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A short history of Malawi
September 16th, 2008
Malawi
The Warm Heart of Africa and the Second Scotland
By Kathleen Sargeant
Malawi is one of the world’s poorest and least-developed countries, crippled by HIV/AIDS, famine and disease. In 2005, there were 950,000 orphaned children in Malawi. In 2006, it was estimated that, on average, Malawians had a life expectancy of forty-nine years. In 2005, one in every eighteen women died during childbirth. Malawi is a country that depends upon international aid, a country struggling to develop and survive in the modern world.
But Malawi’s people do not think of themselves as poor or suffering. They are a nation joining together, not only to survive, but to enjoy life as a family. The Malawians have a deep, obvious faith – a faith in their God, faith in their country and in each other.
By international standards, modern Malawi is a young country. It was established as a British colony in 1907 and gained independence in 1964, under Hastings Banda as Prime Minister. Malawi became a republic in 1966, a one-party state with Banda as President. There was a referendum in 1993 and a multiparty system was voted for by the population. The current leader, Bingu wa Mutharika, was elected in 2004 and immediately launched an anti-corruption campaign and a fight against HIV/AIDS. All over the larger cities in Malawi, there is evidence of this battle. Huge billboards displaying the sincere face of President Mutharika and captions of advice for the Malawian people can be found lining the routes into major cities, such as Mzuzu and the capital, Lilongwe. Clearly, the country is in good hands.
Malawi is a landlocked country in southern Central Africa. It is bordered on its north side by Tanzania, in the south by Mozambique, in the west by Zambia and on the east side by Lake Malawi, which stretches from Malawi’s northernmost point to the capital city of Lilongwe. Malawi’s official name is the Republic of Malawi and it was formerly known as Nyasaland in colonial times. The country’s area is approximately 118484 square kilometres, which is just over half the size of Great Britain. Malawi has a population of slightly over 13 million people.
The highest point in the country is Sapitwa Peak on Mount Mulanje, near Blantyre, Malawi’s largest city. The national currency is Malawian Kwacha and 1 British pound is worth about 270 Kwacha. The country’s official language is English but Chichewa is the national language, and is taught in some schools. However, many people speak other languages or dialects in addition to English and Chichewa, including Tumbuka, Chitonga and Yao. In one northern village on the borders with Zambia and Tanzania, it was reported that a combination of twenty-seven languages and dialects were being spoken. Malawi is known as ‘the warm heart of Africa’ and, as we were told by Mr Kamanga, who visited from BAGSS last year, ‘the Scots will always be welcome in Malawi’.
A link has long-existed between Malawi and Scotland, mainly because of the explorer and missionary, David Livingstone. He was the Scot who was the first European to explore Malawi and several other countries in the African interior. Everywhere we visited in Malawi, we heard something of Livingstone. He is celebrated for bringing the Malawian people civilisation and Christianity. Around 70% of the population of Malawi are Christian and they are grateful to Livingstone and the Scottish missionaries for ‘bringing them to God’, as one minister told us. Livingstonia in Malawi is named in the explorer’s honour, along with Blantyre, which is named after the town in South Lanarkshire where he was born.
Currently, Malawi is in the Scottish headlines because of problems caused by the tobacco trade. Duncan Bannatyne, the Scottish business tycoon, recently visited the country to make a documentary about these problems and was shocked by what he saw there. 60% of Malawi’s export earnings are in the tobacco trade. Tobacco growing has damaged the environment because of the number of trees that are having to be cut down to make way for tobacco fields. Tobacco advertising in Malawi is not regulated and the youth are often targeted. As there are little or no rules about selling tobacco, single cigarettes are sold cheaply to children, who are usually between the ages of six and twelve years old. The selling of single cigarettes also means that those who buy them have no access to the limited health warnings printed on the original packets. Though campaigners are keen to stop the trade between Malawi and the large western companies causing the problems, the success of anti-smoking campaigns will mean that the livelihood of millions of people, who depend upon the tobacco trade, will collapse.
This seems a bleak outlook for Malawi’s people, but a lot is currently being done by the Malawian government, and by Scottish charities such as the Mamie Martin Fund, to improve the education of girls in Malawi. For years, women have been treated 
as second-class citizens. In school, male and female students are not seen as equals and girls see themselves as inferior. As a result of this, fewer girls are selected for secondary education, because generally their work deteriorates as they move up through primary school. Many girls drop out of school to work or to get married. 40% of marriages in Malawi involve children between the ages of 15 and 18. However, this trend has been recognised by the international community and much is being done to improve the lives of girl 
students. At Bandawe Girls’ Secondary School, every girl has the desire to do well in her exams and go on to be teacher, doctor or nurse. One girl, Happiness Njikho said to me, ‘I want to be a mechanic so I can help my country. Malawi needs people to do this job.’ The schools with a female headteacher are lucky because having a woman in a powerful position shows the girl students that women can do the same work as men and the traditional ideas of men and women’s work are simply stereotypes. The girls at BAGSS are blessed with Mrs Msowoya as a headteacher. She is one of the strongest women I have ever met, intent upon protecting her girls and helping them on so they may achieve their goals. Happiness also told me why there were strict rules at BAGSS about mixing with boys. She said that they were kept separate so they would have a better chance to go on to higher education. At many schools in Malawi, girls are expelled from school if they become pregnant, though the boys who father their children are allowed to continue their education. More girls’ schools are being built up all the time to put an end to this, but it will be a long time before the government of Malawi finally tackles the problem completely. For now, we can trust that charities such as the Mamie Martin Fund are making a difference.
Though it is a country with many problems, Malawi has one of the most important things of all – a people who are loyal to their country and ready for change. It will take many more years for Malawi to be developed but Scotland will continue to support her sister nation, I am sure.
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