LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Malawi’s medical professionals are up in arms over President Arthur Peter Mutharika’s executive order restricting their right to engage in private practice.
The order, which bans public sector healthcare workers from owning or holding interests in private clinics and pharmacies, has sparked outrage among medics who argue that it infringes on their economic rights.
The Human Resource for Health Coalition, which represents various medical professional bodies, has vowed to seek an injunction stopping the implementation of the order.
“We feel the approach in the second directive banning private practice is wrong,” said coalition chairperson Solomon Chomba. “We have agreed to take legal action because the decision infringes on our economic rights.”
Chomba argued that the private sector provides about 40% of medical care services in the country, thereby reducing distances between health facilities to meet World Health Organization recommendations.
He warned that if the order is enforced, some medical workers would prefer to resign rather than close their private clinics or pharmacies.
“We are working on it so that we obtain an injunction as soon as possible,” Chomba said. “It is an emergency.”
The Malawi Medical Council has also expressed concerns about the order, arguing that it could lead to a brain drain in the public health sector.
“Stopping them from having private clinics is subjecting them to abandon public facilities for private reasons,” said Dr. Victor Mithi, president of the Society of Medical Doctors.
Mithi pointed out that Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe may have only two neurosurgeons who operate on tumors free of charge, and that stopping them from having private clinics could lead to a loss of expertise in the public sector.
The Non-Medical Personnel Association has also criticized the order, saying that it is unfair to single out healthcare workers while other public officials with private business interests are not subject to similar restrictions.
The executive order was issued in response to a joint investigative journalism report that exposed malpractice in public hospitals, including soliciting payments for free services.
However, many are questioning the timing and motivation behind the order, with some accusing the president’s advisors of having ulterior motives.
The Health Rights and Education Program has argued that the country’s current healthcare system challenges stem from the 2003 human resources for health emergency, and that the temporary measure allowing public health workers to operate private clinics and pharmacies was introduced to tackle the brain drain affecting the country.
As the standoff continues, it remains to be seen how the government will respond to the medics’ demands. One thing is certain, however: the healthcare sector in Malawi will be watching closely to see how this drama unfolds.
Policing exhibit at the Museum of Weed. An IDPC report paints a picture of an increasingly punitive approach to drugs in some countries, but also highlights reforms. Credit: Bret Kavanaugh/Unsplash
BRATISLAVA, Feb 19 2026 (IPS) – Drug reform campaigners have called for an overhaul of global drug controls amid an increasingly complex and deadly drug situation in the world and as hardline anti-drug approaches are increasingly being used as cover for repression of civil society and human rights defenders.
A report released earlier this month by the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) assessed progress made since the 2016 UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on drugs, widely viewed as a potential turning point in global drug policy.
It found that the promise of UNGASS remains largely unfulfilled – despite notable progress in some areas – and that punitive and prohibitionist approaches continue to dominate global drug control, despite their enormous human and financial cost.
“Punitive approaches [to drugs] are costing lives, undermining human rights and wasting public resources, while silencing the very communities that hold the solutions. This report shows why governments must move beyond rhetoric and commit to real structural reform,” Ann Fordham, IDPC Executive Director, said.
Advocates of drug policy reform have for decades pointed to evidence showing how hardline drug policies have completely failed.
The IDPC report documents how current prohibitive policies have, far from curbing drug markets, contributed to their massive expansion and diversification, while at the same time the number of people who use drugs continues to rise and is now estimated at 316 million worldwide – a 28 percent increase since 2016.
The group says repressive policies are also driving devastating and preventable harms. These include: 2.6 million drug use-related deaths between 2016 and 2021, with projections indicating further sharp increases since; mass incarceration – one in five people globally incarcerated are for drug offences – disproportionately affecting marginalised communities; over 150 countries report inadequate access to opioid pain relief due to overly restrictive controls on essential medicines; expanding use of the death penalty for drug offences; and the displacement of illegal drug activities into remote and environmentally fragile regions, including Central America and the Amazon basin, as a result of interdiction and eradication efforts.
Despite this evidence, many countries continue to pursue hardline drug policies.
Fordham said this was because of “the vast vested interests in the status quo”.
“The prison industrial complex is a prime example of this. Our report documents that one in five people in prison are incarcerated for drugs globally, while evidence shows that this strategy has done nothing to reduce the scale of the illegal drug markets,” she told IPS.
The group has also highlighted a worrying return to prominence of ‘war on drugs’ rhetoric – popular in the 1970s and 1980s – which it says is increasingly being used to justify militarisation, repression and violations of international law, including the Trump Administration’s weaponising of ‘narco-terrorism’ narratives to legitimise extraterritorial force and roll back rights, health and development commitments enshrined in the UNGASS Outcome Document.
“Punitive and hard-on-drugs narratives serve other interests for populist leaders, with drug policies being used to scapegoat people who use drugs and other people involved in the illegal drug market for broader societal issues, including homelessness and increases in levels of violence.
“Drug control is also increasingly used to restrict civil society space by threatening or attacking civil society and community organisations promoting much-needed reforms and condemning their governments for egregious human rights violations,” said Fordham.
Other drug policy reform advocates and experts have said this trend has become increasingly evident in the last year.
“Over the last year, we can definitely see the emergence of some new [drug policy] trends. First of all, there has been a radical change of rhetoric and narratives under US President Donald Trump’s administration,” Anton Basenko, Executive Director of the International Network of People Who Use Drugs (INPUD), told IPS.
He also highlighted how governments are using drug policy as a cover for breaches of international law to further other political aims, citing the claim by the US administration that the recent abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro by US forces was connected to stopping illegal drugs from coming into America.
“Over the last year, there have been completely different narratives from leading countries [on drug policy], like the U.S. And of course, some countries politically are always looking to the U.S. and listening to what they are saying and they might try to replicate something similar politically, using America’s action as an example,” he said.
Other experts fear there is a real risk this could lead to a worsening of wider human rights problems in other countries.
“The shamelessness with which the US is now trampling on international law, using the war on drugs as cover for some of its most egregious violations, is deeply troubling. There is certainly a risk that it licenses other actors to be even more brazen in their abuses of international human rights law regarding drugs and more generally,” Steve Rolles, Senior Policy Analyst at the UK-based Transform Drug Policy Foundation, told IPS.
The IDPC report draws a set of conclusions emphasising the need for reform and modernisation of current UN drug control treaties as well as, among others, a reconfiguration of the global drug control system so that it is orientated on rights, health and development.
The group says this is especially important now as the United Nations prepares to implement system-wide reforms and an independent expert panel begins reviewing the international drug control regime, providing a rare opportunity to “correct course”.
But that call also comes at a time when, as the IDPC points out, the work of organisations which have been successful in driving drug policy reform, as well as the implementation of life-saving harm-reduction programmes, community advocacy and civil society are battling funding crises.
Cuts to foreign aid funding by major donor states, especially the US, over the last year have been devastating for civil society, including groups working to combat HIV and help vulnerable communities, including drug users, around the world. Funding for harm reduction, which has historically been low, is now in crisis, campaigners say.
“In 2022, available harm reduction funding amounted to just 6% of the USD 2.7 billion needed annually. The Trump administration’s decision to halt funding for HIV and harm reduction in 2025 has turned the harm reduction funding crisis into a catastrophe,” said Fordham.
“State-funded and third-sector voluntary services are all feeling the pinch, and even services funded by philanthropy are seeing priorities shift towards emerging crises. Many services will struggle on as best they can, but inevitably there is a terrible cost when services proven to save lives are starved of funds or closed down,” added Rolles.
However, it is precisely because of these funding constraints that it is vital, IDPC argues, that its recommendations are taken on board by global policymakers.
“The funding constraints and current challenges faced by the UN and multilateralism more broadly make our recommendations all the more important. The current system is clearly outdated and harmful, only serving to undermine health, human rights, development, human security, and environment protection – all the key objectives that the UN was created to uphold in the first place,” said Fordham.
But while the IDPC report paints a picture of an increasingly punitive and prohibitive approach to drugs in some countries, it also highlights significant progress in the introduction of more progressive policies in a number of countries.
These include important policy shifts in many jurisdictions towards decriminalisation and the legal regulation of cannabis, both for medical and recreational purposes.
Hundreds of millions of people now live in jurisdictions where recreational cannabis is legal, with markets having been created in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. The IDPC report also suggests a renewed interest in psychedelics may soon drive a new wave of regulatory innovation.
“Just over 10 years ago, nowhere in the world had legally regulated adult-use cannabis. Today more than 500 million people live in over 40 jurisdictions with some form of legally regulated adult access… for me, this demonstrates how reforms that seemed impossible just a few years ago are now being realised on every continent,” said Rolles.
He added that there had been “notable progress [on drug policy reform] across the last decade, including the continuing wave of cannabis reforms across the Americas, the EU and much of the world; the spread of innovative harm reduction in response to the opioid epidemic; progress on decriminalisation in other jurisdictions; and an increasingly sophisticated reform narrative gaining traction in high-level forums – including endorsements for reform, including regulation of all drugs”.
“An increase in jurisdictions legalising and regulating cannabis feels inevitable. There are strong movements and political support for change in a number of Latin American and European countries,” Rolles said.
These reforms were driven in large part by non-state and civil society organisations – those same organisations which are seeing their funding and the freedom to press their case increasingly shrinking in many states.
But drug policy reform advocates are not expecting progress to stop despite the challenges such groups face.
“Almost all of the [cannabis legal regulation] reform has been driven by civil society advocacy, rather than top-down leadership from governments. Just as with harm reduction and decriminalisation reforms over the past decades, civil society is showing the leadership where elected politicians so often fall down. This will doubtless continue to be the case going forward. This is the moment to step up the fight, not to cower in the face of rising authoritarianism,” said Rolles.
BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-The Public Service Pension Trust Fund (PSPTF), under the oversight of the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government, has acquired Amaryllis Hotel for a staggering K147 billion, nearly three times its original valuation of K47 billion, raising serious concerns about the prudence of the transaction with MK90 billion already paid towards the purchase.
The hotel, already struggling and failing to make profits, now sits at the center of controversy over the management of public servants’ retirement savings.
The acquisition received legal approval from Attorney General Frank Farouk Mbeta, who also represents Amaryllis Hotel a glaring conflict of interest critics describe as part of his long history of controversial legal interventions.
In a letter dated 28 December 2025 to the Malawi Law Society, Mbeta presented the findings of investigations into allegations surrounding the sale, stating that independent due diligence by FDH Bank Plc, Continental Asset Management Limited, and EMJ Advisory Public Accountants confirmed the transaction was viable.
He concluded that there was no evidence of corruption, abuse of office, or undue pressure on the Board, though he advised careful risk management.
Earlier, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) had issued a restriction notice in November 2025, temporarily halting the sale pending investigations.
By 18 December 2025, the ACB issued a letter clearing the transaction, stating that no fraudulent activities were found, effectively lifting the restriction quietly before the end of the year.
However, the Registrar of Financial Institutions at the Reserve Bank of Malawi sent a stern letter on 6 January 2026, warning that the transaction could expose pension fund members to undue financial risk.
The letter cautioned that the purchase could breach investment limits under the Financial Services Directive, cause liquidity mismatches, and increase concentration risk, putting systemically important pension assets in jeopardy.
The Registrar recommended that the Board reconsider the decision or provide clear safeguards for members’ funds.
Adding to the controversy is Frank Mbeta’s legal track record. While he has never been convicted, he has faced multiple allegations, arrests, and injunctions.
In 2015, the ACB sought to arrest him over bribery involving K2 million to an MRA employee, but a court injunction blocked the arrest.
He was also implicated in “judge-shopping” and judicial manipulation (2016–2017), and was mentioned in the Thomson Mpinganjira bribery trial (2019–2020), where testimony suggested he may have been involved in attempts to influence judges.
In February 2026, he further attracted criticism for approving a K51 million payout and a Toyota Fortuner to a politically aligned former Malawi Housing Corporation (MHC) lawyer, fueling accusations of favoritism and misuse of public funds.
Civil society organizations, including the Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI), have called for Mbeta’s resignation, citing the long-standing “shadow of allegations” undermining public trust.
As the PSPTF moves forward with the hotel acquisition, the clash between Mbeta’s clearance, the ACB’s quiet approval, and the Reserve Bank’s caution leaves Malawians asking whether pension funds are being safeguarded or gambled away for political and personal interests.
Jesse Jackson’s life is a testament to the enduring power of courage, conviction, and unwavering dedication to justice.
Born on October 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most influential figures in the American civil rights movement and an emblem of hope and activism worldwide.
His journey, deeply intertwined with the fight for equality and human dignity, has left a profound legacy that continues to inspire generations across the globe.
Jackson’s early life was marked by the harsh realities of segregation and racial discrimination in the American South. Yet, these challenges only seemed to fuel his determination to advocate for change.
Jackson (from left) with Janet Karim ( The Maravi Post Associate Editor)
As a young undergraduate, he became actively involved in civil rights activism, positioning himself as a passionate voice for the oppressed.
His involvement with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) under the mentorship of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a defining chapter in his life. Jackson was not only present during some of the movement’s most pivotal moments but was also on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, when Dr. King was tragically assassinated in 1968.
This proximity to such a monumental event deeply influenced Jackson’s path, strengthening his resolve to carry forward the mission of justice and equality.
Jackson’s contributions extend far beyond his association with Dr. King and the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
He founded Operation PUSH (People United to Serve Humanity) and the Rainbow Coalition, organizations aimed at uniting disparate groups to fight against systemic injustice and economic inequality.
These platforms allowed Jackson to address a broad spectrum of social issues, from economic empowerment and educational opportunities to political representation and human rights.
His advocacy was not confined to racial justice; it embodied a holistic vision of social progress, emphasizing the interconnectedness of all struggles for dignity and fairness.
His commitment to political engagement was equally notable.
Jackson’s two presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988, though ultimately unsuccessful, broke new ground for African American political participation and representation.
He brought issues of race, poverty, and social justice to the forefront of national discourse, challenging the status quo and expanding the possibilities for future leaders of color.
Moreover, his role as a shadow senator for the District of Columbia highlighted his dedication to ensuring that marginalized communities have a voice in government decision-making processes.
Jesse Jackson’s powerful oratory skills were central to his effectiveness as a leader. His speeches carried the echoes of Dr. King’s dream, infused with his own passionate calls for justice and unity.
Jackson’s ability to inspire and mobilize people was evident not only in the United States but also on the international stage. His work at the United Nations and interactions with global figures underscored his status as a global human rights advocate.
Janet Karim, a renown Malawi journalist and former diplomat at Malawi mission to the UN once described him as champion of civil rights and human rights a characterization that reflects the broad impact of his work beyond American borders.
The legacy Jesse Jackson leaves behind is rich with lessons and examples for people everywhere. First and foremost, his life demonstrates the power of resilience and persistence in the face of adversity.
Jackson’s journey was not without setbacks, but his unwavering commitment to justice never faltered. He showed that meaningful change requires enduring effort and the courage to confront entrenched systems of power.
Jackson’s emphasis on coalition-building is another critical takeaway. By founding organizations that united people across racial, economic, and political lines, he demonstrated that solidarity is essential for achieving social progress.
His Rainbow Coalition embodied the principle that diverse communities could come together to amplify their collective voice and demand justice.
Furthermore, Jackson exemplified the importance of political participation and representation.
His presidential campaigns and work as a shadow senator highlighted that change is also about who holds power and how that power is wielded.
His example encourages individuals to engage in democratic processes, advocate for their communities, and strive for inclusive leadership.
Perhaps most importantly, Jackson’s legacy is a reminder of the enduring human spirit’s capacity for hope and transformation.
His life’s work encourages people to believe that a more just and equitable world is possible, and that each person has a role to play in making that vision a reality.
In reflecting on Jesse Jackson’s extraordinary life, we see a man who was much more than a civil rights leader.
He was a tireless advocate, a bridge-builder, and a symbol of hope for people worldwide.
His contributions have shaped the course of history and continue to inspire movements for justice and equality today.
The world inherits a legacy not only of struggle but of triumph, and the call to emulate his example is clear: to stand boldly for justice, to unite across differences, and to never cease striving for a better tomorrow.
9th Annual Black Experience Summit Veritas Auditorium, Elms College Friday, Feb. 20 from 12:30 – 4:30 p.m. Elms College’s Black Experience Summit is an academic forum that presents a historical and authentic depiction of Black communities in the United States and across the African Diaspora. This year’s theme is, “Sankofa: Rooted in Truth, Rising in Dignity: Celebrating 100 Years of Black History, Faith, Scholarship, and the Stories That Shape Our Future.” The Summit is free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged.
Blue Heron Ensemble In Praise of Laura Peverara: Madrigals for the Concerto delle donne Edwards Church, Northampton Friday, Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m. Usually, you have to drive to Cambridge to experience the exquisite musicianship of Blue Heron, but every once in while, they perform in our neck of the woods. In the 1580s, Ferrara boasted one of the most famous vocal ensembles in Europe: a trio of women known as the Concerto delle donne. One member, Laura Peverara, was so admired and beloved that she inspired two madrigal anthologies. Blue Heron will present a selection of this repertoire.
Pothole Pictures: Monsoon Wedding Memorial Hall, Shelburne Falls Friday, Feb. 20 and Saturday, Feb. 21 at 7:30 p.m. Since 1995 Pothole Pictures has been a community owned, all volunteer-run, non-profit theater with programs of films on the big screen in Shelburne Falls’s Memorial Hall. And, before the 7:30 screenings, there’s always a half hour of live music. Directed by Mira Nair, Monsoon Wedding is a Bollywood lively drama about a Punjabi family preparing for a wedding in New Delhi. How about the live music at 7 p.m.? On Friday Abdul Baki performs original songs on piano; on Saturday, Eveline & John play jazz, classical, folk and originals.
New Black Eagle Jazz Band 10 by Satch: The Music of Louis Armstrong Friday, Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m. Proprietors Lodge, Pittsfield For more than 50 years, the New Black Eagle Jazz Band has been delighting audiences worldwide with its infectious, soulful and uplifting style of traditional New Orleans jazz. They’ will be performing ten of Louis Armstrong’s most notable numbers in a cabaret setting (dancing optional). It’s part of Pittsfield’s 10×10 Upstreet Arts Festival.
Technologies of Relation MASS MoCA, North Adams On view starting Saturday, Feb. 21 with opening reception at 5:30 p.m. Responding to the rapidly advancing technologies that are shaping our daily lives and social fabric, the artists in this new exhibit examine how we relate to each other, to our devices, and to our future. These creators see the complexity of our relationships to the digital, avoiding the binary views that frame technology as good or bad, as tool or monster. They embrace how technology can connect us, but also acknowledge how algorithms and A.I. have the tendency to oppress and erase marginalized communities.
6th Annual Fire & Ice Festival Amherst Town Common Saturday, Feb. 21 from 3 – 6 p.m. The Town of Amherst’s WinterFest has been (and is) happening all week. Saturday’s Fire & Ice Festival is the grand finale when the town common is transformed into a magical winter wonderland. Enjoy mesmerizing ice sculptures, a breathtaking luminaria display, live entertainment, demos, activities, and hot cocoa and s’mores over fire pits.
Silverthorne Theater Company Love Came and Hit Me in the Eye CitySpace, Easthampton Saturday, Feb. 21 at 2 and 7 p.m. Silverthorne Theater Company’s third annual Valentine’s cabaret will feature songs about finding love in unexpected places. Singers this year include Frank Aronson, Kyle Boatwright (pictured above), Stephanie Carlson, Willow Cohen, Tahmie Der, Cordelia Winter Dwyer, Rachel F. Hirsch, John Iverson, Gina Kaufmann, Sam Samuels, Rose Schweitz Malla, and Aracelli Sierra, accompanied by Lauren Bell on piano.
Ashes to Ashes HOPE Center for the Arts, Springfield Saturday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. The HOPE Center presents an evening of film, music, poetry, and conversation that confronts America’s history of racial violence while honoring resilience, memory, and creative witness. Hosted by Shirley Jackson Whitaker, the program centers on a screening of the award-winning short documentary Ashes to Ashes, directed by Taylor Rees. The screening will be followed by a live performance with the Avery Sharpe Quintet, featuring a composition written by Sharpe in memory of an uncle who was lynched. Plus, Robert Meeropol will read a poem by his father and participate in a Q&A with the audience.
Curious Festival of Unfinished Works Adams Theater, Adams Saturday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. During a week-long residency in Adams, puppeteers and object performers have been working with David Lane and a crack team of mentors to develop their ideas for the stage. The final ingredient needed to test this creative soup is us — the audience!
40th Annual High School Honor Band Concert Tillis Performance Hall, UMass Saturday, Feb 21 at 7 p.m. High school musicians from around the northeast, recommended by their teachers and band directors, gather for a day-long festival of rehearsing, teaching, and mixing with UMass students and faculty, culminating in the evening concert. Free and open to the public.
Horszowski Trio The Drake, Amherst Sunday, Feb. 22 at 4 p.m. The NYC-based Horszowski Trio is a passionate advocate for the music of our time. Recent premieres include Piano Trio #2 written by Charles Wuorinen. The trio members learned that this work was written for them when it was discovered on the composer’s desk after his death. The Trio takes its inspiration from the musicianship, integrity, and humanity of the pre-eminent pianist Mieczysław Horszowski (1892–1993). The ensemble’s pianist, Rieko Aizawa, was Horszowski’s last pupil at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia.
Merry Me Hallie Flanagan Studio Theatre, Smith College Wednesday, Feb. 25 – Saturday, Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m. When a mysterious blackout leaves a navy stranded near enemy territory, the libidinous Lieutenant Shane Horne puts her very specific talents to use, including with the general’s wife. Meanwhile, a famed angel sends the Navy’s psychiatrist on an epic quest to save humanity. Merry Me is a madcap and mischievous mashup of ancient mythology and restoration comedy.
Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares: A World of Piano Northampton Center for the Arts at 33 Hawley Thursday, Feb. 26 – Saturday, Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m. This is the 15th iteration of A World of Piano , an annual series of three solo concerts that is co-produced by Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares and the Northampton Center for the Arts. The series provides easy access to some of the most innovative and accomplished improvising pianists of our time. This year’s lineup: Afro-Latin jazz specialist Arturo O’Farrill on Thursday; Spanish pianist Marta Sanchez on Friday; and Seattle’s Wayne Horvitz on Saturday.
Dear Jack, Dear Louise Majestic Theater, West Springfield Thursday, Feb. 26 – Saturday, April 4 Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise is a heartfelt and comical play that unfolds through the letters exchanged between a young Army doctor, Jack, and an aspiring Broadway actress named Louise during World War II. As their correspondence deepens, the two begin to fall in love despite the physical distance and the challenges of wartime life. The play explores themes of love, hope, and resilience, offering a poignant look at how relationships can flourish even in the most uncertain times.
COMING SOON
Mtali Banda De La Luz, Holyoke Saturday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. A native of Amherst, Mtali Banda is the son of a Malawian refugee father and an African American mother. His work uses performance and autoethnography to explore Black history in the global African diaspora. His use of musical composition and personal narrative help to bridge Black experiences throughout the diaspora, with an emphasis on Malawian history. Check out his recent appearance on The Fabulous 413.
Spring Gardening Symposium: Gardening as a Community Frontier Regional High School, South Deerfield Saturday March 21 from 9 a.m. – 2:15 p.m. Here’s a fun and energizing way for beginning and experienced gardeners alike to branch out or brush up, sponsored by the Western MA Master Gardener Association. Includes soil testing, workshops, a raffle, tasty treats, and a keynote speech about tick safety by UMass microbiology professor and TickReport director Dr. Stephen Rich.
Hayato Sumino Bowker Auditorium, UMass Thursday, March 26 at 7:30 p.m. Hayato Sumino is a preternaturally talented risk taker who brings both charm and humor to his work. He grew up in Tokyo, started playing piano at age three. At twenty-three, he won the Grand Prix at the PTNA Piano Competition. At twenty-four, he won third prize at the Lyon International Piano Competition. And at twenty-six, he was semi-finalist in the International Chopin Piano Competition, drawing a record 45,000 online viewers with his second-round performance.
Back Porch Festival Northampton Friday, March 27 – Sunday March 29 The Back Porch Festival is returning for its 12th year. The “Ramble Pass” gets you access to 50+ artists performing in venues all over downtown Northampton over three days. And, every night there’s a ticketed show at the Academy of Music: Bertha: Grateful Drag on Friday, the Bluegrass Spectacular on Saturday, and I’m with Her on Sunday.
NEPM’s Smart & Funny People: An Evening with Fran Lebowitz Academy of Music, Northampton Saturday, April 18, at 8 p.m. NEPM is rolling out a new event series called “NEPM’s Smart & Funny People.” In a cultural landscape filled with endless pundits and talking heads, Fran Lebowitz stands out as one of our most insightful social commentators. Lebowitz’s essays and interviews offer her acerbic views on current events and the media — as well as pet peeves including tourists, baggage-claim areas, after-shave lotion, adults who roller skate, children who speak French, or anyone who is unduly tan. Now, she’s one of NEPM’s Smart & Funny People.
Yesterday, the World Bank released a report on the state of our economy full 128 pages. For those who may have missed it, here is a clear summary of what the report is saying, just to make sure you stay informed.
1. Malawi is facing its worst economic crisis in many years.
The economy has been shrinking, prices have been rising by about 30 percent, and more than 75 percent of Malawians now live in extreme poverty.
2. The government has been spending more money than it collects for many years.
Malawi’s budget deficit is one of the highest in Africa, and it keeps breaking the SADC rule that says a country should not go beyond a 3 percent deficit.
3. Malawi’s public debt is too high and cannot be sustained.
By 2024, the country owed money equal to 90.9 percent of everything it produces. The Reserve Bank also lost huge amounts of money because of foreign exchange problems, including MWK 708.7 billion in 2023 and MWK 200.4 billion in 2022.
4. Government spending has almost doubled, but services have not improved.
Spending increased from 16 percent of GDP in 2011/12 to 31 percent in 2024/25. However, many projects are delayed or poorly managed, and only about 75 percent of development projects are completed.
5. The wage bill for government workers has grown very fast.
It was less than 3 percent of GDP in the early 2000s, but it is now above 6 percent. Malawi’s government workers earn about 49 percent more than people in similar jobs in the private sector.
6. State-owned companies are struggling and cost the government a lot of money.
In 2023 they made a profit of MWK 543 billion, but in 2024 they made a loss of MWK 47.63 billion. ESCOM and Blantyre Water Board are among the worst performers, and their debts and unpaid bills keep growing.
7. Fuel and electricity subsidies mostly help the rich, not the poor.
The richest 20 percent of people benefit the most from fuel subsidies. Delays in adjusting fuel prices between 2023 and 2025 also created large debts for fuel suppliers.
8. Malawi collects more tax today than ten years ago, but still not enough.
Tax makes up about 15 percent of GDP, which is below the government target of 17 percent. The country loses around 1.4 percent of GDP every year because of too many tax incentives and exemptions.
9. Mining will bring some money, but it will not change everything.
If all mining projects succeed, Malawi may get between US$200 million and US$500 million a year by the early 2030s. Projects include Kayelekera uranium, Kasiya rutile and Kangankunde rare earth minerals.
10. Malawi must choose to reform now or face a deeper crisis.
If reforms happen, the country could move from a deficit to a surplus within two years and reduce its debt. But if nothing changes, debt could grow to 143 percent of GDP by 2035, and the economy will suffer even more.
