Back from Malawi Feels good to be back home, but always hard to let go of the daily interest of a new place. Would like to thank everyone who purchased 'The Troubles in Zolokere' DVD, so far we've raised several hundred dollars for the school project in the village of Khutamadji (Malawi) through the sale of the disc. Peace Corps Volunteer Jake Wilson (http://www.malawijake.honkatonk.com) has done an amazing job implementing this project. Being there in person and seeing first hand the difficulties, I can say frankly, I don't know how he's doing it.
The village name, Khutamadji, means 'full of water'. In the rainy season the youngest kids from this village can't always make the 4k walk to the next village where there's another school, so this new building means they don't have to. The new structure also gives the community a center for meetings and activities where there was nothing before. Considering the entire budget of the project is around 20k, the money being raised with this DVD makes a big difference. A few hundred dollars goes a long way, so thanks again to those who bought it and to those who will.
The last weeks of shooting were intense. Tony Bomber's came in second place after a big controversy. Another team threw their last game, which locked the main rivals hold on first. It's complicated stuff, apparently money was exchanged and a near riot ensued at the final game as all the animosity came out. Sorting out all the details in the film is going to be tough, but I can't complain, my big worry was that nothing would happen at all. Over the next few weeks I'll be posting the best photos from the trip starting later this week. For now here's a picture of the school and a guy working at the kiln next to the school. They actually had to make the bricks on site, by hand.
Thanks again to those who purchased the DVD, it feels good to be helping out.