Something I have long found interesting is the question of how language gives us some indication of culture.

A Collection of Riddles *

In his collection of Nyanja Riddles in the 1930s Earnest Gray mentions that he has only found a very few riddles that have anything to do with Europeans. Even those that do only tend to mention the culture of the Europeans incidentally. Gray further observes that those riddles that are the best tend to be the oldest. More recent riddles, which might mention Europeans, are not as apt, he says.

Nyanja Riddles and Chichewa?

Nyanja (or ChiNyanja) and Chichewa are basically the same language. ChiNyanja means (language of the lake people) and ChiChewa (language of the Chewa people). For the purposes of this blog post / article we don’t need anything more nuanced than that for now.

Nyanja Riddles, Culture and Europeans…

A riddle that springs to mind, and which does tell us something about a difference between European and Malawian...

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Early Medical Missionaries from Scotland - in Malawi

The picture above shows the group of missionaries at Blantyre Mission in November 1888. The occassion was the laying of the foundation of the St. Michael and All Angels Church. Rev. Scott is in the front row holding the scroll possibly with some of the plans for the church. Dr. Bowie is the one standing on the left with a hat. His sister Harriet Bowie, the wife of Henderson, is also in the picture possibly the one sitting holding a little boy and her face hidden by her hat. She and her child died on the Mission. Alfred Scott may not be in the picture as he only arrived at the mission in 1889. We will talk more about this picture in another blog! (Source of the picture: UCL Libraries.)

It is hard to overstate the influence and sacrifice that Scottish missionaries have given to Malawi. They were some of the most brilliant minds of their time. Greatly influenced by Dr. David Livingstone, they heard God's call, left...

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We start today with four books covering the history of Malawi. Starting from the early pre-missionary times to the foundation of the first missions, through the times when the country was called Nyasaland, and finally, to the independent Malawi.

1. The Early History of Malawi, edited by B. Pachai. Longman, 1972. This book contains twenty-four articles on the environment, life, culture, politics and the economics of Malawi. Nine articles deal with the period prior to 1800, the remainder focus on the years 1800-1920. A particularly valuable contribution from the pre-1800 works is the discussion on Malawi's physical and early human environment. Knowledge of both of these is sadly lacking for other parts of Africa. The post-1800 papers study the politics of the Tumbuka, Chewa and Ngoni, also the mission entry and its impact, and the European intervention and the results of that.
2. The Beginnings of Nyasaland and North-eastern Rhodesia 1859-1895 by A. J. Hanna. Hanna's...

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Blantyre (Malawi) is named after Blantyre (Scotland), the birthplace of Dr. David Livingstone.

The best place to go for a walk near the centre of Blantyre is the historic Blantyre Mission. It was here where Scottish missionaries founded the original Blantyre Mission. In the late 1950s Blantyre Mission handed over administrative authority to the local Malawian church (CCAP Blantyre Synod) that grew from the mission. The grounds of the Blantyre Synod HQ are still called Blantyre Mission although the area is typically (and incorrectly) referred to locally as HHI.

HHI is the Henry Henderson Institue (a primary and secondary school) next to St Michael's church on the mission grounds. Henry Henderson was the Scottish missionary who together with Tom Bokwito (Henderson's guide) found the location for the mission. Tom Bokwito was a slave freed by Dr David Livingstone himself (and Bishop MacKenzie) who later studied at the Lovedale College in South Africa and then later...

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Due to it's location within the Great Rift Valley, Malawi combines a deep lake with towering escarpments and varied mountains, hills and rivers. Frequently changing, the landscape is beautiful without being inaccessible. The rolling hills of the tea estates contrast with the high mountains, rocky hills and plateaus resulting in ever changing views as you travel around the country.

When considering the mountains it is hard to imagine two more different, yet beautiful, mountains, than Mulanje and Nyika. Mulanje is a lifetime's worth of exploring for numerous types of adventurer from hiker, to rock climber, to bouldering enthusiast and this is because of it's combination of numerous rocky peaks on top of an idyllic plateau. Nyika Plateau in contrast is rolling green landscapes filled with all levels of wildlife from the largest land animals to endemic species of flora and fauna. Zomba Mountain is different again where the vibe is gentle walks along nature trails by...

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