Cyclone Freddy and the Diaspora

WHAT TO EXPECT...WHEN YOU PUSH PLAY

Host Kondwani Mwase is joined by returning guest Chawa Mphande in an important episode reflecting on Cyclone Freddy. The two unpack and explore some tough questions about natural disasters, trauma and crisis management. The endpoint is a raw, yet hopeful, glimpse into the lives of some underprivileged people.

During the piece, Chawa and Kondwani talk about one of ‘the Worst storms in history’ (Cyclone Freddy), that has devastated parts of southern Africa. They discuss the impact it has had on many countries, including Malawi, how its left a mark on the people, and touches on the trauma that will be being immediately felt...and the damage that may unfold in the future. Finally, the two touch on coverage in Western media and how that underreporting may have a detrimental impact on fundraising efforts.

WHAT'S LEARNED THROUGH LISTENING

• Chawa's path is one that's becoming more familiar for the African diaspora. She was born in Malawi, spent formative years in Canada and returned to live and reside in Malawi

• Cyclone Freddy has been classed as one of the strongest and longest lasting Cyclones on record - with impacts felt in Madagascar, Mozambique, Malawi, South Africa, Eswatini and Zambia

• When events such as storm Cyclone Freddy occur it creates a lot of trauma - both at the individual level but also on the collective communities and surrounding systems that have ties to a region

• There aren’t a lot of mental health services in Malawi, particularly not to deal with events a scale as intense as Cyclone Freddy

HIGHLIGHTS

1:07 “The lover of the land we live on makes me a lover of people”

08:20 “Firstly I am a human being, before anything else”

11:25 “I have my feet planted in Canada and my heart firmly in Malawi”

18:29 “Someone may not have been impacted directly, but that trauma knowing that people's lives and livelihoods have been lost is immense”

21:36 “Most trauma you don’t see the effects right then and there, we’ll only be able to see some of this trauma in years to come”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Consider donations to disaster relief (Road to Relief) - https://www.facebook.com/RTRmw/

Previous episode with Chawa: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/a-well-of-gifts-with-chawa-mphande/id1447037493?i=1000507503202

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