If there is one nation bursting with untapped potential, it is Malawi. This is a land brimming with opportunities waiting to be seized. Here, innovations that should have transformed lives remain just beyond reach. Books that could inspire generations are yet to be penned, and groundbreaking gadgets that could solve everyday challenges are still waiting to be invented. The canvas is wide open for dreamers and doers alike.
Necessity, as they say, is the mother of invention. In simpler terms, the challenges we encounter should push us toward finding creative solutions instead of giving in to defeat. Sadly, in Malawi, it is often the opposite. Rather than rising to meet the challenge, people tend to be overwhelmed, paralyzed by what they see as impossible obstacles. As a result, they sink further under the weight of these problems, unable to take action and change their circumstances.
Several years ago, we experienced a particularly erratic rainy season. I recall driving to Mangochi that year, passing by Lake Malombe. To my disbelief, I saw maize crops just a few meters from the vast lake, wilting under the scorching drought. The sight was surreal—how could crops so close to an immense water body, larger than Lake Galilee, wither for lack of moisture? It seemed unimaginable.
Droughts pose a significant challenge to farmers, yet by now, this very issue should have driven us to develop systems for channeling water from natural sources like lakes and rivers to our crop fields. The ancient Egyptians, for example, faced an even greater challenge—they had no rain and relied entirely on the Nile for survival. Instead of succumbing to this obstacle, they innovated. They invented the shaduf, a simple yet ingenious device designed to lift water from low-lying rivers to irrigate fields on higher ground. With a weighted object on one side and a receptacle on the other, they could dip the bucket into the river, fill it with water, and effortlessly raise it to pour into channels leading to their crops. This creativity was the foundation of their thriving civilization, proof that necessity sparks invention.
Later on, the Egyptians advanced their irrigation techniques by developing a hydraulic pump that utilized screws to push water uphill. When the Greek philosopher Archimedes visited Egypt in 234 BC, this ingenious invention caught his eye. Fascinated by its design, he introduced it to Greece, and ever since, it has been known as the Archimedes or Archimedean screw. This invention became a timeless tool, revolutionizing the way civilisations managed water flow and irrigation.
Archimedes, who lived in the city of Syracuse, was known for his brilliant inventions, but one of his most famous achievements came from an unusual request. The King of Syracuse, suspecting he had been swindled, asked Archimedes to determine whether a newly acquired crown was made of pure gold or mixed with lesser metals. The challenge intrigued Archimedes, and he realized that the key to solving the mystery lay in determining the crown’s density. At the time, the densities of common metals were already known and documented. If he could accurately measure the crown’s density, he could easily compare it to the known values and reveal whether it was truly made of pure gold.
To calculate the density of the crown, Archimedes needed both its mass and volume. Determining the mass was straightforward, but the volume posed a greater challenge since the crown was an irregular object. While there were formulas for calculating the volumes of regular shapes like spheres, cubes, and pyramids, no such method existed for irregular objects like the crown. This presented a puzzle that required a different approach to solve.
One morning, as Archimedes stepped into his bath, he noticed the water level rise as his body submerged. In that moment, it struck him: the volume of the displaced water was equal to the volume of the submerged part of his body. With this realization, he knew he could determine the volume of the crown by immersing it in water and measuring the displaced water. Overcome with excitement, Archimedes leapt out of the tub, and without even dressing, ran through the streets of Syracuse shouting, “Eureka! Eureka!”
We need to discover our own “eureka” moments to tackle the numerous challenges we face in this country. These breakthroughs will not come from politicians – they will come from private individuals, modern-day Archimedeses, who will lead us into a new era for Malawi, where we search within our systems for solutions to our problems. When reports surface of people eating chitedze (monkey tamarind) out of desperation, many point fingers at government but it is we, the private individuals, who have failed.