Visiting Malawi
From 13 July to 10 August we were once again able to visit Africa with a SwiZimAid group. In the regional music camp 2017 participants from Malawi were there for the first time. For practically all of them it was their first trip abroad and they were thrilled to be able to participate. It quickly became clear that instruments were in short supply in their country. Not all of them had their own instruments and those who had them were in a very bad condition. The instrument of a cornetist who had to play for me broke completely while playing. The next day he came back motivated to audition - Monika had repaired his instrument. We therefore decided to visit Malawi on this year's trip. John Moore, bandmaster in Belfast, Northern Ireland, who had also been in the regional music camp last year, had helped us to organise a pallet delivery to Malawi with 14 instruments, 25 stands, sheet music and clothes and also took over the transport costs. At the beginning of June, Marcel Reuteler's instruments were overhauled and ready to be sent to Malawi.
On Friday 27 July 2018, a SwiZimAid group (John & Sharon Major from England, John Moore, Monika Meier, Philipp Stettler and myself) flew from Harare (Zimbabwe) to Lilongwe (Malawi) and was welcomed there by Charles Chimamba, the territorial music director and Capt. Stanley Phiri, the PR officer.
On Saturday there was a band practice day organized in Lilongwe Corps. We practiced the whole day with 18 musicians. They all had their instruments and were very motivated. During the breaks we had good conversations with them. We practiced with them three pieces of music for the upcoming Sunday service. During the rehearsals Monika revised instruments outside at a table with tools she had brought with her. Certain instruments were in such a bad state - in our country they would not be used anymore.
On Sunday we were allowed to participate in a divisional meeting where the Corps officer was bid farewell because he moved to Blantyre. It soon became apparent that these officers were very popular in their corps - the meeting lasted more than four hours.
On Monday we were driven by Capt. Stanley to Blantyre, 350 km away, a car journey of about five hours. There we checked into a very simple hotel - there was practically no water, but several animal "roommates" shared our room.
On Tuesday morning we were picked up early and met the TC, Col. Moses Wandulu. Punctually at 8h30 we were greeted in his office very friendly and benevolent. The delivery of instruments and stands was obviously something new for him. He gave us the order to distribute the instruments where we thought it necessary. Some musicians from four different corps were already waiting for us in the Korps Bangwe, which is situated on a busy African road. Apparently they had not been told exactly what we were going to do with them and so they did not have their instruments with them. So it was decided that the instruments should be taken from the Corps Blantyre, 15 km away. With a delay of two hours we started our music rehearsal after all. Again Monika was busy revising instruments. At the end of the day we distributed 14 instruments in agreement with Charles Chimamba as well as the six that we had brought in our hand luggage from Switzerland and England. With them we as SwiZimAid group had musically framed the church services on three Sundays in three different African countries. All in all it was an exhausting but successful day.
On the way back via Monkey Bay at Lake Malawi, where we could spend a pleasant day of rest, we could personally bring the last instruments to Corps Lilongwe.
Our week in Malawi was impressive. There are only one B-bass, one Eb-bass and three Euphoniums in the whole country. Our team quickly agreed: more instruments are urgently needed there. So we want to send big instrument with the next delivery. This will probably be in June next year - after Africa is before Africa!