Professional Photographer Ken Banda says Malawian women should be grateful that men in the country are not like those in South Africa.
Banda, regarded as one of the country’s best professional photographers, made the remarks in a tweet yesterday.
“Malawian women should be grateful we’re not like South African men”, he tweeted, before following it up with another tweet to justify what he had said.
“I open Twitter and it’s like every day a woman is killed by a man. Malawian men are nice”, tweeted Ken Banda.
South Africa is one of the few countries with higher cases of gender based violence that include sexual abuse and harassment.
Data at the One Stop unit at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital shows that Malawi has been recording a spike of gender based violence. Young girls have been gang raped in the country.
The photographer was condemned for the tweet.
“We’re dying at an alarming rate, we’re beaten and raped, some of us have been missing with no bodies in site to give families closure and then we have people like @ken_banda_ harboring such thoughts” tweeted @chondz
Following a massive backlash from women and activists, the photographer deleted the tweets and issued an apology.
“The entire sentiment behind that tweet was wrong. I’m sorry”, apologized Ken Banda.
Ken Banda’s tweets came just a day before the High Court in Zomba convicted Misozi Chanthunya for murdering his girlfriend in 2010.
A couple of weeks ago, another multimedia manager, Sive Liwa who works as Marketing Officer for HD Plus Creations, tweeted: “pano tikhoza kugwililira tiwina mulandu…(we can now rape and win the case)”
Like Ken Banda’s, it is understood that Sive Liwa (@siveliwajr) apologised after a backlash and pressure from his employer.
https://twitter.com/GrayzeeTee/status/1298905251408482305
https://twitter.com/Miss_Mlombwa/status/1298939138398449665
We're dying at an alarming rate, we're beaten and raped, some of us have been missing with no bodies in site to give families closure and then we have people like @ken_banda_ harboring such thoughts.
Kunzima pic.twitter.com/3x49INgvex
— Chonde (@chondz) August 27, 2020
How about erecting a statue in @ken_banda_ 's honor.
This man in not only a nice non murderous malawian man, but he's also brought to our realization how lucky we are as women in this country.#KenBandaforGhandi
— BREAD RUNNER UP WANNABE (@Ba_hottie) August 27, 2020
“Ignore the vitriol”?
Wiza please. I know you’re trying to come in as the voice of reason but this ain’t it. Women are angry and rightfully so. I’ve followed you long enough to know that you’re a genuine ally but you don’t get to tell other men to ignore our anger. https://t.co/Q9Z3Emeyvr
— Elsbeth Tashioni (@THISisLULE) August 27, 2020
While you’re congratulating yourselves on not being like South African men, this is still an ongoing issue https://t.co/45LKPkRtU1
— Elsbeth Tashioni (@THISisLULE) August 27, 2020
Maybe it was never wrong choice of words, maybe you really meant exactly what you said on that tweet and I was wrong for ever defending that 🤦♀️🚶♀️. https://t.co/soly3WSY9c
— Tina🌷🌻 (@t_selestino) August 27, 2020
Considering the current topic on the TL, the fact that they chose to tweet this now lets me know that the true intention of this initiative is misogyny and violence. https://t.co/VgPg9VFUPR
— Elsbeth Tashioni (@THISisLULE) August 27, 2020
Kodi munthu yu ndi chani? What do you want? Attention? Because I refuse to believe there is nothing in your head https://t.co/WRr3QTkYTk
— Taweni M🥰 (@taweniiii) August 27, 2020
https://twitter.com/tupo_x/status/1298951269487443968
Considering the current context, this is actually violent. I hope you are aware of the harm you are inciting & ready to be accountable. https://t.co/ch5qMIQZum
— LusunguKM (@Lusukalanga) August 27, 2020
https://twitter.com/_Nomsa__/status/1298926308920102921
Meet @ken_banda_ the first Malawian man to tell women to be grateful that they aren’t being raped and murdered.
Women can we please thank him for this act of kindness .
🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️ https://t.co/AI0rcJezwX— Nkazi wa CEO🥂 (@t_geldere26) August 27, 2020
How about erecting a statue in @ken_banda_ 's honor.
This man in not only a nice non murderous malawian man, but he's also brought to our realization how lucky we are as women in this country.#KenBandaforGhandi
— BREAD RUNNER UP WANNABE (@Ba_hottie) August 27, 2020
No shit sherlock.
Sir, are you sorry that you're an ignoramus on the heinous psyche of you gradiating GBV, as though the suffering of women in 🇲🇼is "ok" because it's "not as bad" as it is in South Africa?
Or you're just sorry that you tweeted it and you've been called out on it? https://t.co/cst34nc8A8— MadamBiscoff (@LadyChattaLee) August 27, 2020
https://twitter.com/katerinascordis/status/1298920912247496704
— KP (@KandyPure02) July 11, 2020
If it were not forced on him, he wouldn't apologies. He once suggested harassing women. @HdPlusCreations must do the right thing by letting this rape apologist and evidently misogynist go failing which it will appear that you side with him @iam_sukez #SiveliwaMustFall https://t.co/0CyVkb4HND
— Social Justice Network (@SocialJusticeMW) July 11, 2020
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