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Inspirational Quotes for the WEEKEND

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa

Most often we think deeply about the victim needing help and consolation, it is that we do not realise the perpetrator could be the one requiring much help and sympathy. A careful analysis of perpetrators personality in some situations reveal illnesses that require urgent intervention either medical or psychotherapy.

Most audios, are stories of people awaiting execution on their death sentence as told in TV documentaries especially from American prisons. There are several of these documentaries on BBC where such people are interviewed to get to hear about their state of mind as they await their death. Some express regret of the homicide crime they had committed, others amongst such do go even a mile to ask for forgiveness from the relatives of the victim. Yet, there would be others, hardcore, who never show any such type of recompense.

For these stories, most disheartening are those of people who may have been put to death by the state only years later to be found not guilty. There have been such occurrences in the past, prominent of these being that of a 14 year old American African boy, George Stinney Jnr. He was convicted of murder and executed  in 1944 and only declared innocent seventy years later in 2014 as to have not committed the crime or being anywhere near it.

The quotes this week are continuation of extraction from a history book about the man who being frustrated led his native people to revolt against government in Nyasaland, present day Malawi. His face is now fittingly featured on the bank notes of the country and recently he has had his statue unveiled in London, United Kingdom (UK). I am sure the selected quotations below from this book will enlighten you to one or two life lessons as we keep to the sprit of Black History Month of October, read and enjoy:

STRIKE A BLOW AND DIE – A NARRATIVE OF RACE RELATIONS IN COLONIAL AFRICA by George Simeon Mwase (Edited and introduced by Robert I. Rotberg)

Following the truth, that all other colonies, I may say most of them, have recorded their long past incidents, and they still keep recording for the fresh happenings, my mind has instructed me impressively, to begin to open the way of framing something, such as books and the like, so to set an example for the grandchildren to do their best in them. —— It is apparently true, that since the whiteman has opened the Protectorate no book as yet has been put forward by the natives themselves for the benefit of their children. I do not mean that there has been not one man who could be able to write words for the purpose of making a book. Nay, indeed, millions of them can do so, but the only reason is that such thoughts have not struck them. It is always the case everywhere, around the wide world, that useful methods of making, or doing something good, bad or popular, are to brought into the notice of many, by one particular person, and that, indeed, will remind the wise people to think deep or if possible beyond the first person’s methods. ……..”

“I do not like to go on beyond the limit of any memory, I mean with regard the tribes how they burst out, from one to two, and then to hundreds as they are now. Someone will, I am sure, go on with it sooner or later. Further, I say that before these people came from Ugogo Mombasa, this country was occupied by the dwarf people – so called Abatwa who were then driven away by the Wankhoma. Abatwa are now in the Congo Belge, still called Abatwa. Wankhoma was another tribe which occupied the whole of the Protectorate, from the Abatwa. Afterwards, these Wankhoma were defeated by great man, Kalonga, and were all annihilated and subdued. No big chiefs of these Wankhoma were then left to rule, up to this time in the Protectorate and the near vicinity. ——– This explains, that John was not a man from another country, but that he belonged to this country. As I have already said, John was ‘Mphiri,’ a descendant of Kalonga the great, [but] I cannot explain, and nobody else will tell whether he was really of Kalonga’s own family or out of the descendants of Kalonga’s people who went to live with him on the top of a hill, for they were all called Aphiri, inclusively.”

“While he was doing this work, as a nurse, was also working as a house boy, and all the time he attended the Church sermonies [ceremonies? sermons] of Mr Booth, and afterwards was baptised by him. This time, there came to Mr. Booth one Golden Mataka, who was also baptised and was also one of Mr. Booth’s men. After that he gathered a lot of people. Some time after, Mr. Booth put John on teaching work and [John] was a teacher and a preacher as well. When Mr. Booth was forming the Zambezi Industrial Mission, N. I. (Nyasa Industrial) Mission, B. I. (Baptist Industrial) Mission, and the Seventh day Adventist [mission] which is now known as ‘Malamulo’ Mission, John was with Mr. Booth. Later, I cannot say how many years after, he was a teacher at Mitsidi. Mr. Booth sent John to take charge of a river boat in Chikwawa District which was carrying loads from Chindio (Chinde) to Thema for Mr. Booth.”

“He was always sober, he hated any kind of drink and abhorred the power of alcohol. He exhorted people from keeping themselves into strong drinks, and such like, he taught adults and children to keep on work, not to lounge about, even to advise (he even advised) headmen [and] eldermen to keep their villages nice and clean telling them that was the key to civilization, also the key to a good healthy [life], he often said, he liked to see his country men work hard and prosper in their undertakings, also to see them smart, such as Negro fellows he had seen in America and other countries. He preached against carnalist, murderer, robber, a burglar and a thief. He warned his country men against the habit of begging, he explained that begging was very much disgraceful system on the face of the world. People [who] go out begging do not look vogue (in good repute).”

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