Recent protests turned into riots:
"The demonstrations were called to protest against rising fuel prices, a shortage of foreign exchange reserves, alleged bad governance and poor international relations.
Last week, the UK cut direct aid to Malawi after a diplomatic spat with Mr Mutharika's government.
The UK accused Malawi of mishandling the economy and failing to uphold human rights.
The government recently passed an austerity budget, raising taxes to reduce dependence on aid.
Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, with an estimated 75% of the population living on less than $1 (60p) a day."
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We are leaving for Malawi on August 6th and I am hoping, selfishly, that this doesn't adversely affect our trip. I'd very much like to observe/document the rioting for myself, since I question the quality of reporting from areas with known autocratic-type governments. I can imagine these recent events distracting from our goals but the government of Malawi is a main contributor to the reason it is one of the poorest nations in the world. (Of course my sole source for making this claim is the book, "Boy who harnessed the wind," which I will write a little bit about in another post.)
However it turns out, lets hope things change for the better.
-m
