On Saturday 9th December 2023, members of the Hill Climbing Club (HCC) joined other hikers in commemorating International Mountain Day (IMD), which falls on 11th December annually.
The group, led by Patron Godfrey Chindenga, was part of the big number of hiking enthusiasts who joined Inkosi ya Makosi Gomani V and his Ngoni subjects during the event.
Chindenga, joined by six other members, braved the 19 kilometres plus stretch from the Ngwenyama’s compound through Chibwana Village to the summit of Muonekera Hill, which forms part of the Kirk Range cutting through the country from Dzalanyama all the way to the Shire River and beyond.
During the event, which started on 8th December with colorful Ngoni traditional dances, camping and story telling amongst the hikers and the locals, punctuated by food, drink and excitement, the hikers planted trees on Muonekera, and took advantage to interact with the Ngewnyama and Her Majesty his wife, and the member of Parliament in the area, Chimphondo.
They all showed interest to work more with hikers in interventions around restoration of the ecosystem, such as tree planting, and at the same time build a culture of fitness and healthy living referred to as Fitness Tourism by HCC.
“As a club our calling beyond fitness and healthy living is to appreciate nature, and join the world and our leaders and everybody, including chiefs, politicians, young people and institutions of interest in redressing the degraded natural benefaction. We also promote gender equality and campaign against Gender Based Violence (GBV), apart from participating in humanitarian fundraising activities because we know that nature has a way of contributing to either our individual and collective fitness and healthy interests as a people. At the same time ensuring we live cleaner and better lives, that we are self-sufficient around food security, have better natural resources including water and indigenous fruits and therefore good nutrition, and we live lives free from oppression of any gender that impacts the ecosystem,” says Chindenga.
On his part, the Ngwenyama, Inkosi ya Makosi Gomani V, told the gathering at his headquarters, that he as a traditional leader comprehends that people need the earth and all its provides to support them, and nature correspondingly needs people to support it.
“As an ecosystem, its where we as humans and nature support each other. Without this relationship each will suffer. We have had natural disasters such as the devastating Cyclone Freddy in southern Malawi, and the floods and drought in Karonga up north.
“More recently we also experienced floods in Salima within the central region. This shows we need to start to work with nature as a life-long partner to survive. Everybody must take a part in this drive. And am glad that hikers are leading the way, joining us here with our youth to restore nature,” said Gomani V.
HCC Coordinator M’theto Lungu, who is also a graduate and member of the Faith Leaders Environment and Advocacy Training (FLEAT 2), a Southern Africa Faith Communities Environment Institute (Safcei) initiative, and green activist at the Sadc regional level through the All Churches Togther (ACT) We Have Faith (WHF) climate justice movement, said HCC recognizes mountains as their daily partner.
“We hike mountains. And we enjoy hiking mountains that are full of trees, grass, shrubs, various animals including birds, insects, and creepers. We enjoy the fresh upstream water that comes from the mountains. We enjoy the good fresh air and mostly we gain a lot physically – as we build endurance and stamina – all thanks to mountains and nature. It is therefore our deep rooted responsibility as hikers to inspire all to take care of mountains and the environment in whole.
“HCC and am sure many other institutions including food production entities, security agencies, and just everybody cannot survive without a balanced ecosystem. We as humans must therefore at all times, no matter where we live, do anything and everything to heal our world. We must also start to bring awareness to all levels of society, in very simple language especially in vernacular.
“Reach out to the grassroots and demystify the science and language that our leaders and environmental negotiators use to take advantage of the vulnerable poor majority, especially in the global south, so that they all understand the simple involvements in safeguarding and restoring the ecosystem.
“And more especially, in joining a noble movement that demands for restoration through various UNFCCC instruments such as carbon financing and others that have been promised the affected third world countries that greatly suffer the blunt of climate change at the hands of the rich and influential polluters especially those in the global north. 198 countries are expected to agree or not on the COP28 Draft Deal and its commitments.
“As COP28 in Dubai winds up this week, with no strong text, language, or assurance on the direction the world needs to take as the draft deal is mainly week and unacceptable, we in Malawi must not wait and continue to take the necessary steps in restoring our world,” Lungu, who also received an award from the Ngwenyama supported by the Ntechu District Commissioner (DC) on behalf of all hikers present at the event conclude.
Other awards were conferred to Austin Mndolo representing the Malawi Defence Force (MDF), and Joab Chakhadza on behalf of the media. The Ngwenyama was also awarded on behalf of all chiefs leading environmental restoration in their various areas, and for this unwavering support and commitment to young people in environmental redress.
HCC members that participated in the event include Bob Flloybeth, Stella Lungu. Thoko Nyirenda, Mary Kulinji, and Sarafina Banda.
IMD is commemorated each year and the theme for 2023 is Restoring Mountain Ecosystems, selected to fully include mountains in the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021 – 2030.
It is co-led by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the UN Environment Program (UNEP)
“The Decade is an opportunity to draw together political support, scientific research and financial resources to significantly scale-up restoration and prevent further degradation of mountain ecosystems,” says experts.
Mountains cover around 27% of the earth’s land surface and host about half of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. In Malawi, 25% of land surface is covered by mountains, making mountains key to our lives and livelihoods.
By Hill Climbing Club (HCC) Media
