Malawi Cultural traditions limit freedom of expression. Most Malawians are deeply rooted in the beliefs of their fathers and forefathers. And they see themselves as a God-fearing people. This makes them strive to be “morally correct” at all times for fear of promoting “cultural decadence”. Due to these sentiments many Malawians do not appreciate special forms of expression such as humour or satire which are met with hostility. Since the demise of the former dictator Hastings Kamuzu Banda in 1997, society in Malawi has been polarised along party political lines. Many citizens fear being branded as being aligned to a certain political party simply for expressing critical views. Prior to the 2004 general elections it was “unfashionable” to be labeled a supporter of Banda’s former party Malawi Congress Party (MCP). Since then alignment with the United Democratic Front (UDF) – the party of Banda’s successor Bakili Muluzi – is seen as damaging in many circles. Being labeled could mean losing political patronage. This goes for the media in particular. They exercise self-censorship for fear of a political backlash. Commercial considerations also lead to self-censorship: Unfavourable stories on certain companies are not published for fear of losing advertising. When writing letters to the editor or participating in radio talk shows, people sometimes protect themselves by using pseudonyms or withholding their identities. SCORES: Individual scores: 2, 3, 4, 2, 2, 2, 3, 4, 2, 2 Average score: 2.6 African Media Barometer - Malawi 2006 5