Dziko la Malawˆi - Republic of Malawi ([mala?i]; formerly Nyasaland)

Malawi is divided into three regions (the Northern, Central and Southern regions), which are further divided into twenty-seven districts, which in turn are further divided into 137 traditional authorities and 68 sub-chief[dom?]s.

The districts are:
* Balaka
* Blantyre
* Chikwawa
* Chiradzulu
* Chitipa
* Dedza
* Dowa

* Karonga
* Kasungu
* Likoma
* Lilongwe
* Machinga
* Mangochi
* Mchinji

* Mulanje
* Mwanza
* Mzimba
* Neno
* Nkhata Bay
* Nkhotakota
* Nsanje
* Ntcheu

* Ntchisi
* Phalombe
* Rumphi
* Salima
* Thyolo
* Zomba

Malawi has a GDP per capita of 596 US dollars. It is a landlocked, densely populated country. Its economy is heavily dependent on agriculture. Malawi has few exploitable mineral resources. Its three most important export crops are (in order) tobacco, tea and sugar. Malawi's president recently urged farmers to consider growing other crops, such as cotton ([1]), as an alternative to the country's principal crop, tobacco, as cigarette consumption in the West continues to decline. Traditionally Malawi has been self-sufficient in its staple food, maize, and during the 1980s exported substantial quantities to its drought-stricken neighbors. Agriculture represents 38.6% of the GDP, accounts for over 80% of the labor force, and represents about 80% of all exports. Nearly 90% of the population engages in subsistence farming. Smallholder farmers produce a variety of crops, including maize (corn), beans, rice, cassava, tobacco, groundnuts (peanuts) and coffee. The agricultural sector contributes about 63.7% of total income for the rural population, 65% of manufacturing sector’s raw materials, and approximately 87% of total employment. Financial wealth is generally concentrated in the hands of a small elite. Malawi's manufacturing industries are situated around the city of Blantyre.

Malawi's economic reliance on the export of agricultural commodities renders it particularly vulnerable to external shocks such as declining terms of trade and drought. High transport costs, which can comprise over 30% of its total import bill, constitute a serious impediment to economic development and trade. Malawi must import all its fuel products. Paucity of skilled labor; difficulty in obtaining expatriate employment permits; bureaucratic red tape; corruption; and inadequate and deteriorating road, electricity, water, and telecommunications infrastructure further hinder economic development in Malawi. However, recent government initiatives targeting improvements in the road infrastructure, together with private sector participation in railroad and telecommunications, have begun to render the investment environment more attractive.

Mulanje Mountain in Malawi

Malawi has undertaken economic structural adjustment programs supported by the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and other donors since 1981. Broad reform objectives include stimulation of private sector activity and participation through the elimination of price controls and industrial licensing, liberalization of trade and foreign exchange, rationalization of taxes, privatization of state-owned enterprises, and civil service reform. Malawi qualifies for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief.

As of late May 2004, the IMF program (begun in 2000) was canceled and a Staff-Monitored Program (SMP) was implemented. In the wake of questions about fiscal credibility, the SMP’s goal is to give Malawi’s newly-elected government the chance to establish a track record of fiscal discipline.

Real GDP increased by an estimated 3.9% in 2004, from 4.3% in 2003 and 2.4% in 2002. Inflation has been largely under control since 2003, averaging 10% in that year and 11.1% (est.) in 2004. Discount and commercial lending rates also declined from 40%-45% in 2003 to 25% in early 2004. The Kwacha slid from 90 to 101 against the U.S. dollar in mid-2003 and was at 108 to the U.S. dollar at the end of 2004.
Malawi has bilateral trade agreements with its two major trading partners, South Africa and Zimbabwe, both of which allow duty-free entry of Malawian products into their countries.

Metangula Lake, Mozambique

Malawi derives its name from the Maravi, a Bantu people who came from the southern Congo basin circa 1400. On reaching the area north of Lake Malawi, the Maravi divided. One branch, the ancestors of the present-day Chewas, moved south to the west bank of the lake. The other, the ancestors of the Nyanjas, moved down the east bank to the southern part of the country. By 1500, the two divisions of the tribe had established a kingdom stretching from north of the present-day city of Nkhotakota to the Zambezi River in the south, and from Lake Malawi in the east, to the Luangwa River in Zambia in the west.

Migrations and tribal conflicts precluded the formation of a cohesive Malawian society until the turn of the 20th century. In more recent years, ethnic and tribal distinctions have diminished, although regional distinctions and rivalries persist. Despite some clear differences, no significant friction currently exists between tribal groups, and the concept of a Malawian nationality has begun to take hold. Predominantly a rural people, Malawians are generally traditionalist, which includes nonviolence.

The Chewas constitute 90% of the population of the central region; the Nyanja tribe predominates in the south and the Tumbuka in the north. In addition, significant numbers of the Tongas live in the north; Ngonis—an offshoot of the Zulus who came from South Africa in the early 1800s—live in the lower northern and lower central regions; and the Yao, who are mostly Muslim, live along the southeastern border with Mozambique. Bantus of other tribes came from Mozambique as refugees.

Europeans and Asians also live in Malawi. Most Europeans are British and Portuguese from Mozambique, and Asians are mostly Indians.

Malawian English is the English language as spoken in Malawi. English and Chichewa language are the country's two official languages.

English was introduced into Malawi towards the end of the 19th century, due to the influence of British explorers, missionaries, the arrival of the African Lakes Corporation, and colonial administrators present since the establishment in the 1890s of the British Central Africa Protectorate. The seventy years of British colonial rule that followed the Scramble for Africa, set the groundwork for English to grow into the area's dominant and most socially prestigious language.

Since Malawian independence the dominance of English has continued:

* official government records are written in English,
* parliament conducts its deliberations in English,
* the laws of Malawi are written in English,
* progression into secondary and higher education requires certification of competence in English,
* nearly all Malawian newspapers are published in English (though some include small Chichewa supplements),
* English remains the language of commerce in the country.

This remains true despite a large majority of Malawians speaking Chichewa and the small number of English speakers outside urban centers. Also, in Malawian government schools, students are taught in Chichewa, and learn English as a second language from about age 10. But in international schools in Malawi (like Saint Andrew's International High School in Blantyre) which follow the British curriculum, English is the language students are taught in, and do not learn Chichewa at all, as it is regarded as a useless language.

English words are even replacing their equivalents in other Malawi languages. One study of a corpus of Chichewa discourse captured over a ten-year period found that references to numbers greater than 3 were exclusively in English, at least in urban areas. Malawian English has a slight tinge of non-lingustic expressions that are still used, such as "eesh!", an exclamation meaning "oh my!"

Malawi is a country in Southern Africa, inhabited by a wide variety of ethnic groups; the Chewa being the single largest group. Malawians have long been travellers, and as a result their music has spread across the African continent. In more modern times, little Malawian music has achieved international renown, though the country does have its musical celebrities that are well-known in some foreign circles.

One of the prime recent causes of the Malawian musical melting pot was World War 2, when soldiers both brought music to distant lands and also brought them back. By the end of the war, guitar and banjo duos were the most popular type of dance bands. Both instruments were imported.
In the late 1960s, South African kwela music was popular in Malawi; the country produced its own kwela stars, like Daniel Kachamba & His Kwela Band. Malawian jazz bands also became popular. In spite of the name, Malawian jazz has little in common with its American namesake. Rural musicians played acoustic instruments, often in very traditional ways. These performers include Jazz Giants, Linengwe River Band, Mulanje Mountain Band and Chimvu Jazz. By the beginning of the 1970s, electric guitars had become common and American rock and roll, soul and funk influences the music scene, resulting in a fusion called afroma. New Scene, led by Morson Phuka, was the most well-known exponent of afroma.

The 1980s saw soukous from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then Zaire) become popular, and result in a Malawian variety called kwasa kwasa. Gospel music also became popular during this period, and even more so into the 1990s. The Pope's 1989 visit did a lot to inspire the rise in gospel music, which was also fueled by the country's intense poverty. Reggae has also become immensely popular, especially along the tourist-filled lakefront.

Traditional Malawian music has also found some commercial success, like the folk fusionists Pamtondo, whose music uses rhythms from the Lomwe, Makuwa and Man'ganja peoples. There have also been more traditionalist performers, like Alan Namoko.

There is a Malawi Broadcasting Corporation, and frequent listeners to "Radio One" will know that Malawian's favorite foreign artists are Don Williams, Shaggy, and South Africans Lucky Dube and Brenda Fassie.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

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Madonna’s involvement with Raising Malawi began indirectly through her series of children’s books. The impetus to write these books (such as The English Roses and Mr. Peabody’s Apples) came from her desire to communicate practical, spiritual wisdom in a way that would help kids make smarter choices in their lives.

This successful endeavor led her to join forces with an organization with the same goal of empowerment, called Spirituality for Kids (SFK). SFK is a unique educational program for children and families from at-risk communities that teaches them how to overcome the challenges of poverty, violence, drug abuse, and a host of other social ills.

Madonna has now worked with SFK for many years, promoting and supporting its programs to children and parents all around the globe. With Raising Malawi, she is taking it to the next level by bringing this life-saving wisdom to kids in areas of the world that would never find it on their own.

She is spearheading the construction of The Raising Malawi – Consol Homes Orphan Care Center, a place where children can come to eat, learn, read, and play in a safe, nurturing environment. This will also be where the children will be taught the principles of an SFK-based curriculum that is being co-created with local Malawian teachers to address the specific challenges in Africa.

Madonna’s universal appeal touches children of all backgrounds everywhere in the world. Raising Malawi is delighted and honored to have Madonna working on this vital and historic initiative.