The gated community

I have been silent for a couple of weeks, and it is time to reconnect.  A visit to Harare upset my writing schedule.  Besides attending a regional meeting of ACT Alliance, I had the chance to meet up with my old colleague from DanChurch Aid, Christian Baleslev Olesen, who is now representing the organisation in Zimbabwe.  While waiting for our flight back to Lilongwe, he invited us for a walk in a wildlife park.  While the path was taking a sharp turn to the left, we suddenly realised that the path was already occupied by another living creature:

A python of 2 1/2 - 3 meters blocked the path.  It did no harm to anybody, and after having secured the documentation above we continued our pleasant walk,... although with a slightly heightened alert.


In my previous blog I visited the entrepreneurs behind the wall of my residence.  This time I will take you even closer.  Now is the time for the Jacaranda trees to bloom on bare branches.  As I walk outside my gate I get the full view of a flower-covered tree.  This is perhaps what catches your eyes when you look at the photo below?

Look a bit lower in the picture and you see the view of "my street", a street with plenty of potholes... and walls and gates.

Lilongwe is a relatively safe city compared to other African capitals.  Walls and gates are nevertheless a conspicuous feature in residential areas.  Why would we wall ourselves in, if the environment is rather safe?  Perhaps the city is not viewed as totally safe after all?

My watchman and his colleagues are on duty 24/7,...and the wall is topped with electric wires!  This is not enough.  Behind the walls the house is also fortified with steel-meshes that are being locked at night.

Are we completely paranoid, or are there good reasons for all these security measures?  I honestly believe the level of precautionary measures reflects a slight paranoia.  At the same time I recall my visit behind the wall where I encountered makeshift workshops and shops, and dusty roads leading into more or less shacks serving as homes.  Malawi's poverty is right on my doorstep, and my luxury life inside the wall (although fairly moderate according to Norwegian standards) is obviously a huge contrast to the struggle for life that is the reality behind my wall. Desperation may lead to actions of crime that could descend on us behind the walls. As individuals we cannot change the social injustice, and therefore physical measures are put in place to protect against repercussions of the injustice.

The contrast between the have's and the have not's is enormous in Malawi, as in many African countries.  My money can protect me from poverty, by closing it out behind my wall, and my money can provide almost anything in the shops.  Commodities are available... if you have enough money to spend.  I can therefore live a comfortable life in my gated community!