No one is perfect. But if someone is trying to help people in some way by teaching them some important self sufficiency skills, we would be wise to assist them or at least not be an idiotic detractor on their path.

I am talking about the recent unfair and uncalled for criticism against Kondwani Kachamba Ngwira, which he has drawn after recently hosting a number of manufacturing lectures, including one at Bingu International Conference Center in Lilongwe.

AMalawi tili ndi bvuto. Ena chilichonse you just criticize, without even providing alternative solutions of your own.

If that seminar wasn’t useful, how come thousands of people showed up to listen to what he in had to say? Ndipo why don’t the critics host their own manufacturing lectures to teach Malawian important life skills?

The problem is we don’t read history. If we studied history, in particular the history of development of other nations, we would learn kuti zinthuzi zimayamba chonchi. With local sensitisation that disseminates knowledge to the masses.
Munthu mmodzi atiphunzitsapo kenakake tsiku lina. This is publicly available knowledge by the way, which is free and available in the books most Malawians don’t have access to. Or if they do have access to such knowledge, they’ve never searched or tried to find it, let alone learn from it.

So if that person gives us information and a handful of serious minded people azimva bwino bwino ndipo are empowered by that knowledge to ACTION, that’s one step forward.

Then several months or years down the line, another person will show up who shares something else that compliments what we learned last time around. Those serious minded people will combine what they learned with the other pieces of knowledge, choncho anthu akupeza kapangidwe ndipo poyesayesa akupezeka kuti zinthu zina pang’ono pang’ono ayamba kutha kupanga.

That process when accelerated, is what local development is all about. It’s not always about the government or a large private company building you a big factory to manufacture soap.

Malawi is too dependent on external things, whether its Fuel imports, Powdered Milk, Soap or condoms.

For us to make progress as a country, we need to change that fact and start making certain things ourselves. Tisamangodalila kugula zinthu zakunja. It’s not going to be easy or painless and we won’t like every step of the way. But it’s necessary and we need to seriously start moving away from our over-dependence on imports from outside the country.

And what Kondwani is doing, is one way down that path of self-reliance. If anyone was doing something patriotic, and which enforces the Buy Malawi campaign, it’s him, and others like him.

The NEEF and other state institutions need to back and support him and help him scale operations.

Jealous down, lets all be mature and responsible and support him.