Santa Baby

I returned to Mwazisi seven days into the New Year. After recovering from my parents leaving and drudging going back to work. When I left I had a memory of my village: green, people planting tobacco and maize, and power lines zigzagging through the trading center. However, returning I see a whole new village. It’s as if Santa Claus ho-ho’d through this place and everyone’s been good boys and girls.

Almost every wired house now has at least two satellite dishes and of course a TV. I walked into my landlord’s shop to pay my rent and saw a brand new TV hooked up to a new DVD player. My neighbors had their whole house wired for electricity. Keep in mind their son didn’t have any money to buy books and stationary for the new term. There is now a barber shop in town and a cinema house. A new sheltered market was constructed at the fork, rendering the old informal market useless.

All this development is astounding and makes me thankful for those wonderful folks at the World Bank. But my concern is with the money. Unfortunately, Santa Claus doesn’t exist, meaning all these wonderful gadgets were paid for out of pocket. At a time of year when everyone, everyone, is complaining of insufficient funds to pay for fertilizer, what is left? People are taking loans out to pay for their fields, yet buying satellite dishes and TVs?

To top it all off, the future for tobacco in Malawi is looking more dismal with passing week. Demand for this year was already reduced and in five years most farmers will not be able to sell anything unless the ban is lifted. I understand improvements such as a cinema house and barbershop are investments, but with such an uncertain and frightening future, buying a TV is the least of concerns.

Then again who am I to question the quest for impulsive, frivolous, material acquisition? I come from a country rife with financial turmoil because of this very same ailment. Fortunately, credit cards have yet to infect Malawi and the country is not crucially tied to the world economy. The West is on top of the world, culturally and for a time financially. Whether we wanted the prestige or not we accepted it enthusiastically.

With great power comes great responsibility. We are the model for the rest of the world, especially the developing world. Here, young adults embrace every rap star (keenly Sean Paul) and Chuck Norris as the people they want to be. They also know every minute detail, though mostly false, of President Obama. The more urban youth prefer a wider range of musicians and even politicians, but it is still fascinating that this is what we broadcast. This is the way the world views Americans and America.

While Rick Ross is rhyming in front of tricked out DB9s, Snookie works on looking like a fat cheetoh and the Black Eyed Peas get ready for another “good night,” the real America ain’t no picnic. Americans are not partying every night from boredom and driving around in BMWs. Some are but not the majority and there is no question that the middle class got carried away. We watch shows like Jersey Shore, Real Housewives, Real World and we feel better about ourselves that we are not so shallow. The developing world watches these shows and feels inadequate that it has none of those luxuries.

It is no one’s fault. For every negative aspect of western media there is a positive impact. As Flamboyant said “you can’t pick and choose, you have to accept it all.” Mwazisi will be alright. Besides the World Bank, Total Land Care has initiated a three year biodiversity project in the area, one of two areas chosen in all of Malawi. The future is not dim, but I wish people were just smarter about their spending. They listen to American news radio and update me on President Obama. I wish they instead listened to and understood the economic crisis and its causes. Video killed the radio star. Even if I tell them, they wouldn’t believe me.