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| Columns |
| Letter from the Capital |
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by
K.L.Mphwanye, 10 December 2006
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05:44:56
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Of stunted growth and football
Moya,
Some people think I don’t sober up and look at national issues from a broad perspective but spend my time planning tit-for-tat political manoeuvres or listening to my political shenanigans. To the contrary, in the evenings and very early in the mornings I spend a good chunk of my quality time looking at technical and strategic issues in my Capital Office, one that my predecessors never used at all.
In other words, I also work and earn my bread. Osakhala kumangoti yaviyavi ngati ndiribe zochita.
For example, this other day I was reading reports from the National Sports Council and other sporting bodies funded/subsidised by State coffers. Apart from grandiose plans and high-sounding dreams in most of the reports, I also noticed consistent poor performance by our national football team, for which the fellows were being very apologetic and hoping for a better day.
Which, Moya, brought me to the current Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (Cecafa) competition, where our performance, as usual, has been below standard. Everyone has given their ideas on the poor show. Fine. But you see what; even if I am not a soccer-mad follower or keen analyst of these things, I feel I can say a word or two as well.
I hear we lost 0-1 to thin-looking and miserable Ethiopians, 1-2 to our clumsy cousins from Tanzania after “falling” (kugwera) 3-0 on pitiful souls from troubled Djibouti? We were finally booted out of the competition by Uganda in post-match penalties mid last week. By all standards, that is not the mark of football Malawi was known for in the 70s.
My take, Moya, is that we lack the fitness to effectively run on the pitch throughout the entire game. We don’t have the energies. Now, do you want to ask me why? Well, I will tell you for free: we Malawians don’t eat. There are a number of factors for this. Some have to do with natural causes like persistent drought in some years but other reasons have to do with our own laziness (ulesi). We don’t work hard any more in our gardens. We can’t afford fertiliser because we don’t work hard in our jobs or go an extra mile to make an extra buck the way the Chinese do.
We Malawians wait for handouts, courtesy of the spirit created by my predecessor.
And, Moya, when we get the food, it is monotonous—with nsima roughage as the central issue, the type of nsima (made of ufa woyera) that is washed of its nutrients.
I am not saying this just to spite our national team and all Malawians. No. But see how amnzathuwa (azungu or foreigners) eat. Right from breakfast, there are literally mountains of everything a human being needs to consume for effective activity and growth. The dishes consist all the six food groups. Lunch and supper are also Christmases on their own. But the cardinal thing is, the fellows work hard to earn the meals.
I am not sure our football players have access to the type and quantities of food I am talking about here. If you look at the Rooneys, Beckhams, Henris, Drogbas, etc, you will notice that most of these are just “babies” that have been properly fed and have grown to their full potential in terms of physique and endurance.
On the contrary, Moya, most Malawians (excluding the likes of the revered Themba la Mathemba, Inkosi ya Makosi Mmbelwa IV of Mzimba, Francis Tayanja-Phiri of Salima, Limbani Moya of Lilongwe, Atcheya from Kapoloma, Robert Ngaiyaye from Mwanza or Ada Manda from Chinthechi) don’t grow to full potential. In nutritional terms, we label the “under-grown people” as stunted.
You see Moya, as I said the other day, stunting is a result of lack of basic nutritious foods at early stages of life, particularly between ages 0 and 24 months. If one misses a nutritious food package (particularly exclusive breast-feeding) at that time, stunting occurs. It is, unfortunately, irreparable! The matter is worsened by poor food intake in childhood and adult years. Which, Moya, I believe is the case of most of our sports men and women. Kupinimbira!
Secondly, I want to contend here (and I know soccer hawks like George, Gracian, the two Steves: Liwewe-Banda and Nhlane or Kelvin Moyo will “eat” me up) that the standard of education among our players in various sports disciplines may also contribute to their poor reading of ongoing games, that is, as the play is on. They all look out to the coach on the bench for direction or wait for his dressing room half-time pep-talk!
Which is what I think is contrary to Malawi’s glorious soccer days. Most of the players of those days had genuine MSCEs—I know ace ‘keeper, the late John Dzimbiri, who was being plucked from school (the prestigious national Catholic boarding school at Mzedi) when he was being called for national duty. The fellow was also a king-pin in subsequent indomitable teams like Railways, Limbe Toyota, Berec Power Pack, etc.
We even had graduate players like Frank Mlotchwa and many others. I am sure all these perceived and practised football as something that obeys some academic theory, like the concept of vectors, where the principles of force and direction are at play. I am sure most of the players, after the coaching, relied on their intellect and well-built bodies that could withstand pressure and contain any team on the continent.
Now, Moya, compare those excellent players and the characters/teams we have these days. Apart from lacking in stamina, I am not sure if they live the sort of lives that make great names like the Rooneys. You see, Moya, our sports men and women live mostly in townships and slums where the standard and quality of life cannot spur and support the discipline and regimes necessary for celebrated sportsmen and women.
And by the way, there is too much congestion (of and in houses) out there as well. The TB Control Programme in the Capital actually says congestion in urban areas is yet another major cause of tuberculosis, and possibly other pandemics. So too is the case of badly ventilated minibuses, where a good number of our players travel in. Some of the players also work in badly or no ventilated factories in town—another source of air-borne diseases like TB.
Then there is also talk of chamba, too much drinking, skirts or trousers (whichever sex is initiating the “issues”). Poor national resources and non-existent overall sports development programmes also add insult to the injury!
Moya, I am not being over-critical here. I am just stating the facts and arguing that unless something is done about the players nutritional, educational and welfare status, the fellows will not deliver.
Which is why I would contend that we re-think about our national teams and competitive matches.
This task should also be the occupation of some of our MPs—who are wasting time foaming with Section 65 as if it were a tree in their uncle’s gardens—instead of looking at issues affecting the people.
Me, Moya genuine, HIV negative and non-stunted.
Rt. Hon.K.L.Mphwanye,
OSP, OLT, OLM
—Feedback: moyaatcapitalcity@yahoo.com
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