This past week took me to the northern most part of Malawi, Chitipa, and brought with it lots of dust, "African massage" (courtesy of the bumpy roads), and a failed attempt to learn Tikonguru.

As I was conducting interviews and listening to the many cultural beliefs that affect health and hearing about witchdoctors, I began to think that how far can development go if we don't change the mentality. Clearly, malnutrition is not caused by a husband having an affair. A man who has a wealthy business is not successful because he uses witchcraft. Yet, this is what people believe. Malawi is a guinea pig for NGOs, most of them focussing on building facilities, producing a larger harvest, etc. Don't get me wrong, infrastructure and resources are needed. However, how successful can these be if we do not change the mentality of the people using them, and do we have the patience to do so? To change soemthing that has been ingrained in the culture for so long is dificult but I can't see the glass ceiling being broken until this is done.

Meat in Chitipia is scarce, yet there are thousands of heads of cattle. Cattle are seen as a symbol of wealth and status and so they are not eaten. One Malawian remarked, "Most of these people will die without tasting their cows." And where is the line between respecting culture and trying to intervene for the sake of health?

I have mentioned before how frustrating it can be moving from place to place and not being able to establish deep relationships. But while in Chitipia, I felt connected with the Malawians. As we rode to the health centers, the Malawians would talk in a mix of Chichewa, Ticonguru, and English. When they would laugh, I would laugh with them, even though I may not have undestood their sense of humor. However, there were times during this trip when I did understand and when I could share something with them that would make them laugh and we laughed together. Those moments I truly felt connected.