April 7, 1997. A mark in Malawi’s history was hewn. What was destined to become Malawi’s unique style of writing, the Mwangwego Script was launched. The script, which was to be used for writing Malawian languages, was to be incorporated into the school syllabi. Its inventor, Nolence Mwangwego said he had come up with the script since although Malawi had many languages, the country still used the Roman alphabet to write languages like Chichewa, Lomwe, Tumbuka, Ngoni, Sena, Yao and others. A unique Malawian style of writing, in his view, was necessary for the nation’s identity. At the launch, then Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Kamangadazi Chambalo commented: “If Government is going to do nothing about the script, I am going to be surprised.” A decade down the line, little, if anything, has been done about the script and the least to be surprised by the turn of events is Mwangwego himself. “I am not surprised at all because Malawians are not willing to acknowledge the script. Any inv...
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