Entrepreneurs create their own opportunities

Malawi's city sidewalks are always dotted with wicker armchairs, book shelves and tables which are for sale. They find their way into almost every lodge and house. But besides being beautifully crafted, this furniture also provides a valuable source of income in a country where formal employment is difficult to find. Bester Tambalala is part of a large weavers' workshop based on the side of the busy road that runs from Lilongwe to Salima. As cars whiz down to the country's tourist haven, Lake Malawi, about 40 weavers shelter under a grass roof busily making the furniture they hope to sell to passers-by. Tambalala was taught his craft by his grandfather and makes at least six wicker chairs a week. He uses this money to support himself and his family. But there's more to this gathering of furniture makers. They have formed the Katengeza Furniture Club and every time someone sells an item they take a percentage of the profit and put it into the club kitty. If somebody in the club falls ill or is facing a financial crisis, the members give them money from the kitty to tide the family over while they're not working. But, said Tambalala, the club needs help to boost its income. "We need help exporting," he said pointing to the shelves that would fit right into international style emporiums such as Ikea and Habitat. "We also need tools and the funds to build a proper corrugated iron roof to protect the furniture when it rains," he added. Another familiar sight in Malawi is the rows of bulky bags of charcoal for sale. Most Malawians cook over fires, and even families who do have electricity prefer to cook outside over small braziers. It is charcoal sellers like Lickford Mbewe who keep the nation's home fires burning. But it takes three days to make the charcoal from the time the wood is collected and smouldered down to black lumps. Then it's another four-hour walk off the main road to the charcoal makers that Mbewe buys his stock from. The charcoal sellers can be seen from early in the morning pushing their bicycles laden with bags of coal into the city markets. Mbewe said many charcoal makers planted rows of trees to replace those they had used for their business. Young Abeg Kalanje sits nearby on piles of firewood. He sells large bags or small piles of the logs and is occasionally commissioned to fashion a handle for a hoe while he waits for business. Another familiar small businessman in Malawi is the fisherman. Though it may be a romantic sight for tourists, these men spend hours every day on the lake for small returns. Fisherman Kazembe Matola said the fish are not as plentiful as they were in the past, and the lake's crabs make holes in their nets. Matola said some fisherman row great distances towards the Mozambican side of the lake hoping for a better catch. The money he earns is just enough to pay his daily expenses and to set aside a little to cover his annual fishing licence fee. "A lot of people want to join but they need the capital," said Matola. He doesn't own the boat that he uses but works for the boat's owners. They sell their catch to the groups of men and women who gather around the boats as they land. Heavily laden trucks ferry the fish to large towns and cities. Or day trippers simply tie the fish to their car's side mirrors to keep them cool for the journey. However, they can't fish for the whole year as the Fisheries Department imposes controls during the fish breeding season. Fisheries technical enforcement officer George Manda said it was particularly difficult to enforce the controls this drought year, as the control period coincides with Malawi's hungry season. "Not everybody obeys because of poverty. We have to confiscate their gear but we give it back at the end of the breeding season," he said. Out of desperation some fisherman also fish with nets with very small holes and they catch undersize fish. "These days they're opting for much smaller nets," Manda said. Other entrepreneurs in Malawi include the ubiquitous peanut and curio sellers, young boys who fry cassava for sale by the individual chip and even leather workers who craft comfort seats for the country's thousands of bicycles - complete with decorative tassels.