Steve McInnis
Another week and our topsy turvy world is more the same. Two weeks ago, Nora and I were looking forward to a Canadian visitor over the Easter break and now we are starting to get anxious about being able to return to Canada any time soon.
In Canada (and the rest of the world) the number of cases increases dramatically. Africa has only a few reported cases, but the testing here is not very thorough. I’m sure if you can get tested, it’s valid, but there are few testing locations. There are no reported cases in Malawi. Friday night (20th) the President declared a state of national disaster and closed all the schools. Gatherings with more than 100 people, including church services, are outlawed. The state of national disaster is ostensibly for the virus, but we cynics think it has just as much to do with the President’s precarious constitutional position after the court declared last year’s election invalid.
On Friday when we went to prison, they set up a hand washing station for visitors sometime between 8:30 am when we arrived and 10 am when we left. A shortened day because the students were writing exams. They took my chemistry Form 1 exam and it will be given to the students on Tuesday. We still need to inform the “Officer in Charge” (OC) that we are leaving soon with no commitment to return. I’ve mentioned before that the OC is hard to meet and yet the protocol is to inform him first, before the guards and inmates. I have been tempted to “let it slip” to our best-known guard that we are leaving.
Our flight home has been variously scheduled for March 23, March 26, and March 27 after options were cancelled one after the other. The most recent date is Monday, March 23 so we might not see our school, teachers, or guards again. We have a 10 am appointment with the OC on Monday, after which we need to dash to the airport for the 3 pm flight. So, it might be a little tight, especially if the OC or anyone else keeps us waiting. I’m always nervous about catching planes. We are supposed to be there by noon, of course, but the wicket will likely open at 1:30 pm. If we are still in Malawi for Easter or the fall equinox, don’t be surprised.
Yes, the work continues. The Friends of Prison will continue to visit, as long as they are allowed to. Rammy, one of the volunteers, told us this week that although our teaching assignment was cut short, our teaching helped to legitimize the work of the Friends. Make no mistake, they have always been highly regarded for their work with the prisoners. A Christian prisoner (or any prisoner of faith) is less likely to cause trouble in the prison and he/she is less likely to re-offend once he/she has served his/her time. We hope that is also true of our students. Although teaching Macbeth might have unintended consequences. (What is the most horrible line in the play? – “Horror, Horror, Horror.” of course.)
