Talking Politics in Ntcheu: An Interview with Malison Ndau

Talking Politics in Ntcheu: An Interview with Malison Ndau

By Dylan Taylor

As our time here in Ntcheu enters its final weeks, we are all beginning to take stock of what we have achieved so far as a cohort and also how we can still address some of the challenges we have faced as a team out in the schools and the rural communities. Having acclimatised to the weather, food and the local culture, it is important that we are able to attain how we are viewed not just by the community but by those in positions of authority.  

To get an outside view of the work we are doing and how we were helping people in Ntcheu, I caught up with Member of Parliament for the Ntcheu central constituency, Malison Ndau. He represents the party currently in power here in Malawi, the Democratic Progressive Party, led by President Peter Mutharika whose portrait hangs in schools and offices across the country. 

"I have seen a number of transformations in
 many youths lives because of the programmes
 of YONECO"- Malison Ndau

Once a teacher and a church pastor, Ndau had decided to enter politics with the backing of those in his religious circles and took his seat in 2014. I caught up with him to discuss the changes he has seen in this community over his tenure and how help from the UK is really impacting the area. 

The issue of gender equality is certainly high up on our agenda especially when we are travelling to areas delivering sessions in schools. Often when we attempt to make our sessions interactive it is the boys who seem to be the most confident, raising their hands for answers and asking us all the questions. 

I ask whether the apparent lack of balance in the Malawian parliament (only 32 MP's of 193 are women) is emblematic of some of the challenges we encounter during our school sessions.       

Ndau emphasises that if Malawi is to come to terms with its lack of gender balance in parliament we have to look at what is happening in schools. 

"In the past, I was also a teacher, I taught at government schools so I'm talking about this with experience. What happened is some male teachers (when girls answered incorrectly) they would say you are stupid, you are dull, you are good for nothing- those sentiments," says Ndau.  

"So next time she will be shy like that. So in that area, we have to deal with the teachers. It has to start right away at teachers training college. If a student has failed to give a correct answer how do you compliment? Do you say you are stupid? No. You say let us hear from the other one. This one is a problem I see emanating from teachers themselves. If we are to change it has to start with teachers," he adds.  

Whether teachers knocking confidence in this manner is still a problem may still be up for debate. As volunteers here we have not seen this first-hand and have had only positive feedback from the teachers. But certainly, shyness has been an issue where girls are concerned, though we have been making additional efforts to include girls to give answers and give encouragement during our sessions with improvements particularly during our sessions on drug and alcohol abuse at Dombole high school.  

Encouraging girls at school level with the work that we are doing here will eventually allow women to have a greater impact at a high political level and establish a greater gender balance in parliament and get their voices heard. 

"To me, the world is not seeing their part. They're only seeing one part. I remember I talked one time in parliament (and said) let us look at this holistically not just one angle. So we have to teach them to start looking at things differently then we will win the battle," says Ndau.  

It was great to hear that changes were being made in one our main target areas in Kwataine especially with the known presence of our partner organisation YONECO. 

Dylan Taylor and other ICS Volunteers conducting a session on
drug and substance abuse to students at Dombole
Secondary School, T/A Kwataine 

"In my constituency Ntcheu central, the problem I've seen is that we have a lot of NGO's but with little impact. There was a time when I got into this position I sat down with TA (traditional authority) Kwataine. We were trying to monitor how many NGO's we have. We found out we had 19 but now if you practically see what they are achieving you could see 3. YONECO is one them. You could see their impact. I've interviewed a number of youths, you can see that they have the knowledge, but at the same time behaviour-wise they have changed," says Ndau.   

With our work here based on giving people the knowledge and helping them to implement positive changes in their lives, it's great to hear from someone who knows the area well that we are contributing to these changes. Ndau agrees that for a sustainable future for his constituency a "joint venture" approach from both Malawi and the UK is the best way to make change.