I met Chisomo during my field visit. In the Chichewa language, Chisomo means Grace. Although he was born as a person with albinism, he seems very confident and comfortable chilling out with his buddies. I can see he truly has that sparkling grace inside of him which makes all his friends enjoy playing with.
Sub-Saharan African countries possess the highest number of people living with Albinism in the world. Besides struggling with the sunlight – which can easily cause skin cancer and vision loss, they are also living in a deep fear. For the superstitious rituals, traditional healers (witch-doctors) attack and hunt people living with Albinism body parts to believe that their body can bring riches, success, power or sexual conquest.
In Malawi, many people with albinism live in remote, impoverished communities where superstitions are still there and correct information about albinism is not yet widely understood.
People in the communities indeed play very important roles to stop this and to protect people with albinism. I am so grateful that under the same sun, little Chisomo is surrounded by his friends love and protection. I hope as he grows up, he may live in freedom without fear.
For most Indonesian, Indomie may be the only instant food that can overcome homesickness while living abroad. A while ago, I cooked Indomie instant noodle for my friend Blessings Banda. It’s the very first time in his life to taste it and he apparently loves it much! (Pardon me for the rough ROFL in the video – I just got so hilarious looking at him enjoying it).
Instant noodle was first introduced to the Indonesian people in 1969 and until now the brand has been a phenomenon in the industry - not only in Indonesia but also globally. It has the presence in more than 100 countries and at least exported to 80 destination countries with 15 billion packs of Indomie were produced yearly. In Nigeria, Indomie replaces the word 'noodle' itself. It is the largest instant noodle factory in Africa with 10 factories, pulling in more than $600 million USD a year.
Yesterday was 73rd Indonesia Independence Day. Indomie has become the pinnacle of Indonesia’s most proud brand. Through ages, Indomie has successfully turned taste into a way of life that so many people wanted. It is a diplomatic tool to knit and unite a peaceful friendship across nations.
In June 2016, due to acute maize shortage, the Malawi Government asked millions of starving Malawians to start eating Mbewa as alternative foods during the hunger period at that time. Mbewa or Mice is now part of the Malawian culture for relish.
From April till August, people who are traveling on the main M1 Highway in Malawi from Zomba to Lilongwe often time may encounter many youngsters at the side of the road, holding aloft sticks of Mbawe for sale.
There are a couple types of Mbewa: Akapeta and Akapuku. Akapeta are bit oily (and very soft) while Akapuku has not too many fats and are relatively harder when chewing. Mbewa is caught, boiled in a pot and roasted over a fire. It should not be roasted long enough to burn off the copious amounts of visible fur. After roasting, the seller put them on a stick. Then they are garnished with salt and cayenne pepper. Mbewa is best eaten together with the meat and fur. Overall, I can say the taste of Mbewa is similar like tender local chicken meat.
Mice Mbewa live in the holes in the jungle or on farms. There are several ways of catching Mbewa. the ideal process to catch the mice is either to trap them or extract them from the soils. Usually, the youth set the fires at the entrance of holes to smoke the dizzy mice out. Also, Mbewa sometimes found in gardens that people have just harvested so no need of burning any bush. Mbewa eat vegetables which make their meat clean and juicy.
As I am entering my one year in Malawi, this photo I took at Liwonde National Park perfectly depicts my presence in this country.
Yes, I am alone in Malawi but it does not mean that I am feeling lonely. I trust God's love always be with me ever since I arrived in Malawi 'til today.
Am so grateful to be the apple of His eyes and thankful for His utmost protection in my life.
Di sini, hampir seluruh orang masak pakai arang. Mungkin hanya segelintir orang yang tinggal di ibukota yang mampu beli kompor listrik ataupun LPG. Dan lagipula, hampir setiap hari listrik di negara ini byar pet tanpa ada kepastian yang jelas apa yang terjadi. Kegelapan adalah bagian hidup sehari hari masyarakat sini.
Bisa dibayangin betapa pentingnya fungsi arang buat orang orang sini untuk masak dan nyambungin hidup. Masak pake arang itu bikin makanan lebih empuk, lebih gurih dan bumbunya nyeresep masuk ke dalam pori-pori sayuran ataupun daging yang diolah.
Gw pribadi lebih suka masak apapun pake arang, entah itu ngegoreng donat, bikin ayam goreng ataupun cuman numis ikan asin. Meskipun terkadang dibutuhkan kesabaran buat nyalain tungkunya dan nunggu makanan yang mau dimasak. Tapi semuanya itu worthed begitu ngerasain sedapnya!
Ga kerasa udah hampir mau setaon ninggalin Jakarta. No Nasi Padang, No Nasi Rames, No Nasi Uduk, No Nasi Kuning, No Nasi Krawu, No Nasi Timbel, Nasi Bogana, Nasi Jinggo, Nasi Bakar dan jenis Nasi Nasi laennya yg bakalan panjang amir diketik satu satu.
Foto ini a/makanan yg gw coba nikmati sejak hari pertama nginjek Malawi sampe hari ini, Ayam Kampung bertabur tomat, kacang merah sama oseng sayuran. Nasi bukan makanan utama buat orang sini. Selain itu pilihan makanannya pun gak sebanyak di Indonesia. Jadinya harus nerima makan dengan pilihan yg itu itu aja tiap hari. Mau teriak bosen pun gak ngebantu banyak. Masalah rasa itu nomer kesekian, yg penting perut kaga keroncongan dan bisa lewat hari.
Berbahagia dan bersyukur itu wajib buat orang orang yang tinggal di Indonesia. Surga makanan jelas iya banget. Mau cari bumbu2 segala lengkap abis, sayur mayur komplit hampir semua jenis ada. Kekayaan alam negara kita beneran luar biasa tiada tara.
Seandainya malem ini ada Nasi Goreng Tek Tek Gerobakan liwat ....
"The soul is healed by being with children" ~ Fyodor Dostoevsky
#Malawi #Africa
"God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars." ~ Martin Luther
#Malawi #Africa
Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, beans, and onions are some common vegetables sold which we will encounter when passing the road in Malawi.
Usually, the seller will display and organize them in colorful buckets so that they attract people's attention. The vegetable prices may vary between one district and others. Often also, we will encounter many kids accompanying their parents to trade or even just enjoying the market atmosphere.
One thing for sure, although they look like a saturated market, all sellers seem happy and never have any competition behavior among them.
