Meetings in Malawi

by P.D. Nitz ~ Malawi

I'll tell you one little story about my experience here... I had been using Dialogue Education full swing in the classroom for several months. A meeting was coming up for our school board, including 4 expats, two Zambians, and four Malawians. An idea kept niggling at me that this meeting would be so much more fruitful if I set it up dialogue style. I got permission and support for doing just that. The meeting went great. A couple days after the meeting, I visited Global Learnings' webpage to find the newly launched "SURE-Fire Meetings" being advertised. I felt most vindicated!

Since that time, I've run a couple other "big issue" meetings using the Dialogue Approach and have found it very valuable. I imagine I have a big advantage here with the easy acceptance of a new approach and the value set on discussion and hearing all views in this culture.

The Dialogue Approach in the classroom has rarely failed to bring great results, unless I didn't take time to prepare. Possibly the most valuable principle for a white man teaching blacks in Africa is the principle of 'safety.' A good Malawian friend of mine said something to the effect, "Just remember, no matter the circumstances or what you feel, a Malawian is intimidated by and in awe of a white."

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