Pasha Dzikanyanga does it again

More ‘firsts’ for Pasha Dzikanyanga

Pasha has done it again. The amazing little girl has added another first on the list of her feats so far.  Yesterday, Sunday, 4^th November 2012, she became the first child to be baptized during the English service at Chitakale CCAP in Mulanje. As if that was not enough, Pasha became the first child at Chitakale CCAP Church to undergo a lone baptism ceremony. She was the only child to be baptized on the holy Sunday; Stella and I felt extremely honoured during the  historic ceremony.

Pasha was baptized at exactly 8:45 am on the cool Sunday morning. The entire Chitakale CCAP Congregation held its breath as the little Pasha was baptized. The little girl smiled broadly as the Minister recited the baptismal script. Her smile was spasmodically interrupted by the shouts of “ah!” from the little Pasha, to the amazement of the entire English-speaking Chitakale congregation. At two months and three weeks, the little has already started building her vocabulary full of the usual child gobbledygook.

The minister blessed the little girl and wished her a long, healthy, prosperous and blessed life. He also went on to congratulate her for making history by becoming the first child to be baptized during the English service. It was amazing, how I wish you were there!

Pasha availed her record-shattering tendency and competitive spirit on the 12^th August when she became the first child to be born through the cesarean section on that day at Mulanje Mission Hospital. A record five babies were born through cesarean section and the marvelous Pasha led the way. So don't be surprised when I tell you that Pasha has broken another record, it’s her nature.

Thoughts of my late Mom, on Mother’s Day

My late mother, Chrissy Nasilina Dzikanyanga, nee Mphamba will always occupy a special place in my life come rain or sunshine. I am what I am today because of her. I have crossed deep oceans but found none as deep as my love for her. 

This courageous woman carried me in her womb for nine months to preserve my life. As if that was not enough she braved a cesarean section on 11^th June at Likuni Hospital in Lilongwe to bring me into this world. When I think about how other women abort innocent fetuses like nobody’s business and go scot free, I consider myself privileged and my mother a virtuous woman.

My mother was the best teacher, counselor, guide, guardian, friend, nurse, lawyer and judge that I have had in my life. She could forgo food just to make sure that I had enough to eat. She never forgot to tell me how I was feeling every morning and every evening. Whenever I was happy she was happy too and when I was sad she was sad as well but was always ready to give me soul soothing words. 

I had always been a child to my mother. She was never afraid of me even when I grew taller than her, started a body building programme, add some muscles and put a six pad on my stomach. She would shout at me like a baby and I wouldn’t dare challenge her. I always liked my mother for that. She demonstrated that she cared much about me and my siblings. Even after the passing on of our magnificent father, she remained in control of the family affairs.

My mother also taught me the power of prayer. It will be unbecoming of me if I don’t disclose today that it was a biblical verse she wrote in her letter to me and a soul touching prayer she gave over me that opened the doors to prosperity for me.

It was that verse and prayer that gave me the courage and strength to move on when I had almost given up on acquiring some sound tertiary education. I always tell my friends that my journey to prosperity began with a verse and prayer. It’s sad that my mother died while I was still in college, before she could see the fruits of her hard labour.

Ladies and gentlemen, it even pains me to realize that Pasha my daughter will never see her virtuous grandmother in fresh. She will only see her in photographs and reconstruct her life in the moving stories that she will be told about her marvelous granny. A woman full of advice and funny folk tales.

Honestly, I envy all of you guys who had the opportunity to share some wonderful moments with your mothers and give something as a token of appreciation for their priceless effort in preserving your lives today. As for me, I can only visit her tomb and thank her immortal soul.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, join me in paying homage to the most wonderful mother in the world, Chrissy Nasilina Dzikanyanga, nee Mphamba. May God bless her immortal soul!

For Pasha Dzikanyanga

Little Pasha

Today, marks exactly two months since Pasha, my beautiful daughter was born. She arrived into the world by way of a cesarean section, just like me, on Sunday, 12^th August 2012. The little Pasha was born six days after my wife and I had celebrated our first wedding anniversary. What else can make a couple more grateful to God than this?

Weighing 3.5kgs at birth, Pasha is indeed a Leo. She looks strong, intelligent, focused, composed and relaxed. She doesn’t feel intimidated by her new environment but she is always busy figuring out reality and developing a bigger picture of the world in the process. Honestly speaking, the girl is my carbon copy; she has my hair, mouth, nose, and chin. My wife even argues that her feet resemble mine. But for your information, I am a Gemini.

Honestly, I will never forget the moment my sister in-law handed her over to me straight from the theater; it was the happiest moment in my life. A day never passes by without me reliving that occasion. It was that moment that made me realize that indeed I have grown up for I became not only a husband to my wife Stella, but also a father to my daughter Pasha.  

Why the Name Pasha?

Some friends have been asking me why I gave my daughter the name Pasha. Honestly speaking the name just dropped into my mind like a thunderbolt on a rock and I fell for it. It is an Indian name, which means bond. Pasha is therefore a bond between me and Stella, my family and Stella’s family, and between the two tribes to which we belong: Ngoni and Chewa. It is my hope that as Pasha grows, this bond will become stronger and stronger. May the Lord be praised for Pasha! May the good Lord bless Pasha so that she may lead a fulfilling life in this world!

The Lie on the Twenty Kwacha Note

For Hector Pieterson and the 16 June Children of Soweto

The entire continent of Africa celebrates the International Day of the African Child on June 16, every year. This day has been celebrated since 1991, when it was first initiated by the then Organization of African Unity (now the African Union). The Day was established in honour of all those who participated in the Soweto Uprising of June 16, 1976. It also raises awareness of the continuing need for improvement of the education provided to African Children. But 36 years after the Soweto Uprising and 21 years after the International Day of the African Child was first celebrated we Africans need to ask our leaders some pertinent and radical questions because it appears that the force that the children of Soweto fought against is still alive and kicking today. 

On the fateful June 16, 1976, about ten thousand black children peacefully marched in a column more than half a mile long in protesting against the poor quality of their education and demanding their right to be taught in their own language. But the apartheid South African Government forces opened gunfire on these innocent souls, killing some and injuring many in the process. Hundreds more were killed and more than a thousand injured in the two-week protests that followed this brutal June 16 police action. Hector Pieterson (see image), who was the first to be killed, remains the most famous of these courageous African children.

First victim: Lifeless Hector Pieterson is carried by a sympathetic teenager

But if Hector Pieterson rose from the dead today, would he be contented that his blood has yielded the intended fruits? The honest answer remains a loud no, just like it was in 1991 when the day was first celebrated. Today the standard of education remains poor in most African countries and the majority of African children are still alienated in institutions of learning which are meant to serve them. African schools have never been friendly to the child and our education continues to serve the interests of political leaders and not the children for whom it is designed. In this 21^st Century, our children continue to have a cosmetic representation in curriculum development forums even though they have a direct interest in education. The  concept of inclusive education is very strange to Africa and there are very few schools on the continent, which offer the child friendly Montessori type of education.

Take me to a country where education services are offered in the best interest of the child and I will take you to African schools where learners are forced to converse in English or French only, although these are not their mother languages. Learners get punished for seeking clarification of a scholarly point in their own mother language. This means that learners will have to fight a two-front war in order to acquire knowledge; they have to grapple with the second language all the time before wrestling with the concept at hand. Believe you me, they will always come second class to those who are taught in their mother language. Isn’t this the very thing the children of Soweto fought against? 

I am not saying that our education should be in vernacular, but our teachers should ensure that the learners are able to understand the concepts well. They can communicate in vernacular if they want to drive a point home. Remember, teaching and learning just like any communication process has to be dynamic and complete. Today I pay a belated homage to Pieterson and all the 16 June Children of Soweto, but my heart grieves upon realizing that their rebellion and eventual deaths have been taken for granted. May the souls of these courageous children of the African soil rest in eternal peace.

Below I have published my poem which I recited as a student at Civo Stadium in Lilongwe, Malawi, during the fourth celebration of the International Day of the African Child. You will find out that the issues addressed in the poem are as fresh as they were in 1994.

African Child

Wake up African Child.

The sun is peeping

through the window

of your dark cubbyhole.

Wake up African Child.

For how long will you sleep in a coma

with dreams of better days

hidden inside your pillow?

Wake up African Child.

Bask in the warm glow of education

to arm yourself with confidence

as the going gets tough.

Wake up African Child.

Let your wings grow

and fly so high

to the heights of the skies.

Presidents of the USA: a Comprehensive List

PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Twenty minutes ago, a very good friend of mine I fondly call Mtumwi Dennis, asked me to give him a list of all the Presidents of the USA from the great George Washington. I felt duty-bound to assist my very good friend and here goes the list complete with the years during which these men held the highest office of their land:

1.       George Washington (1789 - 97)

2.       John Adams (1797 - 1801)

3.       Thomas Jefferson (1801 - 09)

4.       James Madison (1809 - 17)

5.       James Monroe (1817 -25)

6.       John Quincy Adams (1825 - 29)

7.       Andrew Jackson (1829 - 37)

8.       Martin Van Buren (1837 - 41)

9.       William Henry Harrison (1841)

10.   John Tyler (1841 - 45)

11.   James Knox Polk (1845 - 49)

12.   Zachary Taylor (1849 - 50)

13.   Millard Fillmore (1850 - 53)

14.   Franklin Pierce (1853 - 57)

15.   James Buchanan (1857 - 61)

16.   Abraham Lincoln (1861 - 65)

17.   Andrew Johnson (1865 - 69)

18.   Ulysses Simpson Grant (1869 - 77)

19.   Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1877 - 81)

20.   James Abram Garfield (1881)

21.   Chester Alan Arthur (1881 - 85)

22.   Grover Cleveland (1885 - 89)

23.   Benjamin Harrison (1889 - 93)

24.   Grover Cleveland (1893 - 97)

25.   William McKinley (1897 - 1901)

26.   Theodore Roosevelt (1901 - 09)

27.   William Howard Taft (1909 - 13)

28.   Woodrow Wilson (1913 - 21)

29.   Warren Gamaliel Harding (1921 - 23)

30.   Calvin Coolidge (1923 - 29)

31.   Herbert Clark Hoover (1929 - 33)

32.   Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933 - 45)

33.   Harry S. Truman (1945 - 53)

34.   Dwight David Eisenhower (1953 - 61)

35.   John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1961 - 63)

36.   Lyndon Baines Johnson (1963 - 69)

37.   Richard Milhous Nixon (1969 - 74)

38.    Gerard Rudolph Ford (1974 - 77)

39.   Jimmy Carter (1977 - 81)

40.   Ronald Wilson Reagan (1981 - 89)

41.   George Herbert Walker Bush (1989 - 93)

42.   William Jefferson Blythe IV Clinton (1993 - 2001)

43.   George Walker Bush (2001 - 09)

44.   Barrack Hussein Obama (2009 - Present)

Munthu-Nerva Dzikanyanga 2012©