Probably he had been looking at them for so long this way they almost looked normal. Or perhaps it was because he could do little about it that he seemed not to notice. In any case it looked so strange to us, from the affluent west, to walk into the office of an administrator of an orthopedic hospital and see the shelves empty of books … in fact empty of everything! No books at all … anywhere in the room. Nice shelves. No books!
A Scuffle Broke Out Over Books
This is one of the problems in Malawi today. It must be the critical need for education, and the equally critical need for books. Everyone wants to learn. Some will come to you unashamedly and nearly beg for you to give them enough school fees that they can go to school. The last time we saw a group of Malawians get in a round and tumble scuffle to get hold of something coming into the country was over a group of religious books that had been just opened and a number felt they might not get a copy. A scuffle broke out. Imagine… a scuffle to get something to read.
Calling from the Bookshelves
The administrator continued with his conversation about how pleased he was with the shipment that was arriving from American and how they had used the one that arrived a few months ago, but for a brief moment his words had been drowned out by the silence of the shelves that sat empty all the way down one wall. Perhaps this helps to explain the problems in this third world nation. How can they possibly get the job done if they do not have the supplies? And how can they use the supplies unless they have the knowledge? And how can they have the knowledge unless their receive the books? This must be the message that is calling out from the empty bookshelves.