Glad 2011 is going

This might be my last post of 2011. The year that is very difficult to analyse and come up with one conclusion. Generally its been a very hard year for Malawians. I wrote a lot of bad news on this blog than any other year since i started blogging in 2007. Even though it was hard, i have some success stories i personally celebrate in the year 2011.

It would be better to summarise the year in 3 areas; personal, country and world. Here is how i summarise 2011.

Personal

On 15 February 2011 i got transferred from Mulanje to a new and challenging post in Blantyre after working outside town for over two years. I was glad to come back and as any promotion comes with good perks and more challenging responsibilities, i gladly accepted the offer. I have spent most of the year establishing myself on the new position. Being a fast leaner and a person who is passionate about learning new things, it did not take long to settle. Am now fully in control of my work.

In this year i got my first officially recognised New Malawi Passport and the New SADC Driver's licence (with a new flag of course) completing my identifications as a bonafide Malawian. I look back to 2011 and say i have achieved something.

I got involved in relationships seriously for the first time in this year. (You might wonder why a 27 year old can be involved in relationships for the first time. Am a loner and have never been serious in these things.) A i enter the new year am still uncertain as to what my relationship status is.

I have travelled a lot in this year, albeit locally. i have been to every district of the southern region of Malawi countless times courtesy of the work am doing. At times i could go be on the road 5 days of the week to different districts. At some point i found time to visit my relations in Rumphi.

On another note i have faced alot of personal challenges this year most of them to do with coping up with my new responsibilities. Much as i managed to do my work responsibilities, i could not do the same with my duties at home or in the family. Alot was expected of me but i did little to match. I caught up with this reality late in the year and managed to change. I go into 2012 a changed and more responsible person in the family.

I also prayed an important role at my church as a youth leader in fundraising, organising and motivating youths. My spiritual stand faced alot of challenges i tried and will continue to address in 2012.

Country - Malawi

I personally took part in the much famous 20 July demonstrations for one reason, I wanted to be heard!!! The highlight of this year in Malawi is the 20 July demos which saw thousands of Malawians taking to the streets to show their dissatisfaction with the ruling government. 20 people lost their lives on that day and its a very sad chapter in the history of the Malawi nation.

Malawi started the year as a hero to the other African nations but will come out zero because of the various serious problems that have rocked us over the months. The biggest problem has been the shortage of various important things chief among them is forex. Forex shortage has affected everything in Malawi leading to fuel and drug shortage, prices of goods rising up, the cost of living going up and almost everything going up.

Very bad decisions were made in the year like the expulsion of the British Ambassador, the bad laws which were passed by our honourable members of parliament. Malawi could have done better without these decisions and our governance and socio economic problems could have been averted.

I think Malawians did not give much attention to other issues affecting us like the AIDS pandemic, Climate Change, other diseases and natural disasters because of the governance crisis we are facing. Alot of time, airtime and newspaper space has been spent discussing the fuel and forex shortage, drug crisis. In terms of progress, Malawi took many steps backwards in the year 2011.

There was too much personal politics in the year than development. At times i wonder if these party leaders, spokespersons and propagandists think of how people are suffering in the villages. An average Malawian enter 2011 very poor and will enter 2012 even more poorer than before. As i write i doubt how many families will manage a decent meal on the eve of the new year. So sad!

World

World issues were dominated by the famous Middle East Uprisings, toppling of most wanted dictators in the name of Egypt's Mubarak, Algeria's Ben Ali, Libya's Ghadaffi and the killing of the world's most wanted man, Osama bin Laden. The Middle East Uprising has kept us glued to our TV screens from the time a Tunisian graduate set himself on fire to this date. Am sure most of us have got our lessons from these happenings in the middle east. It is also what partly motivated Malawians to come out in large numbers and take part in the 20 July demos. Most countries have made history in their Tahir squares and will live to remember them. Many lives have also been lost in this year mostly through these uprisings.

The Occupy Movement is also worthy a mention as it also captured our attention in the year. I will live to remember how people can be organised to fight poverty and greed in the whole world. What started simply at Zuccoti park in America managed to capture the world attention and was modelled in several countries across the world. Though the 99% still remains oppressed by the 1%, am sure efforts will still be made to change this.

The Greek Crisis which has upgraded to be called the EuroZone Crisis is also something to note in the year.just ending. It was something worthy watching on TV and commenting in social media circle.

On a positive note, as a social networker, am happy with the role social media played in shaping our world in this year. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other site have played a great role in bringing the world together. Am glad to say that i have used these sites for almost everyday of this year as i could not afford to stay away from them as i could miss important news.

In Africa who can forget to talk about the Boko Haram in Nigeria, alShabaab in Somalia, the new country of South Sudan, elections in DRC and Kenya's attack on alShabaab in Somalia. Zambia also had very successful elections in the year. There was also some grey areas in Ivory Coast 2010 elections which spilled into 2011, Liberia's elections, Guinea Bissau endless coups. There was a great hunger in most African countries that took away many important lives in the year.

Am glad that 2011 is going and i happily accept 2012 but i thank God for allowing me to be part of 2011.


HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY READERS!!!

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