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| Features |
| Second Runner-Up: Dr Felix Salaniponi: man of discipline, confidence, care |
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by
Willie Zingani, 03 January 2006
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07:13:42
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Discipline, confidence and care are clear elements of Felix Martin Salaniponi’s life, a man whose success is closely associated with Malawi’s TB control programmes.
His mission at heart is simple and easy to read even when one takes a hard look straight into the eyes of a Malawian who deep down has no doubt that victory in the war against TB on the Malawi soil is certain. So far with his dedication to duty the situation is under control and light can be seen at the end of the tunnel.
Salaniponi’s adventure dates back to April 18, 1955 the day he was born as second child in the family of police detective officer Martin Luke Salaniponi and his wife Magdalena in the home district of Thyolo. It was a home of nine children (three sons and six daughters), but now six living following the deaths of one son and two daughters over the years.
Lilongwe-based Felix Salaniponi has become a household name in Malawi because of his dedication to the medical profession with a special mark at the TB Control Programme.
He attributes his attitude to duty to his now retired father whose approach to every aspect of life centred on discipline.
“Being a police officer my father was a disciplinarian and sometimes I felt he was too strict,” says Salaniponi. “But I don’t regret because the old man’s emphasis on good conduct and smartness is what has made me a determined person.”
Salaniponi smiles and remembers the way his father used to give orders to the wife and children, always advising them to work extra hard at school and never to give up whenever the going got tougher.
“You have heard of the policemen who worked with the colonial white officers when some of us were very young,” he says. “There were periodical inspection visits to the African police lines. Everybody had to be smart, spouses and children were all in clean clothes with the father in his well ironed uniform and polished black shoes. That’s the kind of environment I was brought up.”
But the beginning of Felix Salaniponi’s adventure was when he and his elder brother Slyvester were left under the care of their grandparents at Chaoneka Village, Traditional Authority Changata in Thyolo where the two tasted real African life.
Salaniponi appreciates the experience of joining his cousins to graze the cattle in the afternoon straight from school and later feast on nsima and seasonal vegetables, quite a remarkable village life where only the strongest survive.
“Both I and Slyvester enjoyed our times at the village. I started my early school at the village, but later went to join parents at my father’s workplace,” he says.
Having a father who was a policeman, the young boy and the rest of the children turned into nomads, and this saw them moving from one classroom to another at different primary schools in Thyolo, Chikwawa, Luchenza, Mikolongwe and finally Limbe where Felix passed his Standard 8 examinations in 1969 and got selected to Chichiri Secondary School in Blantyre.
“I was only 13 when I went to Chichiri, and in those days that was something remarkable because most of my classmates were very big boys and girls,” he says.
Although he was among the youngest, Salaniponi challenged some Chichiri Secondary School athletes in marathon running where everybody was surprised when he successfully completed a 26 kilometre race around the City of Blantyre.
“I also loved watching soccer in those days when our school had superstars like Ben Phoya and HHI had Patrick Chikafa and many others who made it into the national team,” he says.
Does he still support the Malawi national team, now known as the Flames even with the current dwindling standards? Salaniponi smiles and declares his loyalty to Malawi.
“I cherish the Malawi national team. I am always bitter when they are losing, but I don’t lose my loyalty. Of course, these days I spend my leisure time playing indoor games like Snakes and Ladders and bawo,” he says.
Salaponi, a devote Catholic, got married to Gladys in 1979 and they have four children — Christopher, Steve, Clara and Gladys. He is a strict vegetarian because “medically if you are a vegetarian you will have good health”.
“For 18 years I have lived on vegetables,” says Salaniponi. “I remember how bitter my mother used to be whenever I visited home and refused to eat her traditionally prepared chicken. But now she is used and cooks seasonal vegetables like bonongwe, chisoso and nkhwani.”
The ambition to study medicine developed at Chichiri where Salaniponi joined the Red Cross volunteers whose role was to assist other with First Aid, and running into the football ground with the kit to give attention to injured players fascinated the young boy throughout his four years of secondary school life.
Salaniponi passed his Malawi Certificate of Education (MCE) examination in 1974 at the age of 17.
“After my Form Four I had problems convincing people to employ me because I was so young, and sometimes I was forced to inflate my age to 21,” says Salaniponi with a broad smile. “Then I briefly worked for the National Insurance Company (Nico) before joining Chichiri High School for my ‘A’ levels.”
Then the bumpy road of searching for scholarships to study medicine started. There is no door that Salaniponi did not knock looking for training opportunities.
“At one time I applied for a French scholarship, but was not invited for interview,” says Salaniponi, who added that he was upset upon inquiring that the sponsors did not receive his application letter.
When finally the way opened Salaniponi got a scholarship to study Clinical Medicine at the University of Nairobi in Kenya (1984), and later proceeded to United Kingdom for his Masters Degree in Clinical Medicine at University of Wales. In 1991 he went to Mexico University in US where five years later he got his PhD in Health Care Management.
His first assignment with TB control programme started at the regional office in the South before taking charge of the project at its headquarters in Lilongwe.
Salaniponi is rated one of the highly respected TB control specialists in the world, with the Malawi programme as a model on the international scene. He has so far published more than 200 articles in scientific journals, and travelled widely around the world. Apart from his full-time work he also lectures at the College of Medicine.
One of his memorable moments in life is an opportunity he had to address the British Parliament prior to the G8 Summit when he lobbied MPs to support the initiative to raise funds for TB control in Africa.
“For the first time I went on BBC live to talk about control programme in Malawi and the rest of the Third World,” says Salaniponi. “And since then the response has been very good. I think through those documentaries I managed to change the mindset of western donors. At least now they agree that TB knows no boundary.”
He attributes his attitude to duty to his now retired father whose approach to every aspect of life centred on discipline.
“Being a police officer my father was a disciplinarian and sometimes I felt he was too strict,” says Salaniponi. “But I don’t regret because the old man’s emphasis on good conduct and smartness is what has made me a determined person.”
Salaniponi smiles and remembers the way his father used to give orders to the wife and children, always advising them to work extra hard at school and never to give up whenever the going got tougher.
“You have heard of the policemen who worked with the colonial white officers when some of us were very young,” he says. “There were periodical inspection visits to the African police lines. Everybody had to be smart, spouses and children were all in clean clothes with the father in his well ironed uniform and polished black shoes. That’s the kind of environment I was brought up.”
But the beginning of Felix Salaniponi’s adventure was when he and his elder brother Slyvester were left under the care of their grandparents at Chaoneka Village, Traditional Authority Changata in Thyolo where the two tasted real African life.
Salaniponi appreciates the experience of joining his cousins to graze the cattle in the afternoon straight from school and later feast on nsima and seasonal vegetables, quite a remarkable village life where only the strongest survive.
“Both I and Slyvester enjoyed our times at the village. I started my early school at the village, but later went to join parents at my father’s workplace,” he says.
Having a father who was a policeman, the young boy and the rest of the children turned into nomads, and this saw them moving from one classroom to another at different primary schools in Thyolo, Chikwawa, Luchenza, Mikolongwe and finally Limbe where Felix passed his Standard 8 examinations in 1969 and got selected to Chichiri Secondary School in Blantyre.
“I was only 13 when I went to Chichiri, and in those days that was something remarkable because most of my classmates were very big boys and girls,” he says.
Although he was among the youngest, Salaniponi challenged some Chichiri Secondary School athletes in marathon running where everybody was surprised when he successfully completed a 26 kilometre race around the City of Blantyre.
“I also loved watching soccer in those days when our school had superstars like Ben Phoya and HHI had Patrick Chikafa and many others who made it into the national team,” he says.
Does he still support the Malawi national team, now known as the Flames even with the current dwindling standards? Salaniponi smiles and declares his loyalty to Malawi.
“I cherish the Malawi national team. I am always bitter when they are losing, but I don’t lose my loyalty. Of course, these days I spend my leisure time playing indoor games like Snakes and Ladders and bawo,” he says.
Salaponi, a devote Catholic, got married to Gladys in 1979 and they have four children — Christopher, Steve, Clara and Gladys. He is a strict vegetarian because “medically if you are a vegetarian you will have good health”.
“For 18 years I have lived on vegetables,” says Salaniponi. “I remember how bitter my mother used to be whenever I visited home and refused to eat her traditionally prepared chicken. But now she is used and cooks seasonal vegetables like bonongwe, chisoso and nkhwani.”
The ambition to study medicine developed at Chichiri where Salaniponi joined the Red Cross volunteers whose role was to assist other with First Aid, and running into the football ground with the kit to give attention to injured players fascinated the young boy throughout his four years of secondary school life.
Salaniponi passed his Malawi Certificate of Education (MCE) examination in 1974 at the age of 17.
“After my Form Four I had problems convincing people to employ me because I was so young, and sometimes I was forced to inflate my age to 21,” says Salaniponi with a broad smile. “Then I briefly worked for the National Insurance Company (Nico) before joining Chichiri High School for my ‘A’ levels.”
Then the bumpy road of searching for scholarships to study medicine started. There is no door that Salaniponi did not knock looking for training opportunities.
“At one time I applied for a French scholarship, but was not invited for interview,” says Salaniponi, who added that he was upset upon inquiring that the sponsors did not receive his application letter.
When finally the way opened Salaniponi got a scholarship to study Clinical Medicine at the University of Nairobi in Kenya (1984), and later proceeded to United Kingdom for his Masters Degree in Clinical Medicine at University of Wales. In 1991 he went to Mexico University in US where five years later he got his PhD in Health Care Management.
His first assignment with TB control programme started at the regional office in the South before taking charge of the project at its headquarters in Lilongwe.
Salaniponi is rated one of the highly respected TB control specialists in the world, with the Malawi programme as a model on the international scene. He has so far published more than 200 articles in scientific journals, and travelled widely around the world. Apart from his full-time work he also lectures at the College of Medicine.
One of his memorable moments in life is an opportunity he had to address the British Parliament prior to the G8 Summit when he lobbied MPs to support the initiative to raise funds for TB control in Africa.
“For the first time I went on BBC live to talk about control programme in Malawi and the rest of the Third World,” says Salaniponi. “And since then the response has been very good. I think through those documentaries I managed to change the mindset of western donors. At least now they agree that TB knows no boundary.”
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