One ball and lots and lots of children that want a ball = problems.. So we met with some of the elders and discussed how to deal with the new soccer ball. It was decided that it would be shared between two groups of children (2 different football clubs) and then given to a gentleman , who is considered the equipment manager for the teams when the ball is not in use.. The excitement about the ball was really amazing and a little concerning at the same time. If I would have gone into the village by myself and handed a ball to a bunch of children, that would have created mass chaos.
On the way back into town , we went through a police check point .. I noticed one of the officers had a gun .. it kind of looked like an old tommy gun from the olden days. I asked Prince.. "Are those things loaded?" he said.. "No, why would they be? No one here causes any problems." And for the most part he is correct.. Malawi is very, very peaceful.
A few minutes later we hit a police checkpoint.. Prince was in the front seat with me and looking at photos on his phone.. He had it up in front of him about eye level and it looked like he was taking a photo.. Well, taking photos of police here is illegal and the police officer at the checkpoint thought he was taking a photo of him.. From in front of the car, the officer pointed at Prince and said in a very stern and angry voice "Why are you taking photos of me! You were not permitted to take photos of me, you were advised!!!" The officer walks over to the passenger window and asked to see his phone.. Prince looks at the officer and says.... "Why would I take a photo of you? Look at you!" Then they start cracking up.. I was about to pee my pants in fear and here are these two Malawians yucking it up at what appeared to be a serious problem. As we were driving away Prince saw a female officer and said the same thing to her .. "Why would I take a photo of you too!?!?" It is obvious that Malawian have a good sense of humour .. I regret not studying the language more than I did... but I still don't think I would have the guts to tell an officer he was not worth a photograph..
It was amazing to me how important this one soccer ball was to the community.. It was important for us to go through the proper channels and get advice from the elder gentleman and the village chief prior to handing the ball over.. Everyone met in a large group to discuss the ball and how to properly handle the situation. We wanted to stress that the ball was for the community. So, the Mkanda Football Clubs (there were 2) were advised that they schedule two separate practices. Thus, each team had their time to use the ball. The video below is the kids about 30 seconds after I handed the ball over to them. Most soccer balls in the village are tied up plastic bags.. Plastic bags are a big deal here and nothing is thrown away as it could be used for a ball.
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| original soccer ball |
I am piecing this together as my Nursery school kids draw rocket ships. I have a little boy in the class who asks every single class.... "Can we cut?" For a while I always said no.. But now, after seeing the joy in his face when I tell him he CAN cut, I let him regardless of the project.. He loves "to cut".. he cuts everything.. Sometimes he cuts artwork for the other kids.. whether they like it or not.
Happy hump day everyone.. Sunny and beautiful in Malawi this morning.
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| Me with the Mkanda Football Club and their new ball. |
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| Mother watching the meeting about the ball |
