Thoughts on International Women’s Day

I watched MBC TV covering the main proceedings of the International Women’s Day (IWD) held at Civo Stadium in Lilongwe on 17th March, 2012. There was a sizeable crowd but the stadium was not full. While some people may wish to interpret the size of the gathering as a measure of the popularity of the President, I choose not to be cheap. So, I entertain the alternative explanations.

The event was on Saturday. Some people were at church. Some people were at choir practices in readiness for church on Sunday. Some did not just want to go because there is no requirement that one should attend national functions. There are a hundred and one reasons why one may not attend these functions. From me, however, I wish to congratulate the President and Amayi Athu for joining the women in commemorating the day. I could have come, but I had other things that kept me occupied.

Watching the events at Civo Stadium allowed me to walk down the memory lane and also appreciate the glamour of these national events where the President is in attendance. Let me start with the President’s speech. I first learned about the Civo Stadium event from the radio when I was in a relative’s car. At the time, the President was making his speech. He, among other things, advised women to support one another and not pull each other down. Women needed to support one another. Here you are all women: support Mrs Joyce Banda.

As I watched, I realised the President likes dancing or waving his arms as women dance. The First Lady also likes joining fellow women to move a step or two. And by the way, she is not a bad dancer. Listening to song after song, I realised that there are many songs that DPP women sing. Many of the dancing women cannot keep up with the lyrics as the songs are just too many and not professionally done.

My judgment is that the last proper song that women in the DPP have ever sung was A Ngwazi Senderani. The rest may not be called songs at all. There are a few songs which have just been modified from old MCP Women’s League songs. I encourage the DPP to invest in composers who can bring out nice political songs.

The lack of lustre in current political songs reminds me of the days of Kamuzu. Women would normally showcase and contest subtly in coming up with the best songs. Kamuzu had many favourites, but Blantyre or Southern Region women could play on his psyche. They would sing one or two songs. If Kamuzu decided not to come down to join them, you could be sure he would be coming when the women sang: Ife ndife a ayani ayani nanga? I am also reliably told that there were certain songs for which Kamuzu joined the Mzimba Ngonis.

Now, Kamuzu was not a Ngoni. Why would he be interested in dancing with a Ngoni? Someone told me Kamuzu danced with the Ngoni to celebrate the defeat of the Ngonis by the Chewa at Nguru ya Nabambe. Quite sadistic if you think about it.