JOCV 50th year anniversary

Name: Ken Asano
Batch: FY1998-1 (Jul 1998 - Jul 2000)
Technical Field: Automobile Maintenance
Host Organization: Blantyre Agriculture Office - Chilimba Workshop
Hometown in Japan:

A Piece of Memory: "The Shadow of the Brilliant"

When Nabi Ohki, a JOCV OV who worked as a veterinarian, told me about this post, I must admit that I was a bit hesitant, since I am not very good at writing smoothly. However, I accepted because I love Malawi, and because I have so many unforgettable memories of Malawi, I cannot just ignore it when I hear the word "Malawi."

Nevertheless, I had no idea what to write or how to write it, and as I expected, my writing did not progress. Feeling impatient, I picked up the pen, but fell asleep, and then I had a dream. The setting was, of course, Malawi. I had picked up an unlicensed taxi from the airport and was heading for the city. The driver, a young Malawian of small stature, drives a light blue Mazda Familia, cracking jokes. He does not slow down at all, even though the curves are quite tight, and his hand is under strain gripping on the grab rail. The dilapidated Familia has a loose suspension and slippery tires. It rolls hard and squeaks! Finally, the car could not make the turn and almost went off the cliff but manages to stop. I crawl out of the tilting car, scramble up the cliff, turned around, and see a crowd of peddlers on the side of the road who had gathered in a huff to push the car away from the cliff. The driver says, "Sir!" and opens the door, asking me to get in the car again as if nothing had happened. I say, "You know what?"

I am sorry to suddenly talk about a dream, but I think this kind of scene is inspired by what I actually saw and experienced in Malawi. I was lent a motorcycle to commute to work, so I actually saw many accidents on the road. I was assigned to a maintenance shop of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation as a member of the auto maintenance staff. There were always several cars in the maintenance shop that had been involved in accidents, and they were almost always abandoned. There were no sheet metal painting techniques or facilities, and most importantly, no budget. Since it was a ministry, many of the vehicles were relatively new and magnificent, but the skills of the drivers and the maintenance facilities were not quite up to par. While feeling the dilemma of such a mismatch, I spent my days thinking of ways to maximize effectiveness in a limited environment. For a mechanic who had been in a privileged environment in Japan, there were many new insights and eye-opening experiences.

Chilimba Workshop

I have somehow dipped into the negative side, but it stems from the saddest memory. A junior JOCV member who had just arrived in Malawi was killed in a car accident when he got hit by a minibus while crossing a road on foot. The site was just down the street from my flat. We met the day before in the dormitory and drank Carlsberg together. I can never forget how disappointed I felt that I could not do anything as a JOCV member involved with automobiles.

It is people who give bad images to automobiles. I hope that international cooperation will be achieved through balanced involvement of mutual communication and the three elements of hardware, software, and infrastructure, and that sad traffic accidents will be eliminated as much as possible, not only in Malawi but also in the world.

Next will be a piece of memory of Kazuhiro Kato, a JOCV member (architecture) of Batch FY1998-1, who is an erudite person and mischievous father with a beard.