Calm turning to chaos....

Hello everyone from what has been a very difficult week in Mzuzu and indeed in Malawi.

My week started off well as I was doing interviews for ToT's in Presbyteries. I went to Ekwendeni to do interviews while a driver sat in a queue at the petrol station.(We hadn't had any diesel for 3-4 days). He managed to get fuel and picked my up from Ekwendeni to take me to the next destination which was Njuyu. It was a good journey and we made it in time!

The church at Njuyu is really old and really could do with some repairs!

Interviews took place in the Presbytery office - this is the Presbytery Clerk in his office (Rev Allan Mwale, whom some of you may know).

On the way we had to pass by some bridges that have seen better days, but it was a great day and we managed to recruit two new Trainer of Trainers (ToT's) for Early Childhood Development.

The good mood suddenly changed.......on Wednesday 20th July, demonstrations had been organised in all cities in Malawi. The demonstrators were to march in each city and present a petition to the Government office complaining about many things in the country, one of them being fuel shortage. People had decided to wear red and to march peacefully.

However, the morning of the march an injunction was granted that the demonstrations should not take place. This did not help the mood of people who had organised the whole thing. In Mzuzu the march began after an opening prayer from one of the ministers. However a few minutes later shooting was heard as teargas was shot into the crowd of marchers. This incited people to violence and we had a lot of bloodshed. Road blocks were set up in all roads coming into the city using burning tyres. Offices and vehicles belonging to the ruling party were burned and many people lost their lives or were injured in the shooting that followed, including on of our CCAP Ministers sons who was shot in the arm but is recovering well. Shops in Mzuzu were looted and it reminded me of the heart of the troubles in Northern Ireland. It was really quite frightening. In the evening soldiers came into the city and calmed things down, a curfew was called and it became completely quiet except for sporadic gunshots.

Please pray for our country at this time. In Mzuzu 9 people were killed on Wednesday, one of them a child. Funerals were planned for Friday and it was agreed to bury all the dead in a mass grave in a city graveyard. However, the Government decided it would be better for the burials to take place at the homes of the victims. After a long time we eventually saw the funeral come into the city from the mortuary. There were many people and yet it was eerily quiet. Once they passed through the town people began singing and eventually the burials took place. Unfortunately just after the ceremony there was more rioting in two townships of Mzuzu. Gunshots could be heard into the night.

Since Wednesday the city has been really quiet - usually in the morning we have minibus's hooting horns and making a lot of noise, we have the mosques sounding out 5 times a day, we have people in the markets round about, we have roosters crowing and we have lots of traffic noise. Its been too quiet and we wonder what will be next - there is tension in the air. Many shops have been looted and many people are scared. Please pray for peace and understanding in our country at this time.

On a somewhat brighter note, on Saturday I had to go to Nkhata Bay to witness the opening of a new nursery school. It was a colourful occasion and it was good to get out of the city and see that life is still going on as normal in other parts. This is a picture of the front of the building just after it was declared open.

People watching in anticipation...

Entertainment was great - this is the church minister who is a musician singing one of his songs.

Local choirs...

So the week has been mixed. Our hearts are sad because of so much bloodshed in our city. As we walk around the city we find shops damaged, goods stolen, and blood on the streets. Army and police are around the town in greater presence than normal.

Thank you for all who contacted me during this week, thank you for your prayers - please continue to pray for peace for the nation of Malawi; for safety and for my colleages and many Malawian friends in all parts of the country.

Blessings,

Diane