Chanco closed until further notice

Yes, it's now official. As of yesterday afternoon, the powers that be decided to close down Chancellor College until the lecturers' dispute with the University of Malawi administration can be resolved. Unfortunately, the decision to close campus was made after the student protests yesterday got increasingly violent, resulting in a lot of property damage, but luckily no major injuries (at least as far as I heard/read).

Due to the students' frustration over the on-again, off-again, on-again lecturers' strike, and unfortunately a possible 'copycat' mentality after their counterparts at University of Malawi-Polytechnic in Blantyre held a similar violent protest, the students marched into town and took their frustrations out on people's homes, businesses, and at least one car. I was very disturbed to hear about this for several reasons. While I understand that the students are very frustrated about the situation, what I don't understand is why they would then go into private neighborhoods and business districts and destroy innocent people's property? I suppose a mob is a mob, university-educated and privileged or not. I just suppose I expect more from these students. To their credit, they were very patient for a month. I guess it just became to much for them in the end.

Unfortunately though, it appears they've shot themselves in the feet now, as the likelihood of the dispute being resolved before the end of the calendar year is now much further away than if they'd used their mouths and pens rather than their fists and feet. At least that's what Malawi President Mutharika said in his radio address regarding the incident this afternoon, and I tend to agree with his sentiment. The students needed to take the 'higher ground' on this, and use channels of negotiation rather than giving in to their anger and taking it out on the community in which they live.

I just hope no one in my fabulous class was involved. I took a short drive around the campus today, and it looked pretty calm and quiet. A few stones and branches were laying around, but no property damage to the college itself was evident. Could it be that students calculated their attacks off-campus on purpose, knowing they'd avoid attacking themselves on their own turf in doing so? Food for thought. Any way you look at it, it's a no-win deal at this point.

With that, I leave you to ponder. Tiwonana mawa.