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| 'I knew I had to change the mindset that ambassadors should be men' | 'I knew I had to change the mindset that ambassadors should be men' |
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| You served as an ambassador to Zambia and India, from 2005 to 2012. Tell us what that entailed I was an academic teaching at the university, but the system in Malawi is that you can always second somebody to government to serve in another capacity. In 2005 I was the dean at the faculty of applied sciences, and we had a meeting with government officials. I was made Malawi's ambassador to Zambia in the same year. | You served as an ambassador to Zambia and India, from 2005 to 2012. Tell us what that entailed I was an academic teaching at the university, but the system in Malawi is that you can always second somebody to government to serve in another capacity. In 2005 I was the dean at the faculty of applied sciences, and we had a meeting with government officials. I was made Malawi's ambassador to Zambia in the same year. |
| When I was serving in Zambia, I was also accredited to other countries including Angola. While I was there I also served as Malawi's representative for the common market for east and southern Africa from 2005 – 2010. My colleague in Delhi in India was transferred to the UN so I was asked to go to serve as ambassador of Malawi in India from 2010 – 2012. | When I was serving in Zambia, I was also accredited to other countries including Angola. While I was there I also served as Malawi's representative for the common market for east and southern Africa from 2005 – 2010. My colleague in Delhi in India was transferred to the UN so I was asked to go to serve as ambassador of Malawi in India from 2010 – 2012. |
| You were a dean before becoming an ambassador. Was the move from academia to diplomacy an easy one? | You were a dean before becoming an ambassador. Was the move from academia to diplomacy an easy one? |
| When I was told I was being made an ambassador, I felt that it was an honour to serve my government in that capacity. I was of course surprised when I was appointed, but I also felt that moving from academia to diplomacy was a new challenge and I needed to do the best that I could to serve my country. | When I was told I was being made an ambassador, I felt that it was an honour to serve my government in that capacity. I was of course surprised when I was appointed, but I also felt that moving from academia to diplomacy was a new challenge and I needed to do the best that I could to serve my country. |
| When you are an academic, you are trained to face anything, stand up to any new development, think fast and answer to that challenge. When you are in diplomacy, especially if you're an ambassador, every day is a new day: something may happen that will impact upon you and your country, and reporters are there to ask you for your comment – you have to be on top of everything all of the time. So having gone through the rigours of a PhD, defending your thesis, or going to conferences where you have to present your research results and answer questions from your colleagues, I was prepared for the unpredictable world of diplomacy. | When you are an academic, you are trained to face anything, stand up to any new development, think fast and answer to that challenge. When you are in diplomacy, especially if you're an ambassador, every day is a new day: something may happen that will impact upon you and your country, and reporters are there to ask you for your comment – you have to be on top of everything all of the time. So having gone through the rigours of a PhD, defending your thesis, or going to conferences where you have to present your research results and answer questions from your colleagues, I was prepared for the unpredictable world of diplomacy. |
| How has working for the government influenced the way you teach now that you've returned to academia? | How has working for the government influenced the way you teach now that you've returned to academia? |
| One thing that I have learned in my diplomatic career, especially in countries like India where it's culturally different, is that students need to be prepared for life survival strategies instead of just concentrating on a book or in their specialised areas. We need to prepare our young men and women coming out of universities for life out there, so that they will know how to network, lobby, and be able to rise up to any occasion. Before I was exposed to diplomacy, I just concentrated on my area of specialisation, but now I approach this differently. | One thing that I have learned in my diplomatic career, especially in countries like India where it's culturally different, is that students need to be prepared for life survival strategies instead of just concentrating on a book or in their specialised areas. We need to prepare our young men and women coming out of universities for life out there, so that they will know how to network, lobby, and be able to rise up to any occasion. Before I was exposed to diplomacy, I just concentrated on my area of specialisation, but now I approach this differently. |
| Did president Joyce Banda's appointment feel like an important shift in the male-dominated political sphere? | Did president Joyce Banda's appointment feel like an important shift in the male-dominated political sphere? |
| The late president Bingu wa Mutharika made sure that women were appointed to decision making positions. Banda was appointed as the first female vice president of this country, and according to our constitution, the vice president must take over if anything happens to the president. So if Mutharika had not appointed Banda [to his government], she may not be president now. I'm very happy for us in Malawi that we have made history and we have the second female president on the whole continent, the first in Malawi and the first one in the southern Africa region. | The late president Bingu wa Mutharika made sure that women were appointed to decision making positions. Banda was appointed as the first female vice president of this country, and according to our constitution, the vice president must take over if anything happens to the president. So if Mutharika had not appointed Banda [to his government], she may not be president now. I'm very happy for us in Malawi that we have made history and we have the second female president on the whole continent, the first in Malawi and the first one in the southern Africa region. |
| Having women in positions of visibility is very important for the government. I was the first Malawian lady to serve as an ambassador in Zambia, and you went into that job knowing you had to change the mindset that ambassadors should be men. You knew that you had to perform twice as much for it to be recognised that you were doing as good or even better a job than your male counterparts. | Having women in positions of visibility is very important for the government. I was the first Malawian lady to serve as an ambassador in Zambia, and you went into that job knowing you had to change the mindset that ambassadors should be men. You knew that you had to perform twice as much for it to be recognised that you were doing as good or even better a job than your male counterparts. |
| What is your biggest goal for Malawi now that you are no longer a part of its government? | What is your biggest goal for Malawi now that you are no longer a part of its government? |
| Now I've returned to academia, I'll go back to my biggest passion which is empowering female children to have an education. Before I was appointed to the diplomatic service, I was chairperson of the forum for African women educationalists – and our main focus was empowering the education of young girls, which needs improving in Malawi. As we move forward, we can answer to the dream of having gender parity both at a grassroots level, in our parliaments and in our decision making bodies. | Now I've returned to academia, I'll go back to my biggest passion which is empowering female children to have an education. Before I was appointed to the diplomatic service, I was chairperson of the forum for African women educationalists – and our main focus was empowering the education of young girls, which needs improving in Malawi. As we move forward, we can answer to the dream of having gender parity both at a grassroots level, in our parliaments and in our decision making bodies. |
| Do you think the recent Zimbabwean elections are indicative of African politics in general? | Do you think the recent Zimbabwean elections are indicative of African politics in general? |
| Each country is unique and faces its own unique problems. I was reading an article from Dumisani Nkomo of Zimbabwe that says: 'If president Mugabe will decide to pursue a moderate and conciliatory political and economic agenda, there's still hope for Zimbabwe, and he may be able to salvage his legacy.' It is my hope that the newly elected government in Zimbabwe will respect the rights of all people, both the majority and the minority, and that the government will place the interest of all its citizens above party or factional interests. | Each country is unique and faces its own unique problems. I was reading an article from Dumisani Nkomo of Zimbabwe that says: 'If president Mugabe will decide to pursue a moderate and conciliatory political and economic agenda, there's still hope for Zimbabwe, and he may be able to salvage his legacy.' It is my hope that the newly elected government in Zimbabwe will respect the rights of all people, both the majority and the minority, and that the government will place the interest of all its citizens above party or factional interests. |
| What is the future of development in Malawi? | What is the future of development in Malawi? |
| President Banda is doing a good job on the presidential initiative on safe motherhood: it is really entrenched in the villages, and it could allow us to move a long way in cutting down the number of women who die during childbirth, because it's being taken from people on the ground to the chiefs. | President Banda is doing a good job on the presidential initiative on safe motherhood: it is really entrenched in the villages, and it could allow us to move a long way in cutting down the number of women who die during childbirth, because it's being taken from people on the ground to the chiefs. |
| In terms of whether our agricultural policies will make us self-sufficient again [Malawi had reached a state of agricultural self-sufficiency during the last government], that has yet to be seen. The engine of any country is in trade and development, and I'm hoping we can improve our trade with our neighbours as well as other countries where we can export our goods and services. I'm also hoping that we'll have improved a lot in the areas of health and education, and will have empowered the common man in the villages to move forward with everybody else. | In terms of whether our agricultural policies will make us self-sufficient again [Malawi had reached a state of agricultural self-sufficiency during the last government], that has yet to be seen. The engine of any country is in trade and development, and I'm hoping we can improve our trade with our neighbours as well as other countries where we can export our goods and services. I'm also hoping that we'll have improved a lot in the areas of health and education, and will have empowered the common man in the villages to move forward with everybody else. |
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