A Reflection on Beauty

Saturday 8th May

We've been invited to lunch at the home of someone in the church (I'm not sure who) who lives on the outskirts of Blantyre. Diana and Marquita, the two American ladies, whose company I've enjoyed often at the dinner table, are leaving this morning. When Godfrey takes them to the airport mid-morning I catch a lift with them to Blantyre. On the way we pick up Amos, my body-guard! The rest of the committee have to make their own way there.

During lunch a familiar pattern develops, one I'm getting a bit tired of; the women make and serve the food, and then are hidden away in the kitchen while we men eat. I feel more and more uncomfortable with this routine. I recently asked a woman, who had made my lunch, why the women weren't allowed to come and eat with us. She replied, "It is our tradition; we like it this way." I looked her in the eye and said, "You like it this way?" She smiled, but didn't respond.

However, during lunch today the father of the household made his daughters come out, one by one, to introduce themselves. I'm not sure if this is normal, or whether it's done because the folk here are getting the idea that I'd like to meet the women and children as well as the men. One of the young ladies caught my attention. Her sisters were shy in their introductions, but she seemed confident and self-assured. She had a lovely face, with sparkly eyes and a bubbly personality; she also spoke good English. So I grabbed my opportunity. After her brief 'hello', where she gave me her name, rank and serial number as expected, I invited her to sit down and join in the conversation. She clearly wanted to, but glanced quickly at her father. I asked if it was ok for her to stay and her father looked at her and barked, "Sit!", pretty much the way you would with a dog that was misbehaving. I looked at Regina and said, "I hope this is ok; I don't want to get her into trouble." Regina was clearly glad I had asked the girl to join us. She has tended to be the only female who eats with us. She said, "It will be ok. You are the Reverend and you have asked her to sit here, so that is fine." It may well have been fine officially, but for the first few minutes after the young woman sat down, every woman who came into the room to take plates away or whatever, her sisters included, glowered over at her disapprovingly.

It turned out that this 'girl', who I thought was about 15, was, in fact, 20! We chatted about school, which she still seemed to be finishing, and about life in Malawi. She was clearly enjoying being included alongside Regina and the men. I asked her, if it was possible, what would be the job, or the career, she hoped would open up for her. To my amazement she replied, "A truck driver!" Regina and I both burst out laughing and so did she. Dad perked up at this point and said, "We have women truck drivers in Malawi!" But what made it so funny is that the trucks she was talking about are huge; think enormous American rigs, because vehicles similar to that thunder up and down the main road through Malawi. This young lady was rather petite, and not really built to man-handle one of those monsters.

Funny as it was, it was also, perhaps, a bit sad. Was this career hope made out of a poverty of opportunity? She was intelligent and very presentable, attractive. In the West she would have so many opportunities. But here? A truck driver? Funny, but not funny.

Oh, I forgot to tell you her name; her name is Beauty, and she has been well named. I pray that the Lord will open up a way for this beautiful, intelligent, young woman, and for so many others like her in Malawi, to fulfil all of the potential that shines out from within.