The historian Margery Perham once wrote that “the basic difficulty” with the British colonial technique of indirect rule, of which she was a major architect, was “the great gap between the culture of rulers and ruled.” “People do not understand what we want them to do,” she wrote, “or, if they understand, do not want […]
We had been studiously avoiding coverage of Madonna’s latest trip to Malawi, but such is the deliciousness of the excoriating 11-point press release put out yesterday by Joyce Banda that we couldn’t resist wading in. These two had previous — Madonna’s people had scapegoated Banda’s sister over a botched school project — and the latest […]
When Bingu wa Mutharika was hospitalised in April it was at first extremely difficult to find reliable information about either his personal condition or the high drama of political theatre that was unfolding. By far the best place to go for this turned out to be Twitter, where a number of Malawian reporters posted live […]
Malawi is fed up with Madonna and her school daze, with the singer’s refusal to consult and her autocratic ways. Given the autocratic politics of the Mutharika regime, that’s both quite a statement and none at all. Madonna’s foundation, Raising Malawi (a telling name), has reportedly spent $3.8 million on a state-of-the-art school for girls […]
Kim Yi Dionne is an assistant professor of political science at Texas A&M University. She writes for AIAC about recent coverage of Malawi, actually Madonna in Malawi (that’s the problem). Kim also blogs about Malawi, politics, and HIV/AIDS at the blog, haba na haba. You can also find her on Twitter–Sean Jacobs. Kim Yi Dionne Guest Blogger Malawi has […]
“The Power of Madonna! Malawi Releases Gay Couple After Madge Protests!” “Madonna saves gay couple in Malawi.” “Jailed Malawian Gay Couple Released After Madonna Petitions.” “A Madonna Miracle? Malawi Releases Gay Couple After Material One Protests.” Apparently, while we were sleeping, Madonna became the new UN Secretary General.
