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Tobacco prices have been terrible this season, Tobacco Control Commission (TCC) general manager Godfrey Chapola said Thursday.
“We are very worried. Tobacco prices have been so terrible this year that we are concerned as to what will happen next year,” said Chapola.
“The quality of the leaf was good but farmers have been hurt by the prices,” moaned Chapola, noting that the price of dark fired tobacco was the worst.
He could not give average prices for this year, saying the Commission was still compiling the figures.
Asked on whether the lower than expected leaf prices could hinder future tobacco production, Chapola said the decision to grow or not is for farmers to make.
“But tobacco is a business and people do not continue with businesses that are not bringing returns,” said Chapola.
Tobacco Association of Malawi president Albert Kamulaga is on record as having said low prices would in future discourage farmers from growing the cash crop.
Authorities expect tobacco receipts to fall from the projected K20 billion (US$186.6 million) due to a price crash in dark-fired tobacco and plastic contaminated leaf most of which were disqualified.
With 60 percent of Malawi’s foreign exchange earnings coming from the leaf, dwindling proceeds could destabilise the volatile kwacha unless donors release more funds this month.
Meanwhile, the Limbe Auction Floors closed last Friday while the Lilongwe floors are scheduled to rest towards the end of October, according to Chapola.
But the TCC chief said it is not yet clear when the Mzuzu floors will stop sales because it is still stocked.
“We are looking at what is received and what is on hand so the Mzuzu floors could close in November depending on stocks,” said Chapola.
Satanism creates debate
George Ntonya
The road traffic accident that killed 27 people on the spot at Linthipe III in Dedza district on August 6, 2004 has ignited wild rumours that the accident was the work of satanic worshippers.
Probably, for the first time in the country people are freer now to discuss Satanism — which is associated with weird occurrences and shrouded in top secrecy. Some people are even confessing publicly they practised Satanism at one point in their life.
The Roman Catholic Church sponsored Radio Alinafe of Lilongwe Diocese has for the past weeks been running an interview with a boy who claimed to have resigned from Satanism. The boy has been telling listeners how he and his fellow Satanists used to do bizarre things like drinking human blood and they conducted their rituals in the Indian Ocean at night.
Having listened to the boy one would see a thin line separating Satanism — worshipping of the devil from witchcraft. Witchcraft is the performing of magic to make bad things happen.
Although the boy never mentioned names in the radio interview, he claimed some of the respected Malawians, including some members of the clergy, practise Satanism. Some of them have become rich or popular because of Satanism, he added.
A female primary school teacher in Lilongwe [name withheld] threatened to deal with her debtor three months ago if he could not pay back her money by a set date.
“If you don’t give me my money by Thursday, you’ll see what will happen to you. For your information, I am Satanist,” the teacher threatened in a handwritten letter to the debtor. Ironically, her fellow teachers and neighbours know her as a senior member of one of the mainstream Christian denominations.
On August 15, 2004 The Sunday Times carried a letter in which the writer claimed that the Linthipe III road traffic accident was the creation of Satanists. He said that the Satanists were expected to hold a secret conference in Lilongwe City and were looking for human blood for their rituals. But the writer did not indicate how the Satanists would collect the blood.
Evangelist Mark Kambalazaza also attributed the mysterious attack on Blantyre Secondary School (BSS) pupils early this year to Satanism. Unknown assailants attacked the pupils at night while they were asleep, leaving some of them bruised. Some of the pupils ended up admitted to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH).
Kambalazaza told The Nation of June 11, 2004 that Satanism is more powerful than witchcraft, saying that only special prayers [to God in the name of Jesus) could stop the mysterious attacks at the school.
Until the time of the Linthipe accident stories of Satanism in the country were isolated and people could hardly speak about it in public for fear of unknown ill fate. But the story is different now.
A girl who got admitted to Kamuzu Central Hospital almost the same time the Linthipe III accident took place attracted the attention of other patients when she claimed to be Satanist and linked the accident to Satanism.
Nurses who listened to the girl’s confessions refused to grant a news interview days after the girl had been discharged, saying they were afraid she would attack them mysteriously.
“I have heard a lot of weird things about Satanists so I do not want to say anything about this girl,” said one of the nurses, a few days after the girl was discharge.
Workers at the hospital said a Catholic nun offered to take the girl to a Sisters’ house to conduct special prayers for her but things did not work out.
Information sourced from the Internet indicates that Satanists believe that there is no heaven for the righteous or hell where sinners will roast or perish. Neither do they believe in the Buddha’s reincarnations, any myths of Judaism, Islam or Upanishad. “They are irrelevant and silly ideas”.
Longman dictionary of contemporary English describes Satan as the Devil, considered as the chief evil power or as God’s opponent. It also defines Satanism as the worshipping of the Devil.
A police officer who saw the letter by the teacher who claimed to be Satanist, doubted the authenticity of those who claim to be Satanists, saying real Satanists are likely to keep their acts under the carpet, the way witches or wizards do.
According to him, some people may claim to be Satanists simply to scare others who they would like to see intimidated.
Some information indicates that Satanists are different from Devil worshippers, although some Devil worshippers claim to be Satanists.
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