ADVENTURES OF A LATTER-DAY LIVINGSTONE
Mark Myers shares his story
In October 2006 an elderly medical doctor friend living in England, who sadly is in not ideal health either mentally or physically, took me to Malawi.
Here's how it happened:
My friend had spoken for years of returning to Africa, where he had lived and worked for a period of his more active youth - and he was determined to make his dream happen. His desire, as he put it, was "to see out my sunset years helping out on a mission station in Africa." In short, he wanted to be useful again.
However, he was obstructed in his plans by those who administered his affairs. They would not release the necessary funds (held in trust for him) to pay for the airfare. He then decided that he would save it from his allowance - and in order to do so he moved into Plymouth bus station in southern England. He was sleeping on a park bench at night to economise and thus save up the money for the fare.
When we realised his situation, my partner and I decided something had to be done. We discussed it for a week or so, trying unsuccessfully to contact him through the police and various charitable organisations and old friends of his, but to no avail. So on a Friday last October it was decided I should go and find him, and then take him to Africa to pursue his dreams.
Full of fear and trepidation and with credit card in hand, I was on a plane for London the following Monday. From Heathrow I caught a bus to Plymouth, and my friend and I found each other at the bus station - as cold and miserable a place as I have ever been.
When on an earlier occasion I had asked my friend where he wanted to go , he said: "Zomba!!"
"Where the hell is that ?" I asked.
"Malawi!" he replied.
I was none the wiser. "Where the hell is that ?" I asked again. It could have been in China, for all I knew.
"AFRICA !!!!" he said emphatically.
That was all I knew about where we were going. Not only did I have no pre-conceptions, I had NO conceptions at all.
We were unable to get on the same flight out of England - so we took separate flights and about a week later found each other again in Nairobi, Kenya. From Nairobi we travelled together to Malawi. We spent three weeks, with the help of some wonderful people, trying to find a mission that could or would take my friend.
By that time, the hard edge of reality in mission station Malawi had taken its toll on both of us, and my friend realised that he was in no position to "help on a mission station" in his condition at the time. Instead, he went on to Cape Town in South Africa, where he is now happily studying and practicing medicine in much more congenial conditions. His health is improving, both mentally and physically, and he still plans to return to Malawi - but next time he will be better prepared. Fortunately for him, new administrators have now been appointed to care for his affairs.
After all these events I found myself alone in Malawi, too drained to do anything - not even leave. I had not thought beyond getting my mate out of the bus station in England to follow his dreams. By then I was exhausted emotionally as well as physically from the travelling of the previous month, from caring for an old man in poor health in unfavourable conditions, from exposure to mission reality and so on. So I did nothing at all for three days.
I happened to be in a town called Chilumba, on the edge of Lake Malawi. There are no trains, buses, taxis, or push bikes for hire in the town - but there is a ship , the Ilala , which sails the lake - and I decided to catch it . It was meant to be arriving in two days, but the ship was a day late. I spent the next six days aboard her.
She has three decks - the lower packed with teeming Africa, the middle with the cabins, restaurant and crew's quarters and the upper is open with the bridge and a very congenial bar. It was a trip back in time. I was the only cabin class passenger, and I found myself literally shaking my head at what I was seeing, so difficult was it to believe I was really in the 21st Century.
It was a gentle journey to remote villages and islands, and left me relaxed and wanting to see more of Malawi and her beautiful people.
So, ten weeks after my arrival I left for home, having had one of the great travel experiences - one that all travellers secretly crave - A JOURNEY INTO THE UNKNOWN!! It was then that I came up with the idea of organising some grassroots tours of Malawi. But these tours were not put together because of the good time I had. It was for a totally different reason.
As with many African countries Malawi has its problems. Thank God political instability isn't a major concern, but Malawi does have huge HIV problems and other major health and poverty issues, and is heavily dependent on foreign aid in all its forms - both private and governmental. I noticed, as have many before me, that the aid has created a chronic dependency syndrome, and that people see no way out of their perceived poverty other than through this aid. It is difficult to explain, but it is as though they are waiting for something to happen - and I mean waiting both individually and on a national level.
I must first point out that I have rarely seen such hard work as I saw in Malawi from those who do work, and for so unbelievably little money. But so many seem only to wait, because there seems to be very little work. Among many memorable examples, I saw ten men waiting for two days - waiting to sell wooden carvings of no particular merit to passing tourists. But there WERE no tourists, except myself, at that time of year. In fact it had been five days since I had seen another white person - and they are the only tourists here with money and yet the vendors wait!
At another place there was a five km stretch of road through the bush, and along it in separate single positions or in small groups sat about 40 men and 30 boys. Each had a small basket of berries, which grow in abundance by the roadside. They are so prolific that you can pick them as you walk along, with a basketful taking no more than 20 minutes or so to collect. There the guys spend their days waiting. They wait for a car to pass, when they will stand to offer the berries to the passing vehicle. Then they sit down again as it passes. This was the road from my hut to the town, and I walked that road three times, hitched it four times, drove it twice and taxied it three times - and yet I NEVER saw a car stop. But still they wait !!
And why do they wait ?? For money, which traditional pursuits do not supply. But there IS no money - and in their poverty they see no real options.
This leads to my reason for starting this tour venture. I want to create a business in Malawi that brings in foreign money - not as aid but as money paid for services rendered or goods received. I would like to see all of that money, or as much as possible, to stay in Malawi in the hands of Malawians instead of going to foreign multi-nationals. We are using Malawian owned businesses wherever possible, even so far as using Malawian travel agents to book flights etc, to ensure so that the booking fee or commission goes to the locals. (It makes good sense too, as if something goes wrong in Malawi, an Australian agent is not much use). I hope that by so doing we can help out a little, give some people more options for the future. Twenty percent of any profit is an unconditional gift to the Elders of a certain village to do with as THEY see fit, to service the needs of the day or to throw a party or whatever - it's up to them! They do not need to consult with us, neither do they need our approval.
That's it.
Download a tour brochure or contact Mark on +61 409 982 553