News

A little known chapter was recently published under the title “The Battle of Sphinx Harbour” in INDABA, the journal of the Austrian organization SADOCC, see under Documents.

BERLIN: At the International Tourism Exchange (ITB) in Berlin, Malawi presented itself as a country of great tourism wealth and an awareness of sustainable development. Kristina Rösel (Member of the Board of the German Malawi Association) spoke with the country’s Deputy Minister of Tourism, Shadreck Jonasi.

Jonasi made it clear that Malawi is an attractive destination for German tourists. The small country in southern Africa has a lot to offer nature lovers in particular – reserves invite visitors to go on safaris and the world-famous Lake Malawi offers relaxation for sun-seekers and diving enthusiasts alike. The aim is to further increase the current number of German visitors from 9,500. The fact that the average stay of a tourist is just 12 days should change. Even if a two-week trip to the “warm heart of Africa” is nowhere near enough, tourists interested in nature can enjoy a variety of untouched flora and fauna.

Although there are plans to build a five-star hotel in Cape Maclear on the southern shore of Lake Malawi, Malawi is gearing its tourism promotion towards sustainability and social responsibility. The population should not be cut off from the diversity of the natural environment, but should actively participate in it. This is also an attempt to raise the population’s own sense of responsibility.

Contact for further questions:
Ingmar Müller
c/o German Malawi Association
Reinhardtstr. 14
10117 Berlin
Phone: 030 / 28874899
Mobile: 0179 / 9221593
E-Mail: {{email “mueller@d-ma-g.de”}}

FRANKFURT/M. The board of the German Malawi Association met at the Senckenberg Museum in Frankfurt/Main for its first board meeting of the year. The main focus was on planning the future work of the association. The newly founded society was officially registered as a non-profit organization just a few weeks ago. The coming months will focus entirely on building a network and creating an information system on stakeholders active in Malawi. Contacts with the business community as well as with politicians and development cooperation are to be expanded. “Our main concern will be to raise awareness of Malawi in Germany,” said Christiane Bertels-Heering, Chairwoman of the German Malawi Association. Klaus Hess added that plans for a parliamentary evening are underway.

The idea of international understanding was established as the most important concern by the founding members in August 2009. “Malawi is a country with a wide variety of flora and fauna,” said Kristina Rösel, who also represents the interests of nature conservation as an assessor on the board. Dr. Heiko Meinhardt particularly emphasized the warm-hearted society and the significance for history.

Malawi has repeatedly caused a stir in recent years when Prof. Dr. Friedemann Schrenk discovered the oldest archaeological evidence of modern man in the north of the country. Schrenk’s research has repeatedly taken him back to the “cradle of mankind” – to Malawi.

Schrenk did not miss the opportunity to personally explain the results of his research to representatives of the German Malawi Association and the Malawian Embassy. “The fact that the cradle of humanity is in Malawi makes us a little proud,” agreed board members Rainer Hackenfort and Ingmar Müller.

Contact for further questions:
Ingmar Müller
c/o German Malawi Association
Reinhardtstr. 14
10117 Berlin
Phone: 0179/9221593
E-Mail: {{email “mueller@d-ma-g.de”}}

BERLIN On 22 August 2009, non-profit organizations and experts from business and politics met with representatives of the Malawi Embassy in Germany in Berlin. The event, initiated as the “Malawi Forum”, was the second working meeting within four months. The outcome far exceeded initial expectations. Thanks to the constructive and committed cooperation of various interest groups, the German Malawi Association (DMG) was founded last Saturday. It is also thanks to Malawi’s ambassador to Germany, Professor Isaac C. Lamba, that the cooperation is not only working at non-governmental level. As patron of the society, he will promote dialog with the administration and business community in Malawi.

The fact that various interest groups pull together in the German Malawi Association is also reflected in the election of the Board of Directors. Christiane Bertels-Heering was elected as Chairwoman. The 51-year-old works full-time in the field of political communication and has been familiar with Malawi, especially its healthcare system, for many years. Her deputy is Dr. Heiko Meinhardt, who is involved in both research and consultancy in Malawi. Klaus A. Hess, publisher and editor-in-chief of Afrikapost, was appointed treasurer. The 28-year-old lawyer Ingmar Müller was elected secretary. The board is completed by Kristina Rösel, Rainer Hackenfort and Angela Meinhardt.

The German Malawi Association focuses on international understanding between Germany and Malawi as one of the main ideas behind its foundation. The background to this is that a wide range of charitable organizations are active in Malawi. “We want to create a common platform for all German organizations and companies active in Malawi so that forces can be pooled and financial resources can be used more effectively,” says Kristina Rösel, Chairwoman of the Wildlife Action Group Support. The Wildlife Action Group Support supports a nature conservation organization in the central region of Malawi. In addition to nature conservation, the future work of the DMG will focus primarily on educational work. The promotion of children and young people in particular should have a lasting effect. The average age of the Malawian population is 16. “This is a potential that needs to be exploited,” the founding members agree. Building on the promotion of educational work, efforts are also to be made in the field of science. “In order to keep academic top performers in Malawi, we need to think about exchange programs to support the Malawian university structure,” says Ingmar Müller, co-founder of Wildlife Action Group Support. Dr. Heiko Meinhardt, lecturer at the University of Hamburg and election observer in Malawi during the presidential elections in May of this year, underlined the need to promote democracy. Compared to other African countries, Malawi is considered a stable democracy. The German Malawi Association wants to further strengthen the democratic awareness of the population through information campaigns in Malawi.

The society will also become active in Germany. The aim is to make the landlocked country in southern Africa interesting for Germans. Rainer Hackenfort from “Treffpunkt Malawi” presented a travel concept that combines African culture with visits to reserves and a beach vacation on the world-famous Lake Malawi. The white sandy beaches of Lake Malawi in particular are still an insider tip among tourists. The itinerary presented by Hackenfort makes perfect sense: although Malawi seems like a dwarf state compared to countries such as Botswana or South Africa, it is only this size that makes it possible for such trips to take place within the country
that such trips can be managed within a two-week stay.

Contact for further information:
Ingmar Müller
Lichtensteiner Str. 30
09337 Bernsdorf
Phone: 0179/9221593
E-Mail: (Please enable JavaScript to show this email address.)

• Advance notice –
  BERLIN: On August 22, 2009, the second strategy meeting of the German Malawi Association to be founded will take place. The event, with the working title “Malawi Forum”, is a continuation of the dialogue between representatives of various non-governmental organizations active in Malawi, the business community and the Malawian embassy that began on 25 April 2009.

The work of the German Malawi Association will promote and deepen intersections of bilateral cooperation at non-governmental level. The focus will be on information work to promote knowledge about Malawi and project support in Malawi in the cultural, educational, social and nature conservation sectors. Further activities will focus on youth and cultural exchange as well as cooperation with governmental and non-governmental bodies in both countries. The aim of this second meeting will be to agree on the field of activity and the future structure of the association. The bodies are to be made up of volunteers from different interest groups. The patron of the “Malawi Forum” – Malawi’s ambassador to Germany, Professor Isaac C. Lamba – was impressed by the civil society commitment of the organizations active in Malawi.

Wildlife Action Group Support e. V.
Ingmar Müller
Hermsdorfer Weg 6
09337 Bernsdorf
Phone: 0179/9221593
Website: http://www.wildlife-malawi.org