By Faith Kamtambe
MaraviPost iReport: Climate change issues have not been properly disseminated to the people; the problem is ownership. Is it a government problem or the people’s problem? People think the dilemma is for the government and on the other hand the government feels that climate change is a global crisis therefore the solution must come from the donor community.
People who are always on the front line giving information including non-governmental organizations. Unfortunately most of them, it is part of resource mobilization to keep their organizations going, therefore, they are not giving the right information to the locals on what lies behind climate change.
Climate change is one of the most serious global concerns of our time and we have seen observable impacts on the environment. Malawi and many developing countries depend on agriculture for its economy.
However, climate change has caused recurring droughts and floods which is afflicting Malawi’s agriculture sector.
There has been a decline in Maize production harvest for 2015 due to the impact of erratic weather conditions including the late start of seasonal rains in November and December, followed by heavy rains that caused flooding to 15 of the 28 districts in Malawi as the torrential rains destroyed people’s homes making many homeless.
Belita Kamphamtengo, a single mother of two from Kafupa village, T/A Kapeni in the rural area of Blantyre district, is one of the many Malawians who were left homeless after the heavy rains destroyed her home.
“It was a terrific night, we had experienced heavy rains for about 4 days and on the fourth day my house collapsed. We are now left homeless”, Belita describes the ordeal.
Heavy rains which perpetuated floods by destroying homes and the environment are some of the adverse effects of climate change. It is really a sad development that others have lost their cherished homes whist others have yielded only one bag of maize if lucky and even some got nothing after intense rains and floods washed away their maize
gardens which provide them a staple food.
A Lilongwe based woman Herida Kadewere of Malili village, T/A Malili is another victim of such predicament. She has a 0.4 hector piece of land which usually produces 35 bags of maize each growing season. But this year the crop production output was reduced. She only got a bag of maize. The same piece of land, the same amount of fertilizer she
applies all the time.
Kadewere described the tragedy as witchcraft. A spell craft which broadly means the practice of, and belief in, magical skills.
“I believe people who do not wish me well casted a spell in my farm land so that I should not harvest anything this year. I usually harvest a lot of maize which is enough to feed my whole family and sell some. This year I have only harvested one bag of maize, wicked people want me and my family to die of hunger,” Kadewere said.
It’s quite understandable for people like Kadewere to think of the impacts and adverse effects of climate change as witchcraft. Most people in remote areas do not know anything about climate change. Therefore, anything that comes along with effects of climate change is viewed as witchcraft.
No food this year for the Kadewere family in Malili village, It is for this reason that people in rural areas need to be given enough information on climate change and practical ways which can be tapped in addressing the phenomena; effects of climate change.
Of course, Malawians are not just silent, as part of mitigating the impact of climate change, learners in selected primary schools in corroboration with the government of Norway are being taught through projects in addressing effects of climate change.
Having studied the information terrain in Malawi, I am of the view that the solution to climate change can be found locally. The main solution is the church community. Malawians have proved to be religious people. From the religious point of view, the Catholic community, Reformed community, the Pentecostal community and Muslims
respect their leaders so much that these religious leaders can be used to influence their followers in mitigating climate change e.g. planting trees.
This time around we have a popular belief in prophets and these prophets are drawing large clouds and following, therefore these prophets can also be used as agents’ change of climate change. The solution to this problem lies within the leadership of religious
community in Malawi.
We should ask not what our country can do but rather ask what we can do for our country. In view of this, each and every individual must take action to mitigate climate change. Some of the activities we should do to mitigate climate change are planting trees, re-using and recycling waste, separating organic wastes from non-organic wastes for composting, switching off all electrical appliances when not in use to save energy and creating orchards and firebreaks in our homes.
For people who are talented, using their talent to write, compose poems or songs about climate change issues is an ideal way of spreading messages about climate change.
When the climate was good, when trees and natural resources were all over, when the rains were not as destructive as it is today, when the population was not against the resources, Malawians took the ownership of carelessly cutting trees and carelessly increased the population against the small sized Malawi; therefore the same Malawians must take responsibility upon themselves in addressing the effects of climate change.
Malawians used to enjoy mountains and the hills full of trees but today is history as such we do not need donors to show us ways of solving our own problem. Malawians must act now.
