Ask a Malawian to describe what being Malawian actually means, a majority of them would say, “We are a non-violent, socially conservative, peaceful and friendly people”. On the surface this is true. We tend to easily step back from protest and violence, and we try to welcome strangers to the best of our abilities. Isn’t this why we are named ‘The Warm Heart of Africa’? But what if this so called heart was to be looked at closely, closer than we are comfortable with- our ugliness would show. Malawi is in trouble. Just because we do not fight with guns, we have bullets of words which shoot out from a barrel of hate. A nation is not ‘peaceful’ if its own people are segregated, violated, discriminated against, stigmatized and not afforded the same dignity and human rights enjoyed by all — equally.
Recently our media has been awash with stories on the LGBTI issue in the country. The articles have provided an opportunity for a majority of Malawians to voice out words that may have been long suppressed since the ‘Auntie Tiwo’ incident took place several years ago, when two consenting male adults decided to hold a public engagement ceremony. The two were found guilty and charged with committing “unnatural offenses” and “indecent practices between males.” After much intervention and outcry, especially from the international community, the two were pardoned and eventually released. Furthermore, there has been the unearthing of corpses, hunting and killings of people living with Albinism. Tales of wealth and prosperity have been circulating among communities with a very high market price for albino body parts.
My country has seen varying public protests; some advocating for LGBTI rights, some against the killings of people living with albinism… and some in opposition to LGBTI rights with blatantly open slogans of ‘Gays must die’. What is the argument for not killing one group of people but killing the other? Would Malawians argue that “People living with Albinism are born that way’ — and shouldn’t the response for that be “But isn’t that the same for LGBTI persons?”
Over the past year I have worked with minority groups who just want to be ‘tolerated’, not only in communities but in health facilities; especially LGBTI persons who are likely to be mistreated or not treated by health practitioners. A few weeks ago, Art and Global Health Center Africa participated in a Children’s Future Festival in which various pictures with people living with albinism were displayed. Children were instructed to draw something that stood out to them in those photographs. Interestingly, only 5 children out of the 250+ children drew an Albino person or a message related to albinism. The others drew trees, cars, hats … and imaginary Superheroes. As we grow older, why do we make it the ‘norm’ to create categories of ‘The other’, which make life look less amazing than it actually is?
These are both serious issues anywhere in the world, but more so when your county is one of the poorest countries in the world. With high unemployment, lack of adequate health services and low education, the list of factors working against us is enormous. Despite this, embracing minorities should not be seen as a western, religious or economic issue — this is about rediscovering our “Umunthu, a Southern African philosophy that translates to ‘I am because you are.’ It emphasizes our shared humanity and the need for tolerance and co-existence. So let’s take a respectful seat at the table, let’s have the conversations in languages that will build instead of tear down; let’s listen to this discussion that has just begun, yet is so far from over. Ultimately, shouldn’t we all aim to be superheroes, regardless of our cloaks?
