals and the training of one nurse can go a long way in reducing some of these challenges that have dogged the health statuses of many Malawians.
Of even more laughable to note is the fact that Malawi has already an acute shortage of health personnel. Doctors, we hear, time and again migrate to western countries for greener pastures after they have graduated from our single training institution for doctors—the University of Malawi’s College of Medicine which has a single campus in Blantyre. Nurses, as far as migration to foreign countries is concerned, have not been spared either.
I surely find the argument that government does not have monies in its coffers to fund these students not to be plausible. One might be tempted to wonder: why of all cost-cutting measures could government decide to cease the training of nurses from these institutions?
One Godfrey Kamanya, Member of Parliament for Lilongwe Msozi North, sent me in stitches when he reasoned with government to find monies of funding these students by putting levies on fuel, beer and cigarettes. Surely, Kamanya wanted to sympathize with these students—and it is in order. But, I strongly feel that putting more levies on products like beer and cigarettes let alone on fuel might not be the best solution. One does not need to be an economist to know that by putting a levy on fuel, it will obviously lead to the escalation of prices for many products and services. Furthermore, as already argued by a certain writer that Malawians are already overtaxed and putting more levies on Malawians will be like straining their pockets.
The government needs to find other means of sourcing money for the training of these students other than putting more taxes on Malawians. For instance, the government might source the monies by asking for donors to intervene in this predicament. I think it is not in order to execute desperate measures of sourcing money when as a country; we haven’t even exhausted all the means of solving this problem.
Malawians who also evade the already existing taxes that the government put in place should also know that the taxes that they run away from go a long way in helping government execute various functions and responsibilities. This, being a case in point. The government has for a long time bemoaned the tendency of some people who evade tax by thinking that the government is overburdening them. This surely has to stop.
However, when all is said and done, impoverished CHAM and MCHS students need to go back to school and the government needs to play a leading role in ensuring that they are back to their respective school premises.
As a background, it all started when the media broke the news that the government was no longer interested in funding the training of these students in Malawi. No sooner did these reports fly, than we heard that these institutions had hiked their fees from K210, 000 to K310, 000 per year. What this meant was that each student was mandated to dig deeper into their pockets for one to be admitted into these institutions. Then the directive was extended to those studying various health courses at the state-run Malawi College of Health Sciences. The result? We gather, only 15 per cent of these students have managed to pay the minimum installment for the first term. But this is not all, for this decision has far-reaching ramifications for this country.
For a country like Malawi, grappling amidst many development challenges, many of them in the health sector, one cannot help but offer a clarion call for the reversal of this back peddling decision by government. For instance, diseases such as Tuberculosis, Malaria, and HIV/AIDS are still decimating a lot of Malawian lives. The HIV prevalence rate, we are told, is hovering somewhere around 12 per cent, Malaria claims many a Malawian child life a day and maternal mortality rate is still in skyscraping percentage. Surely, these nurses are much needed in our hospitals and the training of one nurse can go a long way in reducing some of these challenges that have dogged the health statuses of many Malawians.
Of even more laughable to note is the fact that Malawi has already an acute shortage of health personnel. Doctors, we hear, time and again migrate to western countries for greener pastures after they have graduated from our single training institution for doctors—the University of Malawi’s College of Medicine which has a single campus in Blantyre. Nurses, as far as migration to foreign countries is concerned, have not been spared either.
I surely find the argument that government does not have monies in its coffers to fund these students not to be plausible. One might be tempted to wonder: why of all cost-cutting measures could government decide to cease the training of nurses from these institutions?
One Godfrey Kamanya, Member of Parliament for Lilongwe Msozi North, sent me in stitches when he reasoned with government to find monies of funding these students by putting levies on fuel, beer and cigarettes. Surely, Kamanya wanted to sympathize with these students—and it is in order. But, I strongly feel that putting more levies on products like beer and cigarettes let alone on fuel might not be the best solution. One does not need to be an economist to know that by putting a levy on fuel, it will obviously lead to the escalation of prices for many products and services. Furthermore, as already argued by a certain writer that Malawians are already overtaxed and putting more levies on Malawians will be like straining their pockets.
The government needs to find other means of sourcing money for the training of these students other than putting more taxes on Malawians. For instance, the government might source the monies by asking for donors to intervene in this predicament. I think it is not in order to execute desperate measures of sourcing money when as a country; we haven’t even exhausted all the means of solving this problem.
Malawians who also evade the already existing taxes that the government put in place should also know that the taxes that they run away from go a long way in helping government execute various functions and responsibilities. This, being a case in point. The government has for a long time bemoaned the tendency of some people who evade tax by thinking that the government is overburdening them. This surely has to stop.
However, when all is said and done, impoverished CHAM and MCHS students need to go back to school and the government needs to play a leading role in ensuring that they are back to their respective school premises.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
The Role of Malawian Media in Fighting Climate Change
The role of the media in society cannot be overstated. Apart from their role in examining government actions and holding policy makers to account, the media are the main source of information on critical issues for the general public and climate change is one of them. Given the immense importance of the issues at stake for people and planet, this is the role that carries great responsibility. It is against this background that I am writing a thesis on the role of media in Malawi in fighting climate change.
Since many of these issues that concern the environment in general and climate change in particular are enormously complex and scientifically difficult to communicate, this study, therefore, seeks to provide perhaps one of the first analyses of media coverage of climate change in Malawi. In general terms, the study focuses on the framing of climate change and the sources of such frames in the Malawian media, specifically in newspapers. Specifically, it aims at assessing critically the extent to which the print media in Malawi have covered and framed the issue of climate change and how have they (the print media) assisted people understand this bloodcurdling issue.
From an analytical perspective, Malawi– as a developing country – is an ideal scenario to study climate change policy. This is because of the paradoxical context in which the country is situated, being one of the most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, but also a country with an economy highly dependent on its natural resources and agriculture. Since the study will take a qualitative and analytical approach, it will draw heavily on desk research which involves a review of articles from the Malawi’s major newspapers namely The Nation, Daily Times, Weekend Nation, Malawi News, Sunday Times and Nation on Sunday of between January and June 2009.
SPECIFIC OBECTIVES
Specifically, the study aims at achieving the following objectives:
• Finding out if Malawians have been properly conscientized about the environment in general and climate change issues, problems and solutions in particular by the print media in Malawi.
• To analyze the content, style, language, pictures/illustrations used by the print media in Malawi.
• To make recommendations on how best information on climate change can be communicated to people in Malawi through the print media.
So I need different kinds of views from the general public. To what extent do you think and feel the Malawian media have assisted people understand the issue of climate change? Where do you think they have fallen short of and where do they need to polish up and focus on? Please forward the feedback to madise07@yahoo.com or marshalmadise@gmail.com or call me on +265995361882.
Since many of these issues that concern the environment in general and climate change in particular are enormously complex and scientifically difficult to communicate, this study, therefore, seeks to provide perhaps one of the first analyses of media coverage of climate change in Malawi. In general terms, the study focuses on the framing of climate change and the sources of such frames in the Malawian media, specifically in newspapers. Specifically, it aims at assessing critically the extent to which the print media in Malawi have covered and framed the issue of climate change and how have they (the print media) assisted people understand this bloodcurdling issue.
From an analytical perspective, Malawi– as a developing country – is an ideal scenario to study climate change policy. This is because of the paradoxical context in which the country is situated, being one of the most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, but also a country with an economy highly dependent on its natural resources and agriculture. Since the study will take a qualitative and analytical approach, it will draw heavily on desk research which involves a review of articles from the Malawi’s major newspapers namely The Nation, Daily Times, Weekend Nation, Malawi News, Sunday Times and Nation on Sunday of between January and June 2009.
SPECIFIC OBECTIVES
Specifically, the study aims at achieving the following objectives:
• Finding out if Malawians have been properly conscientized about the environment in general and climate change issues, problems and solutions in particular by the print media in Malawi.
• To analyze the content, style, language, pictures/illustrations used by the print media in Malawi.
• To make recommendations on how best information on climate change can be communicated to people in Malawi through the print media.
So I need different kinds of views from the general public. To what extent do you think and feel the Malawian media have assisted people understand the issue of climate change? Where do you think they have fallen short of and where do they need to polish up and focus on? Please forward the feedback to madise07@yahoo.com or marshalmadise@gmail.com or call me on +265995361882.
Chanco Students Plan to Oust Registrar
University of Malawi’s Chancellor College students are planning to remove their Registrar for Social Welfare, Mr. Elius G. Chizimba, citing failure by him to handle students’ welfare properly as a major reason behind the plot.
According to a memo, sourced by this reporter, which circulated on Monday around Chirunga campus, as it is popularly known, and signed by some very concerned students, Mr. Chizimba is being accused of mishandling of transport, accommodation, and sports issues for the students. The highly-emotively charged memo further says the registrar has failed to consult students on critical issues as he has made unilateral decisions on many important issues that have affected the student’s body.
President-elect for Students Union of Chancellor College (SUCC), Lonjezo Sithole, confirmed this development in an exclusive interview with this reporter.
“It’s indeed true that some students are planning to remove Mr. Chizimba, from the office of Registrar for Social Welfare following the memo that circulated on Monday around the campus,” he said.
“But this issue hasn’t come to my office yet for the practice here is that if students have got grievances, they have to call for a general assembly so that the whole student body should agree on the course of action to take,” he added.
Quizzed on whether he supports this motion or not, Sithole said as a union’s president, he will follow what the students will agree in the general assembly.
Dean of Students for Chancellor College, Ms Jubilee Tizifa, was not immediately available for comment.
But a fourth year student, who spoke on strict condition of anonymity, observed that it was indeed high time that the registrar was booted out of office.
“Mr. Chizimba has taken us for granted for quite some time. Imagine, he has banned the Sports Complex Bar from showing football matches while other students televisions are down and have not been repaired,” he lamented.
“He hasn’t given us our Chancellor Trophy medals that we won last year up to now. An encounter with him in office is a nightmare, he shouts for no apparent reason. And recently he has started walking around with a camera photographing students without permission for whatever use. In fact, the list goes on and on,” he added.
“Mr. Chizimba has been tried and found wanting. We cannot continue watching him, fellow intellectuals, corrupting our intellectualism. There is but one thing that ought to be done to him if we are to regain our pride…we all know that thing: Mr. Chizimba must be shown the exit door through any means imaginable and possible” reads part of the memo.
According to a memo, sourced by this reporter, which circulated on Monday around Chirunga campus, as it is popularly known, and signed by some very concerned students, Mr. Chizimba is being accused of mishandling of transport, accommodation, and sports issues for the students. The highly-emotively charged memo further says the registrar has failed to consult students on critical issues as he has made unilateral decisions on many important issues that have affected the student’s body.
President-elect for Students Union of Chancellor College (SUCC), Lonjezo Sithole, confirmed this development in an exclusive interview with this reporter.
“It’s indeed true that some students are planning to remove Mr. Chizimba, from the office of Registrar for Social Welfare following the memo that circulated on Monday around the campus,” he said.
“But this issue hasn’t come to my office yet for the practice here is that if students have got grievances, they have to call for a general assembly so that the whole student body should agree on the course of action to take,” he added.
Quizzed on whether he supports this motion or not, Sithole said as a union’s president, he will follow what the students will agree in the general assembly.
Dean of Students for Chancellor College, Ms Jubilee Tizifa, was not immediately available for comment.
But a fourth year student, who spoke on strict condition of anonymity, observed that it was indeed high time that the registrar was booted out of office.
“Mr. Chizimba has taken us for granted for quite some time. Imagine, he has banned the Sports Complex Bar from showing football matches while other students televisions are down and have not been repaired,” he lamented.
“He hasn’t given us our Chancellor Trophy medals that we won last year up to now. An encounter with him in office is a nightmare, he shouts for no apparent reason. And recently he has started walking around with a camera photographing students without permission for whatever use. In fact, the list goes on and on,” he added.
“Mr. Chizimba has been tried and found wanting. We cannot continue watching him, fellow intellectuals, corrupting our intellectualism. There is but one thing that ought to be done to him if we are to regain our pride…we all know that thing: Mr. Chizimba must be shown the exit door through any means imaginable and possible” reads part of the memo.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Give Us a break, Government
Recent media reports that government would like to introduce many bills among them the Marriage, Divorce and Family Relations Bill and the HIV and AIDS Bill need to be welcomed with caution tinged with critical thoughts.
The highlight of the former bill, we gather, is to criminalize polygamy in this country whilst that of the later proposes that there should be mandatory HIV tests for expectant women and their spouses, sex workers, recruits for the army, police and immigration, and polygamous unions among others. According to this bill, those who fail to take these mandatory tests will face the wrath of the law—which is a five-year jail term or a fine.
While the government intention is to reduce the spread of HIV in the country, which is an innocent ambition, a sober look at these bills will greatly help and government has to tread carefully.
For one thing, if government introduces these mandatory HIV tests, it will be like trampling on people’s rights and furthermore, it will be like a contradiction to some of the government laws such as labour laws. For example, forcing army officers, the police and immigration workers, for crying out loud, will be discrimination at work place. And what benefit will the test on these officers bring if one may ask?
Furthermore, the HIV and AIDS Bill will bring a lot of confusion in this country. As per proposed in this bill, people will be required to disclose their statuses before they engage in sex and if someone has infected another person deliberately with the virus, he/she will be incarcerated. Well, well, well, how will a person exactly pinpoint that this or that person infected me with the virus? And how will the courts prove this beyond reasonable doubt? This will just make the country’s judiciary to be flooded with too many cases that will delay judicial dispensation in this country. And does this bill intend to make people who have the virus not to enjoy their conjugal rights? Isn’t this stigma and discrimination of people living the virus?
And on banning polygamy? I think the government has now gone too far. What the government should know is that Malawi is a multi cultural multi-lingual and a multi-religious country. Therefore, formulating laws that are in favour of one group of people makes others feel out of place. Already, those religions that support polygamy like the Muslim community and those cultures that tolerate it like the Ngoni people, see that this bill is targeting them.
Furthermore, this bill will be in total contradiction with the freedom of association and worship that are enshrined in the country’s constitution.
The last time I also checked the country’s statistics, they registered that women make up 52 per cent of Malawi’s total population against 48 per cent of men. This means that women are in large numbers than men. And where will other women go if government criminalizes polygamy? Ask these women, every woman would like to be loved by a man. Will this not make the other women start prostitution? Or does the government want women to be marrying their fellow women? Won’t this promote homosexuality that government, our culture and religious bodies loathe? And, if truth be told, women enter into polygamy on their will and no one forces them to do so.
So what am I saying? Formulating policies and changing laws for the fun of it will just put this country into division and disturbance. Already, the government has introduced the quota system as procedure of selecting students into the country’s public universities, under the guise of equitable sharing of resources, which some quarters of the society like the northerners have expressed misgivings.
Then we hear government would like to change the innocent national flag. As this is not pleasing enough, last year we saw the passing of the Police Bill which gives powers to the police service to conduct a search without warrant and the Local Government Bill which saw the president acquiring powers to decide the date for the local government polls which up to now we don’t know whether they will be conducted or not. We also gather that the government intends to come up with the Sex Workers Bill that will allow commercial sex workers do their business in their homes. We are also hearing, from the media, that the government would also like to formulate a policy to regulate child bearing in Malawian families. We wonder now, what is next?
Much as some of these measures are intended to bring sanity in this country, I think they are being fast-tracked and being implemented without wider consultations with people. Let the government consult with all stakeholders and engage people in a debate first before formulating some of these bills.
The highlight of the former bill, we gather, is to criminalize polygamy in this country whilst that of the later proposes that there should be mandatory HIV tests for expectant women and their spouses, sex workers, recruits for the army, police and immigration, and polygamous unions among others. According to this bill, those who fail to take these mandatory tests will face the wrath of the law—which is a five-year jail term or a fine.
While the government intention is to reduce the spread of HIV in the country, which is an innocent ambition, a sober look at these bills will greatly help and government has to tread carefully.
For one thing, if government introduces these mandatory HIV tests, it will be like trampling on people’s rights and furthermore, it will be like a contradiction to some of the government laws such as labour laws. For example, forcing army officers, the police and immigration workers, for crying out loud, will be discrimination at work place. And what benefit will the test on these officers bring if one may ask?
Furthermore, the HIV and AIDS Bill will bring a lot of confusion in this country. As per proposed in this bill, people will be required to disclose their statuses before they engage in sex and if someone has infected another person deliberately with the virus, he/she will be incarcerated. Well, well, well, how will a person exactly pinpoint that this or that person infected me with the virus? And how will the courts prove this beyond reasonable doubt? This will just make the country’s judiciary to be flooded with too many cases that will delay judicial dispensation in this country. And does this bill intend to make people who have the virus not to enjoy their conjugal rights? Isn’t this stigma and discrimination of people living the virus?
And on banning polygamy? I think the government has now gone too far. What the government should know is that Malawi is a multi cultural multi-lingual and a multi-religious country. Therefore, formulating laws that are in favour of one group of people makes others feel out of place. Already, those religions that support polygamy like the Muslim community and those cultures that tolerate it like the Ngoni people, see that this bill is targeting them.
Furthermore, this bill will be in total contradiction with the freedom of association and worship that are enshrined in the country’s constitution.
The last time I also checked the country’s statistics, they registered that women make up 52 per cent of Malawi’s total population against 48 per cent of men. This means that women are in large numbers than men. And where will other women go if government criminalizes polygamy? Ask these women, every woman would like to be loved by a man. Will this not make the other women start prostitution? Or does the government want women to be marrying their fellow women? Won’t this promote homosexuality that government, our culture and religious bodies loathe? And, if truth be told, women enter into polygamy on their will and no one forces them to do so.
So what am I saying? Formulating policies and changing laws for the fun of it will just put this country into division and disturbance. Already, the government has introduced the quota system as procedure of selecting students into the country’s public universities, under the guise of equitable sharing of resources, which some quarters of the society like the northerners have expressed misgivings.
Then we hear government would like to change the innocent national flag. As this is not pleasing enough, last year we saw the passing of the Police Bill which gives powers to the police service to conduct a search without warrant and the Local Government Bill which saw the president acquiring powers to decide the date for the local government polls which up to now we don’t know whether they will be conducted or not. We also gather that the government intends to come up with the Sex Workers Bill that will allow commercial sex workers do their business in their homes. We are also hearing, from the media, that the government would also like to formulate a policy to regulate child bearing in Malawian families. We wonder now, what is next?
Much as some of these measures are intended to bring sanity in this country, I think they are being fast-tracked and being implemented without wider consultations with people. Let the government consult with all stakeholders and engage people in a debate first before formulating some of these bills.
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