Deogracias Benjamin Kalima: Reporting from 'The Warm Heart of Africa'
Known locally as the ‘island in the sky’, Mount Mulanje in south-east Malawi towers over the region’s plains. It’s Deogracias Benjamin Kalima’s favourite place on Earth. And when he’s not chasing stories as a freelance journalist, this is where you’ll find him. As well as keeping fit, Deogracias sees these long hikes or bike rides as a chance to meet new people.
The Warm Heart of Africa
“I come from a country where ‘stranger’ does not exist. Malawians are wonderful, warm and welcoming. That is why the country is called ‘The Warm Heart of Africa’.”
Deogracias specialises in reporting on environmental conservation and climate change. Based in Malawi’s second largest city, Blantyre, his work has been published by news sites around the world: a Malawian view on a topic which affects us all.
In Malawi, single-use plastics are an ongoing problem. They cause soil infertility, livestock deaths and increased risk of flooding in urban centres. In summer 2019, the Supreme Court in Malawi banned plastic bags. But for now, the country’s shops and markets still rely on plastic to sell their goods.
"No one is too small to make a difference”
Deogracias made a personal commitment to bringing a reusable bag when he goes shopping. He also uses his excursions to chat to people. “I lobby people I meet to shift to more sustainable means of carrying goods. No one is too small to make a difference. We all have to make our humble contributions to restoring our world’s environment and making it sustainable.”
When Deogracias started out in journalism nine years ago, he quickly realised that environmental conservation and sustainability weren’t receiving the attention they deserved in Malawian media. In 2016, he made the leap from news journalism to environmental and sustainability reporting. He shines a light on what local individuals, particularly in rural or agricultural settings, are doing to overcome modern-day challenges.
Deogracias is proud to have established himself as a sustainability reporter with international bylines. “I’m one of a few media practitioners in my country dedicated to showing people that news is not all about negativity, politics and big-name personalities. I highlight citizen and community initiatives happening here in Malawi but aimed at the sustainability of the planet.”
But Deogracias’ journey has not been without its challenges. Freelance journalism is not an easy way to make a living in Malawi. The media industry is small and dominated by radio and TV stations that don’t buy stories from freelancers. He credits his success to hard work, perseverance, networking and determination.
Looking to the future
To continue sharing important stories from local communities, Deogracias recently crowdfunded the purchase of a DSLR camera.
His focus for the year ahead is to continue raising awareness about the harmful effects of single-use plastic. He hopes to organise trash clean-ups combined with sporting activities for the young people in Blantyre. “We will clean the trash from our surroundings while at the same time giving the youths a platform to excel in sport.”
“I have come to realise that we don’t have another planet apart from Earth, so we need to take care of it and its resources. We need to be responsible now to ensure the sustainability of the planet for us and for the generations to come.”
You can keep up with Deogracias’ writing and activism by following him on LinkedIn or Facebook.