Two gentlemen from Malawi commanded the attention of all those in attendance at the National Association for Interpretation’s (NAI) second annual Interpreting World Heritage Conference in Vancouver, BC, in March 2007. Aaron Maluwa and Michael Gondwe attended on scholarships from UBC Museum of Anthropology, Commonwealth Association of Museums, Aldrich Pears consultants group, and NAI. They both dressed in suits and ties though casual dress among attendees was more common, but it was their friendly, open approach rather than their dress that caught everyone’s eye. I saw them only briefly the first day, but heard about their presentation from many attendees. Those who had seen it asked the staff to have them present again, so that those who missed the emotional program could have the chance to see it.

Michael and Aaron explained that they operate the educational programs for the five Museums of Malawi. They assured us that few local people come to museums, which are viewed as elite, expensive and not for the mass of people. Understanding that the conservation of culture depends on the sustainability of communities, several years ago these museum interpreters decided to take their programs to remote villages to take on three enduring concerns in their country: hunger, HIV and malaria. They use traditional ceremonies, dance and song to deliver their messages to help people avoid disease and hunger. Of the thirteen million people in Malawi, more than 1.5 million are HIV positive or have full blown AIDS. Malaria kills more people than AIDS, and hunger can be an issue any year when maize yields are down due to drought, which has been persistent in recent years.

Aaron and Michael’s message of science is tested by villagers against centuries of beliefs in evil spirits that cause diseases like malaria. Their educational programs teach people in villages how to use donated mosquito nets to protect themselves from night feeding mosquitoes that carry malaria. One dollar will buy one net and protect one bed each night with one or more children sleeping in protection from the ravages of malaria.

Aaron and Michael explained that men who are HIV positive believe a local myth that sex with a virgin can cure them. At the same time, parents in Malawi traditionally seek an older male to teach their 13-year old daughters about sex. The combination is deadly. Infected men transmit HIV to unsuspecting young women and the disease spreads. Museum programs teach the truth about HIV and how it is transmitted, but they must work carefully within the cultural traditions of local communities or their credibility may not overcome the myths.

They also teach people to diversify their crops. Maize has been the preferred crop since the 1800s but casabas do well in drought years while maize crops often fail. Casaba melons are nutritious, but relatively unknown as a food crop, so education is key to adoption of this new option that could provide food in difficult years.

At the 2007 NAI Interpreting World Heritage Conference in Vancouver, Michael Gondwe and Aaron Maluwa of Malawi discussed how they combat challenges such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, hunger, and poverty through interpretation.

The numbers of Malawian children in orphanages continues to grow as adults die from disease. In Malawi, the average life span is only 37 years. When we hear of orphanages in Malawi or many other African nations, it’s important to understand the magnitude of this situation. Family members will take in a child with no parents, but the orphanage is the only option for children with no family left, no parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents or cousins. Imagine the millions of children in orphanages and what that means in terms of the human loss that created the need for a child to be placed in these surrogate homes.

School in Malawi is free and mandatory for children. Classrooms are often a large tree’s spreading branches for shade and rain protection. One hundred to one hundred fifty children with one teacher is not uncommon. People in Malawi are friendly and caring, but the challenges are many.

After their presentation, I looked around the room in the luxurious Marriott function room. Among my colleagues, there were many tears and looks of great concern. Many were already digging in billfolds to find extra money to share with our colleagues from Malawi. We knew it would not be enough, but we each wanted to do something.

Michael and Aaron took questions at the end of their session and Sanya Pleshakov of Aldrich Pears explained that she had worked with them during an internship with Museums of Malawi. She indicated that their salaries of $40 a month support their extended families of several dozen each. Money remains the limiting factor in Malawi museum programs for doing more to teach and protect people, as in many other places. Malawi lacks the dramatic game reserves and hordes of tourists that provide jobs for many people in Kenya and Tanzania. Poor agricultural communities struggle to survive in this environment. Malawi is one of the ten poorest nations on the planet.

The interpretation and education we conduct in developed nations is often recreational, fun and designed to engage people in protecting natural and cultural resources. Though it is important, and helps create long-range stewardship behaviors, it is rarely about the immediate difference in life and death for our audiences. How can people work to preserve traditions when disease and hunger are common? We study motivations through Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and know that people will not be motivated to learn or appreciate resources if they lack food, restrooms or a sense of security and well being. Imagine how much more true that is when disease is taking away your family members and hope.