1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust. 3 Surely, He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 4 He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. –Psalm 91:1-4
Like previous years, 2024 was filled with the good events, some very sad and bad moments with the deaths of local and international icons, legends, and heroes (whom we sorely mourn and will dearly miss. Of course, 2024 was also filled with the shocks of the uglies of unforgettable happenings.
As the Ukraine-Russian and Israeli-Hamas wars raged on, Syria appeared poised to morph into several segments, there were election triumphs and upsets as well as the power of the might of legislators who averted a martial law that would have turned South Korea into a dictatorship. Let us thank and praise God we are still here.
Let us start with the good of 2024.
In 2024, our beloved Malawi commemorated 60 years of independent status from British rule. Due to the national mourning of our late Vice President Saulos Chilima, national festivities were low keyed while in the US Diaspora held festivities starting with a Memorial church service for the late VP; apart from bringing closure the event also permitted US-based Malawians to gather and comfort each other. The event was followed by a concert that brought in Malawian musicians, and culminated in a picnic.
On a personal note, I celebrated my 70th birthday. In a span of two weeks, I was celebrated by family, friends and church members.
An invitation from my nephew and my friend to a Christian concert, my son’s across the Atlantic trip coupled with my friend’s surprise Malawi to America visit went a long way to appreciate how much I am celebrated. While the birth date itself was low-keyed, the concert and visits were miles above the skyline.
The year 2024 in the political spheres was a year for women rising above the glass ceilings. Mexico elected Claudia Sheinbaum, the first woman to the office of the Presidency.
In the US, Kamala Harris, having made history when she became the first US Vice President, made history again when she was nominated as the presidential nominee in the 2024 presidential elections.
The third woman on the international sphere to fly around the news globes is Kemi Badenock, who in November became the first black person to be elected as the leader of the British Conservative Party: out of 100,000 voters, Badenock amassed 57,806.
Current British Prime Minister Keir Starmer dubbed the Badenoch election as a “proud moment for our country.
On the other side of the world, South Korean legislators voted unanimously (with some scaling the walls of the parliament building) against President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of Martial Law.
The action meant that the legislators allowed South Korea from diving into an autocratic leadership, or a coup by Yeol.
Then came Syria and the fleeing of the vicious Assad to Russia after rebels took over the country, one city after another until Damascus fell into their hands.
After 14 years of civil strife, Syrians poured on the streets in celebratory mode, rejoicing that the evil man in the palace was gone.
There are, however, a myriad of questions by the Syrians about the relatives, friends and colleagues that went missing during the Assad 50-year long dynasty of terror.
Next week, the year 2024 has been a year of mourning the loss of our music icons, legends, and political and civic leaders.
