Volunteer Report "Tolerance of Malawian people"

2024.11.13

Name: Yuiko Ueyama
Spetialty: Nurse

I am currently living in Salima District, Malawi. Salima has a population of about half a million people and can be considered a medium-sized city. While there are some items that can only be bought in the capital city, I can find almost everything I need for daily life here. My house is located 5 kilometers from the center of Salima, but it's near a road that leads to Blantyre, the second-largest city in Malawi, so the area near my home is quite lively.
One night, I could barely sleep because people nearby were celebrating all night, about 1 kilometer from my house. Sometimes my neighbors play loud music, especially on weekends, but they usually stop around 2 a.m., so I can sleep after that. However, this time I could hardly sleep at all because the music and voices continued all night. I asked my security guard about it, and he explained that there had been a tribal festival. He asked if I had trouble sleeping, but I told him it was fine.
On another night, I saw a large speaker at my neighbor's house right across from mine. I thought they were going to play loud music again, but I didn’t mind since it was Friday, and I was getting used to the situation. But, oh my goodness, they played the music so loudly. It felt like a summer festival, and it went on all night. I couldn’t see what was happening because my house has tall walls around it, but I was really surprised, and although I felt really sleepy but I couldn't sleep.
The next morning, I asked my friend, who lives on the same premises, if she had been able to sleep. She gave me a somewhat bitter smile, so I thought she hadn’t slept either. But she simply said, "Nda sangalala," which means "I'm happy" in Chichewa. Since I can’t speak Chichewa well and didn’t know the details, I asked my security guard again. He told me there had been a wedding ceremony.
At that time, even though my sleep was disturbed, it was just for a day or two, and I felt it was really wonderful to be able to celebrate someone’s happy occasion instead.
In recent years, it seems that in Japan, people are expected to live without causing trouble to others, rather than focusing on enjoying themselves or being happy. For example, the annual summer festival at elementary schools, which children and those involved really look forward to, has faced changes. Not everyone in the community welcomes the festival, so the noise is seen as a nuisance. As a result, the festival has been reduced in size, or the venue has been moved. I believe the Japanese mindset of not bothering others is important and should be respected, but at the same time, I feel that tolerance is gradually being lost. I wonder if the word that has come to replace this is "diversity." In a diverse society with many different people, promoting diversity while tolerance is disappearing seems contradictory. If there is tolerance, wouldn’t diversity be naturally accepted?
I imagine that this sense of tolerance is not unique to Malawi but exists throughout Africa. I’ve learned that across Africa, many tribes live together, regardless of national borders. In Malawi, the main tribes are the Chewa, Yao, Tumbuka, and Ngoni (there are about 40 others). For example, the Chewa people are said to live across Central and Southern Africa. Even though they are divided by country and speak different languages, they are considered the same tribe. Having different tribes in one country means that there are many different cultures, and people live together while accepting these differences.

source Harvard University
People’s Atlas of Africa. ed. Marc Leo Felixjpg

Being here, I’ve been impressed again by how wonderful Japan is, but at the same time, it’s given me a chance to feel how restrictive it can be. I still get frustrated by small things sometimes, but compared to when I was in Japan, I’ve learned to think, “Oh well, it’ll work out.” I’m not sure if this is a good or bad thing, but it has been an opportunity to experience the greatness of tolerance.

souce: Tourism Malawi

souce: Travel Malawi Guide

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