History of Malawi in Books

scrolls2

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 story has three parts. First, pre-colonial and then colonialism (dominated until 1924 by the chartered company and thereafter by the settlers). Finally, multi-racial conflict. Reviewers of Hanna's book express disappointment with his account of the tribal background but felt that he discussed more clearly the relations between settlers and the chartered company. He implies that while the imposition of Federation in 1953 was a mistake, it would be wrong to break it up now. Yet he expresses doubts about the viability of Federation and the sincerity of Black- White “partnership.”
3. A History of Malawi, 1859–1966 by John McCracken. Oxford: James Currey. 2012 Inspired by John Iliffe's A Modern History of Tanganyika, John McCracken's 'History of Malawi' is regarded as THE comprehensive modern history of Malawi. The era from the early missionary exploration to the immediate aftermath of Malawi's independence in 1964 dominates the book. One chapter is devoted to the Chilembwe rising and its significance for Malawian history. The second half of the book is covers the years after World War II. This is the time where the white settlers and the resulting Central African Federation faced the movement for independence. 
4. Malawi’s Lost Years (1964-1994): And Her Forsaken Heroes. Kapote Mwakasungura and Douglas Miller. Mzuni Press, Malawi. 2016. The book comes from the perspective of those who opposed the rule of Kamuzu Banda and the Malawi Congress Party. Malawian political prisoners and those in exile, or those who suffered silently from 1964 to 1994 have their experiences and views expressed. This is a sensitive subject in Malawi as there is a division of opinion over those years and many were brought up to remain silent about politics in that time. The book seeks to give another side to what many regard as a one-sided view of Malawian history.