Literature of

Malawi
Malawi
Background
Malawi is a small land locked African country located in the southern of
the continent
Malawi is over 118,000 km2 (45,560 sq mi) with an estimated population
of 18,091,575
Among the world's least-developed countries. The country’s economy is
heavily based in agriculture, health care, education and employment is
slowly improving
Has low life expectancy and high Infant Mortality and has a very large
HIV/AIDS cases
Has low literacy rate of 66%
History of Malawi
Pre-colonial
After 1600, with the area mostly united under one native ruler, native
tribesmen began encountering, trading with and making alliances with
Portuguese traders and members of the military.
By 1700, however, the empire had broken up into areas controlled by many
individual ethnic groups, which until now is evident in country’s different and
sometimes opposing culture.
History of Malawi
Colonial Period
In 1891, British empire proclaimed to include the whole of present-day Malawi
as the British Central Africa Protectorate.
In 1907, the protectorate was renamed Nyasaland, a name it retained for the
remainder of its time under British rule
The administrators were given a budget of £10,000 (1891 nominal value) per
year, which was enough to employ ten European civilians, two military officers,
seventy Punjab Sikhs and eighty-five Zanzibar porters. These few employees
were then expected to administer and police a territory of around 94,000 square
kilometres with between one and two million people.
History of Malawi
Freedom from British Empire
In 1944, the Nyasaland African Congress (NAC) was formed by the Africans of
Nyasaland to promote local interests to the British government.
An influential opponent of the Central African Federation, a government
formed by British, was Dr. Hastings Banda, a European-trained doctor working
in Ghana who was persuaded to return to Nyasaland in 1958 to assist the
nationalist cause.
Banda was elected president of the NAC and worked to mobilise nationalist
sentiment before being jailed by colonial authorities in 1959. He was released
in 1960 and asked to help draft a new constitution for Nyasaland, with a clause
granting Africans the majority in the colony's Legislative Council.
History of Malawi
Contemporary History
In 1961, Banda's Malawi Congress Party (MCP) gained a majority in the Legislative Council
elections and Banda became Prime Minister in 1963. And was declared president for life in
1971.
Malawi's economy while Banda was president was often cited as an example of how a
poor, landlocked, heavily populated, mineral-poor country could achieve progress in both
agriculture and industrial development. He also founded several education institutions like
University of Malawi and increased the country’s GDP by one third.
Banda ruled a totalitarian government, he controls almost every aspect in his country. He
throw his opponents in exile including author and poet Ken Lipenga and Jack Mapanje for
their works that criticize his totalitarian regime
Under pressure for increased political freedom, Banda agreed to a referendum in 1993,
where the populace voted for a multi-party democracy.
In 1994 Banda was voted to lose against Bakili Muluzi in the race for precidency
Stanley Onjezani Kenani
Introduction
One of two Malawians on the list of Africa's top 39 writers under the age of 40 that are set to
be part of the Hay festival, the other is Shadreck Chikoti
An auditor, accountant and writer by profession and a civil servant working for United Nation as
an Auditor.
Shortlisted two times in Africa’s most prestigious short story writing award- Caine Prize for the
stories For Honor (2011) and Love on Trial (2012). The only Malawian to do so.
His works commonly tackle the extreme poverty in Malawi, political face and corruption in
Malawi and other contemporary issues like sexualities. His works also depicts some Malawian
cultures.
He envisions to mark a reading culture on Malawi who has a poor 66% literacy rate. He also
wants to recognize as Malawian instead of being recognized as a part of certain ethnic group,
this is his response against the dividing culture in Malawi
Stanley Onjezani Kenani
Early life: Humble Beginning

A child of Mbuzi Village in T/A Nthunduwala in Kasungu, Kenani was

born in 1976.
 He is a product of hard work and recalls that despite his love for
reading he had no access to books because the nearest library was 60
kilometres away from his home.
Instead, he concentrated on reading religious books and tracts his late
father, who was a Jehovah’s Witness member, had in the house.
Influenced by Willy Zingani and the late Jolly Max Ntaba.  He would
write short articles in his notebooks and read them sometime later.
Stanley Onjezani Kenani
Career: Writing passion without formal education
He joined the National Library Service (NLS) as a member in 1998 and spent much of his time there
while working and studying in a tiny library. This marked his way in reading and of course writing.
He started writing short stories and sent them to Malawi News. These were published and edited by
the newspaper company, but time comes when his stories does not receive an editing , which means
his stories are improving. Because of this he was motivated to write stories for other News publishing
company.
Later his stories were published internationally, in well acclaimed magazines and publishing. And he
wrote more poem, dramas, stage play, often striking Malawian contemporary issues about poverty,
sexuality and politics.
He studied accountancy in early 2000 and earned his bachelor degree at University of Malawi. Which
marked his career in accountancy and auditing
He was considered one of the best African writer in contemporary era . He is currently working as
Auditor for United Nations in Switzerland and living in neighboring France.
Call it Fate by Stanley O. Kenani

A story about teenage boy Chuma, who once lived a wealthy life in
Area 10 an executive community in Malawi but was quickly brought
down to poverty when his parents died and he had to live with his
wicked uncle Umodzi.