THEN ZUCKERBERG SAID, "LET THERE BE PROPHECIES IN MALAWI"

As the 2004 General Election approached, the hype was incomprehensible to the moderate minds. Everyone wanted to find some space where they could breathe a different scent than that of political fire. Some of us found this space in the religion circles.

Every day at around 11am, I used to walk from my parents’ home in Area 12 to Chinese Garden which has now been developed into Bingu International Conference Centre and the Presidential Hotel.

A week before the Election Day which fell on a Tuesday, our pastors at the Lunch Hour fellowship intimated that God had given them a message which they had to convey to Malawians and that we were the privileged few to get it firsthand.

The pavilion was filled to capacity and everyone was ready to hear what God had said concerning the elections.

One of the Pastors, who at that time used to work for Reserve Bank of Malawi, took to the podium.

Looking nervous and with a hoarse voice he said.

“We know we might have state agents here but that will not hinder God’s words this afternoon,” he swallowed his saliva together with his fear such that his next statement carried with it extra vigor and stability.

“God has shown us that the next President of Malawi is Gwanda Chakuamba, we will hold hands and thank God for His provision because He is Jehovah Jireh, our provider,”

The statement brought some unease among the crowd but the pastor was already into his next line.

“If there is anyone who feels that this is not in their favour, may I ask them to leave because as we hold hands in agreement we will be speaking with one voice in acceptance of God’s choice,”

One humble looking lady, probably in her mid thirties, picked up her handbag and headed out. She was escorted by many eyes. She never looked back but simply vanished into the scanty forest towards Chief Mbelwa House at the City Centre.

We held hands and prayed for some 10 minutes or so. As we dispersed, one could feel the air of excitement among the congregants. I headed for the British Council Learning Centre with so many questions and anticipation on what God had said through the pastors.

Gwanda, without even learning of the Chinese Garden prophecy was stealing the show across the country. He had been keeping his beard and hair growing for months and promised that he would get rid of it on his inauguration.

Election Day came.

Bingu wa Mutharika won, John Tembo was second.

Gwanda, the favoured, was in distant third. Chwe Mwana Chwe aka Kamlepo Kalua was breathing down his neck in the contest.

Gwanda was heartbroken and claimed victory, violence erupted and lives were lost.

All that is history now, Gwanda is tucked somewhere in his decent home on the hill of Nyambadwe.

The Chinese Garden prophecy went down the drain and no one dared to ask the prophets who brought it out.

It was this scenario that opened up my eyes that sometimes our religious leaders depart from Biblical precepts when dealing with contemporary issues.

Of late, it seems every man or woman who starts a ministry is rushing to the prophecy corner because that is where demand is.

I will not dispute the fact that God speaks to His people through prophets but I am at pains to comprehend why these distinguished men and women are carried away by social and technological progression thereby twisting the intended purpose of God’s calling.

Three months before the Gwanda prophecy, one Mark Zuckerberg had established a social networking site called Facebook. But we never had the privilege to send the messages to many people as it was still an alien culture.

Things have changed so fast. A facebook post by a prominent Malawian prophet will yield more than 5000 likes, 5000 comments and 100 shares within 30 minutes. What an amazing viral world!

This calls for great responsibility from our men of God as they deal with this technological and social advancement.

A day doesn't elapse without some prophet (mainly from Lilongwe) telling the nation what is going to happen in 2013 and the first half of 2014. (I still don't understand why these prophecies don't go beyond May 2014)

Much as some of the prophecies are general and suited for all Malawians, some have mentioned names of influential people especially politicians. Some of these people have had their names mentioned in full why others have only first letters of their two names given.

Not only that, the prophets have invited (through Facebook) those that feel the prophecies are directed at them to contact them for more or prayers.   

I fail to understand why some prophets use facebook to discuss issues that are private in nature. Why not find the person's details and send them personal communication on issues that concern them.

Remember Prophet Nathan when heard a message from God for King David? Did he rush to tell the Israelites a message that wasn’t meant for them but their King?

Why then do we have prophets these days who say things that in a way cause alarm among the citizens? What they say might be true but we serve a God of order and wisdom. It is wisdom that some of our prophets need when dealing with these issues.

If God has a message for Malawians, then Malawians should be told. If that message is narrowed down to the leadership then the leadership should be notified. This can be done by following the right channels such as booking appointments or sending letters to Office of President and Cabinet or through the Presidential Adviser on Religious Affairs.

God is still saying something but I don’t think He has changed just because Zuckerberg came up with Facebook. Let wisdom rule.

With Godly love; to respected prophets and prophetesses of God.   

CALLISTA’S DEMEANING ACT: K550 AS BUSINESS CAPITAL?

Callista Mutharika is back, has spoken and we have heard.

Last week she was guest of honor at a Pastors Fraternal Voices meeting in Chemusa, Blantyre. It is not her attendance that has hunted out this blog post but rather her tongue which we believe was used without much consideration and wisdom.

Being guest of honor, Callista needed to realize that she had to flow with the etiquette of such a gathering. As such her speech would have scored marks if she stuck to that which necessitated her invitation.

However, it was not to be, Callista found a platform to pick lying bones with the Head of State by pointing out what she thinks are the anomalies with the current government. As a Malawian citizen, it is within her freedoms to express her views on the affairs in the country.

The problem with Callista’s speech is that it even went further and personal to the point of showering contempt on the President and calling her a mandasi seller.

It doesn't take a gesture more than this to appreciate what one has done for you

Without delving much into what she said, Callista must learn to stick within the boundaries of proceedings at any function. She must not use a church platform to square personal matters with the President, let alone anyone.

Callista must appreciate that President Joyce Banda does not have any issues against her. For instance, the President was there every mile of the last journey of Bingu’s body and she made sure that he was buried with proper decorum even though the country was going through a tense moment politically.

The ex-First Lady must also be thankful to President Joyce Banda as she played a role for her to be recruited at Hunger Project, a move that propelled her to political fame. May be she does not see what we see.

It surprises me how Callista thinks she still has to settle scores with the Head of State in regards to the businesses she has run and continues to operate.

Jealous and mockery notwithstanding, we all know that the Joyce Banda brand is associated with efficient businesses across the board; whether her own or those she helps in numerous ways. No one can deny that Joyce Banda is one of the country’s top business women.

Besides lacking moral etiquette, Callista falls short on sensitivity. Is she trying to insult thousands upon thousands of Malawian women who trade in mandasi? Are they not productive citizens? 

Why should Callista insult an endeavor that gives many Malawians earnings?

If she is wise (she is yet to prove that to us) she must apologize to women who are surviving because of their productive mandasi businesses.

As things stand, there is no need for Callista to have beef with President Dr. Joyce Banda. They are in two different worlds right now and their influence on society is in high contrast.

And funny enough, she gives K220, 000 for the 400 pastors’ wives to share (considering that Malawi’s pastoral landscape is male dominated)

How on earth can someone start a business with an average figure of K550? (For my international audience, K550 is almost equivalent to 1 British Pound)

Let Callista attend a football match at Kamuzu Stadium one of these days and ask those chaps who trade in sweets, water or mandasi. She will be surprised that they need way more than K550 to make their ventures efficient and prosperous.

Next time she attends a function as guest of honor she must remember two things;

One, confine her speech to the etiquette of the function

Two, never to disguise lunch allowances (no matter how meager) as business capital. I know she will say it's a Revolving Fund. Sorry we didn't hear that, let the women share it at one go.

I hope she hears this.