26/01/2026
When you start doing well in life or business, sometimes itās your own relatives who begin to speak against you.
Six months ago, I made a decision to leave urban life and settle in the rural area so I could focus on farming full-time. We organized a collaborative work arrangement known as chikumu (chipiliganyo), where we help each other work in our maize fieldsāeveryone works in one personās field, and that same effort is returned in the next field.
Our group had six official members: my mother, my aunt, my uncle, my two sisters, and myself. One of my sisterās husbands also helped occasionally, but he was never counted as a member, meaning he could stop at any time.
We worked first in my motherās maize field, then my uncleās, and then my auntās. The understanding was simple: the same amount of work done in one field would be done in the next.
My field was the last to be worked. On that day, my sisterās husband was not presentāwhich was expected, since he was not officially part of the group. This meant the work that had been done by seven people in earlier fields was now being done by only six. Naturally, it took us more time to complete the task.
Later, I heard my uncle say that it seemed like I had used charms to make the work take longer. Yet the truth is very simple: fewer people were working, so the work took longer.
Sadly, in Malawi, there is a dangerous habit of pointing fingers at someone when they start becoming successful, saying they must have turned to witchcraft to get rich. In some cases, these accusations go furtherāpeople organize themselves, invade someoneās home, destroy property, kill livestock, and if the person does not escape in time, they even end up losing their life, all in the name of calling someone a witch.
This mindset is harmful and must be challenged. Hard work, planning, and consistency are not witchcraft. Truth should always be louder than rumors.
