Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Possible demonstrations

The political climate here in Malawi has been a bit rocky the past few months.  I am hesitant to write anything because I do not feel I know exactly what is going on, but I want to keep you updated on life here so I'll do my best.  There seems to be a lot of frustration with the leadership and people are reaching the point where they want things to be done.  There were demonstrations held in Lilongwe where I am living back in July.  I believe the intent of these demonstrations was to peacefully express frustration with the goal of seeing changes.  Even though this was intended to be peaceful, there were people killed during these demonstrations and a lot of loitering and burning of things.  It was very unsafe and scared a lot of Malawians.  It sounds like this is very unlike the people here, especially as Malawi is known as "the warm heart of Africa."  Not much has been done and so now there are more demonstrations scheduled country wide.  I received an email from the U.S. Embassy with an emergency message regarding tomorrow and possible demonstrations to continue for several days.  We are advised to stay clear of demonstration areas such as government offices and/or Parliament buildings as well as any areas with large numbers of people present.

The academy has cancelled school for tomorrow as a precautionary action to ensure safety for our students, family, and staff. I will be staying on campus and will keep you updated.  I pray things are peaceful and that Malawi does not experience civil unrest.

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