Almost there!

Some footage I shot on a recent trip into Malawi. Sam Peckham did the edit work and used it on the Feba UK website. The station has some last minute problems, but will overcome these.

Jetting out of Blantyre

Photo credit: Doug Harbottle, University of Cape Town

An exteremely hot and humid Chileka airport is my departure point from Malawi, having been here since Wednesday. We travelled a little more than 200 kms up to our FM station building site, to see the progress of the building work there. The drive north is such a pretty one, with Zomba mountain standing proud in the distance at one part. It was good to meet up again with Keith Moller, our missionary partner, and meet his wife Christine, and the children Michael & Hannah. The kids were as happy as anything playing in the hot and dirty sand around the house and building site. The FM station site is on schedule, and looking good. Cement prices are a problem, and we are having trouble finding a carpenter to do the manin roof and som odds and ends inside the building ... so anyone with good carpentry skills who wants a short-term missionary assignment - contact me!

photo credit: Otis Elevator Company

I am heading back to Joburg and directly to Durban today - and will get to hug my grandsons tomorrow! And their mom and dad of course. Looking forward to that very much.

Grab that finger, Bob

Bob Bartz and Frik Veldman Adopting Local Cultural Values in Malawi
On the southern shore of beautiful Lake Malawi, Bob and Frik engage in the local custom of finger greeting. The dominant male in a group offers his baby finger to a visitor, who must grasp it firmly and look directly into the eyes of the other. This strange custom photographed here appears as the two visiting Feba Radio missionaries meet on a beach by the Lake. All other resemblances to local custom and tradition was purely accidental. DISCLAIMERNo missionaries were hurt during the taking of this picture. Inspite of delightful surroundings, warm weather,and casual clothing, genuine business was taking place.

Radio Mast in Malawi

FM MAST ON NDENGU HILL, NEAR KAMWENDO, MALAWI

Part of my current travels included visiting the future site of an FM radio project that will reach the Yao people of Malawi. The picture shows the completed mast and coax cable going down the hill to the transmitter building. This site is about 20 kms from the southern shores of Lake Malawi. The project is scheduled to reach first transmission by April 2008. It is a joint project between Feba Radio UK, TWR and BUSA. The mast needs to go higher, and there is a lot of building work to be completed, but it was very moving to stand up on that hill and envisage the numbers of people who could soon have a local radio station in their own language.