Kondwani Kamiyala

Tomorrow, 6th July is Malawi’s Independence Day. On July 6, 1964, we shook off the fetters of British colonialism to become Malawi. We became a sovereign state, we were no longer a colony of Britain. As we celebrate this day this year, I ask myself: Has Independence or the attaiment of Republic status been any meaningful? I still long to be free. I long fellow Malawians to respect the law and uphold the human rights of man. I long for economic, ay political independence, not only for me, but my beautiful country as a whole and all its citizens. As citizens, we are all equal. Equality is a prerequisite for the macrocosm in a free and independent Malawi and the diaspora. For once, I thought, I can break some literary laws, since politicians have taught us power and authority matter more than laws: Chr oni cles (For Mpasu, L ipenga , Mapa nje, et al) Nobody’s friend sat Waiting for a turn Only to see the chattering wagtails Return with the African thunderstorm Galileo was a dissident, t

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