Madonna’s Malawi school drives villagers off their lands, pay compensation
The Queen of Pop, Madonna is reportedly set to pay £70,000 in compensation to the people whose homes were destroyed to make room for her Raising Malawi Academy for girls.
The 51-year-old performer built the new £9million school at the expense of 200 villagers, who have been forced off their land.
It is claimed they are not happy with the amount that they are being paid, and one villager, Amos Mkuyu, said he was given just 200,000 Malawi Kwacha (£850) for three hectares of land, mango trees and three dwellings.
“My sisters and I inherited this land from our parents, whose parents have been here for over a hundred years. How can I get only K200, 000? (850 pounds)” the Daily Express quoted one Mkuyu, as saying.
However, the District Commissioner, Charles Kalemba, reportedly told the villagers in Chinkhota where the school would be built: “: “The government allowed you to occupy this land because there was no project yet, but now that Madonna wants to build you a school you have to give way. This school is the future of our children”
Village head man Binson Chinkhota said: “We have been compensated and this school is a pride for us as it is the future of our children.”
Anjimile Mtila-Oponyo, the school’s principal-designate, added: “We stalled for some months because of the land dispute. We are now in full swing and set to meet the 2011 deadline.”
The school consists of 46 hectares and will have a library and administration building, dining hall, gymnasium, wellness center, sports field, 30 classrooms, 12 dormitories and 18 staff houses.
The design was centered around optimizing natural daylighting and ventilation to minimize energy use and take advantage of the natural site conditions.
Mostly constructed out of locally sourced Hydraform bricks, which are made from on-site soil, the builders can avoid using “burned bricks which have been largely responsible for wide spread deforestation in Malawi.”
The entire gymnasium roof will be covered in photovoltaic panels to help supply the school with power.
Meanwhile two constructed wetlands will process the black and grey water from the campus for reuse as irrigation water for the playing field. An educational agricultural area will then help teach the students .
The school construction is expected to be completed in 2012.
Madonna is giving back to the country that gave her David, her son and Mercy, her daughter.–AGENCIES
anthu nonse mukuti mfwee mfwee ndalama zachepa yet panopa you own houses in area 43, 47, 12,etc. Do you know how much was paid to my parents to vacate midzi yathu. so what’s the fuss. just shut up coz you dont know what you talking about.
MY FELLOW MALAWIANS LET US BE REASONABLE THINK OF THE INVESTIMENTS OF THE SCHOOL FOR OUR CHILDREN.
>ZINA KUMAYAMIKA
>PALADIN KU KARONGA APANGAPO CHANI?AKU NGOKUMBA URANIUM WAMBILI BUT PROVIDES LOW FIGURES TO THE GOVERNMENT. WAKE UP
Hey, madona’s proposed school is located between MIM and Central Poutry. I have passed by the place many times and no villager’s house has been destroyed there. After all, the area is already designated to be part of the City of Lilongwe. Those that are still lingering around forming urban villages are simply buying time and unearned political sympathy.
For me before I jump into any conclusion as to whether they have been adequately compensated or not I would first find out if the land in question is within the city limits or not. If it is within the city bounds then its unquestionable fact that the so called villagers were occupying land that did not belong to them unless they have a title deed. If on the other hand the land in question falls outside the city bounds then there is a case and the people must be adequately compensated.
After all they were squatting on land which was declared part of the city longtime, zawo analandila kale akufuna double pay how? Angothokoza otherwise, not even a penny was entitled to them as compensation. Soon, I want Mgona, those houses close and opposite Lilongwe TTC and in Area 50 cleared for Industrial developments. They were never zoned for residential purposes. So anybody who is wasting his or her money building mansions in these non-residential zones against Land Use Plans which are legal documents according to the Town and Country Planning Act Chapter 23.01 of the Laws of Malawi is breaking the law and will be brought to book to account for their actions. Zomanga chisawawa opanda planning zichepe pa Malawi.
Where is Chinkhota? To get a full picture of the problem, such information is necessary. This is not a comment to any of the comments above but to Nysatimes.
komanso abale!!!
And these people are saying the money is little? I don’t understand. Yet where they were, there was nothing tangible. For example Mr Amos Mkuyu is saying his place ha mango trees, three hectares of land and three dwellings, shaaa! The three dwellings he is talking about are khola lankhumba (muli nkhumba zitatu), kitchen ya udzu and a two bedroom grass tharched house. My other surprise is on the name of the designated pricnipal, Anjimile Mtila Oponyo. Is this a Malawian or Ghanian? mpakana Oponyo? Ndiye kuti quota ya a Malawi yakwana kale maudindo pasukulupo ndiye popeza angwazi ndi a Pulesident a African Union, aganiza zopereka maudindo ena ku Ghana? Sheeeeeh!
Iwenso odontha she is from Zomba! she is the VPs younger sister kubwebweta bwanji. She is Mtila from Police Band daughter to the Mtila who sang “kunchilingano”. Knew her from Kwachikanda kwakazembe and mpondabwino days.
You left something out of this story.
“As well as the compensation, the villagers have also been given new land elsewhere.”
This was reported on the BBC website today, so even though they feel the money was not sufficient for the house and the trees on the land, the compensation is given to them in good faith, afterall the land did not belong to them they never purchased the land or register that land as theirs.
So they were relocated and got some money for the trouble of moving.
Bambo Mkuyu ndi achemwali anu mtengo wamango, pachaka how much do you earn. I think you can still plant more mango trees behind your house and enjoy 200,000 you were given Hallelluya. Dont be greedy