SHORT STORY- MALAWI'S CHITENJE

 SHORT STORY BY MATILDA PHIRI

MALAWI’S CHITENJE

I have always doubted the power of Malawi’s Chitenje.  I never believed that in order, to impress a real Malawian lady you need to buy her a Chitenje. I and most boys of nowadays have stopped respecting our culture. We no longer care or fear breaking cultural rules and its consequences.

It has been two years for me since I attended a funeral in my area. I have heard that in the past, this would not have happened because I would be tied with a string to a big tree waiting to be untied after the burial has happened. This was news to me. I laughed and shouted at the same time; “What the hell!? I would definitely sue the chief if he does that to me!’’ That was my straight word. “After all, we are in democracy. I have a right to attend any funeral or not.” But I was very wrong.

I’m a University graduate of Political Science and divorced. I am working at a certain organisation as a democracy expert. I live in Blantyre City with my young brother Mphatso. I’ll not even bother to mention my name because we don’t respect Chitenje anymore and I’m afraid you may start to look for me. I love my country very much but I hate some cultures; our way of doing things. That was the reason why I studied Political Science for four good years in order to save my lovely mother Malawi from self destruction.

Self-destruction is the worst thing that one can do to oneself. I always advise people not to hate themselves because they could end up hurting themselves.

My love for politics started way back, when I was in Secondary school at Box 2, in Zomba. I heard one of the most shocking news of all time. The news gave me goose bumps all over my body. I saw the future of Malawi doomed. I saw my lovely nation destroying itself and it was too early for that. No one can self destruct oneself unless one has seen too much and thinks enough is enough let me just do this. But still that’s not a good excuse to give. We saw ‘democracy’ in 1994 and we were all happy for this great change and an achievement that we will start to see good new different things. Then 10 years later, hearing that some people were organising themselves for third term in office and yet the new type of rule required only two terms. This was a scandalous move and too early torture to new rule, too early for self destruction. From that day, I heard this news; I vowed to go to University and study Politics better. I saw that we will have more of different issues like these in future which needed someone like me to give a voice and completely change things. I believe one man can change the world and what more our small country and for me not to change?

Few years later, my prophecy came to pass. What I saw in secondary school that political scandals would be happening each and every time was indeed what is on the ground. Once beaten twice shy.  Democracy is becoming demo-crazy within our eyes. Human rights of people being abused by the state itself like the killings of demonstrators having blood everywhere like chickens for sale was the talk of the day. We have lost our morals and good manners. No one is worthy being killed for destroying a mere property that can be fixed anytime. I thought that was very insane and inhumane. Anybody destroying a property should be put in cell not in a grave. Do not forget we chose democracy which says of right to live. Our leaders chose to forget about it.

Another insane political scandalous is power hungry which we see nowadays. No one wants to lose in an election. Everybody wants to be a winner and tries their best at all cost to win even if it’s losing their dignity to rig votes. This is cruelty at its best and a grave mistake. It is a bad behaviour and bad cultural practice which needs to stop because self destruction is fatal. I hate this practice.

Another insane political-cultural practice in Malawi is the evil corruption. I call it a dirty evil act which needs to be stopped like the way we managed to stop ‘Kusasa fumbi and Chokolo’ the most dangerous cultural practices that encouraged the spread of the killer disease AIDS. Corruption is also a dangerous killer infection that can kill a person within a second. I don’t know why we’re still nurturing it every day like its healthy iron food. I have seen it killing the economy, important people, our children and many important things that matter to humanity. All this happening, because we have abandoned our special Chitenje that covers a female body to hide her nakedness and we have called it old fashioned material to keep or wear.

Oh I hate Politicians they’re my enemies but unfortunately, I love all my enemies so I don’t have an enemy. Politicians are liars. They Promise us heaven and deliver to us hell throughout their term. Oh what a cruel world! Please do not let them use you. They can do anything for money and to remain in power forever, avoid them.

I once married a girl in the village and we stayed together for only six months. The reason for a break up was because I did not buy her a mere wrapper called Chitenje and she got angry with me. I did that deliberately. I wanted to see the power of it. I showed her true love but I did not give her money. I bought everything needed for a home and bought her beautiful clothes except the wrappers. She kept telling me to buy her wrappers and I told her I did not like them. She told me how careless I was, that I do not respect her. She warned me that if the following month I did not buy her, she would leave me forever. I thought she was joking but she ended up divorcing me above everything that I gave her. Don’t look down on the power of Chitenje because real Malawian women treasure it a lot.

Unfortunately, our girls nowadays do not like Chitenje at all. They say its old fashion thing and they’re modern. My advice to them is to love it because you don’t know when you’ll need it the most because that time will come when you will need it more than anything.

Malawi’s Chitenje is so powerful than any amount of money you can think of. This is very serious and I have experienced it. Trust my words. The political instability in our country, everyday demonstrations is the sign that we have stopped respecting our unique Chitenje. Someone has lost Ubuntu spirit of acting like a human person. Right now we’re like a girl who is walking half-naked in the streets and some people shouting at her for disrespecting herself. We used to be a good nation with respect for each other but we lost it. We used to have love for each other as fellow human beings but all is gone. We now kill each other every day. Albinos live in fear because we think we can make money out of them. We love money too much and above all we are not afraid of doing anything for money. What a shame? What a joke? Where is your Chitenje our leaders? Why destroying your own country you claim to love? We used to trust you that you will protect us but not anymore with money in front of you you’re untouchable. This is insane! It’s sad to know that this is the only country we have and we all seem not to care if we destroy it where will we go? Why being evil and power hungry like lions? For what? Where are we going with this power that we want? Why, Why?

My advice to everyone is to be very careful because anything can happen when a woman happens to remove her Chitenje and walks naked in the streets. We should not let this happen. What we will do is be united as one and do a right thing. What is a right thing that every true Malawian wants? A corrupt free government, politicians who live by their words, leaders respecting human rights, protecting albinos, respecting democracy, constructing roads, build schools and hospitals, support farmers and small scale enterprises. Avoid the power hungry spirit and above all love your enemy. If you love your enemy then you don’t have an enemy because you don’t love your enemy that means there will be peace. I want to live freely and not hiding my real name for fear of a fellow human being. This is democracy for God’s sake!

If anyone does not want peace, that is the harmful cultural practice that we do not want to keep. We want to keep our Malawi’s beautiful unique Chitenje forever.