Although Geoffrey, Gilbert and I grew up in this small place in Africa, we did many of the same things children do all over the world, only with slightly different materials. And talking with friends...

Mister Geoffrey, my experiment shows that the dynamo and the bulb are both working properly,” I said. “So why won’t the radio play?””I don’t know,” he said. “Try connecting them here.”He was pointing toward a...

Don’t worry about the water,” said a man with a nervous grin. “This is hardwood, it won’t ruin. You’ll have this chair into your old years. How much do you have? I’ll take anything. My...

Papa, why are you selling our goats? I like these goats.””A week ago the price was five hundred, now it’s four hundred. I’m sorry, but we can’t wait for it go any lower.”Mankhalala and the...

News came of Beni Beni, the madman of Wimbe, who’d always made us laugh in better times. He’d run up to merchants in the trading center with his raving eyes and snatch cakes and Fantas...

With the money my mother earned from selling cakes, my father cut a deal with Mangochi and bought one pail of maize. My mother took it to the mill, saved half the flour for us,...

Your Excellency,” [Chief Wimbe] said, turning to face the president. “I’d like to congratulate you not only for what you’ve done in Malawi, but all across the great continent of Africa. We’re having about all...

Chief Wimbe also loved his cat, which was black and white but had no name. In Malawi, only dogs are given names, I don’t know why.

Poor is the man whose pleasure depends on the permission of another.

Inside the maize mill, the owners no longer had any use for a broom. The hungry people kept the floors cleaner than a wet mop. At the beginning of the month, the mill was packed...

Young girls frequently report that their early sexual experiences were coerced. In a study in South Africa, 30 percent of girls report that their first sexual intercourse was forced. In rural Malawi, 55 percent of...

It was common for my father to sit my sisters down and tell them things like, “I saw a girl working in the bank in town, and she was a girl just like you.” My...