Bawoli Bane encourages dignity of women

The feature is an edition of the Bawoli Bane (My Wife) programme. Bawoli Bane is Chitumbuka term that denotes the respect and pride the man has for his wife-a positive way to encourage dignity of women in Northern Malawi.

This is a 5-minute weekly dialogue between husband (me) and wife (Thembi) on issues of gender roles, GBV and family practice. It encourages the man in providing respect to the wife through his behavior, empowerment and lifestyle. Bawoli Bane is Chitumbuka term that denotes the respect and pride the man has for his wife-a positive way to encourage dignity of women in Northern Malawi where the programme reaches. The language is spoken and heard by at least 25 percent of Malawi ’s population. Since men love their radio sets, the best conversational mass medium is via radio. This particular edition featured a discussion between husband and wife recalling how they related to their parents as they were growing up. The husband first wanted to know if the wife was able to tell her dad what she was going through as a girl and even at the time she was asked for marriage. The husband shared his teenage experience with sisters and his mother who boldly allowed him to be in the kitchen much to the annoyance of his sisters. The husband then shared lessons from the mother and the wife too shared lessons from her father. The edition concludes with a challenge to parents to create a positive environment so that their daughters can chat with their fathers and sons with their mothers. This edition was important in that it addresses and challenges the socialization processes in the traditional set-up where certain gender roles promote gender inequalities. Bawoli Bane overall objective is to contribute to a conversation on gender justice by discussing what makes a man, man. The goal is to see man take an active role in promoting gender equality.

The idea was to provoke parents to consider having social discussions with their children. It targeted male parents to ensure they establish an open friendship with their daughters and be their mentors. The same for mothers to befriend their sons.