Magomero

Magomero is a vivid historical portrait of a Malawian village from 1859 to the present day. It focuses on a region which saw historically important political activity, in the founding of a colony of freed slaves and the rising of an independent church movement against white estate owners. With the dual concerns of a Southern African specialist and a poet, Landeg White offers an 'inside' view of social, political and economic change in Malawi, seen through the lives of individuals: the ordinary men and women, whose situation and poverty have hitherto prevented recognition of their vital contribution to African history.

ISBN 0521389097   Pages 284 ISBN13 9780521389099 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher Cambridge University Press   Weight (grammes) 420 Imprint Cambridge University Press   Published in Cambridge Format Paperback   Previous ISBN 9780521321822 Publication date 14 Sep 1989   Height (mm) 228 Library of Congress DT865.M35W44 1987   Width (mm) 152 DEWEY 968.97   Spine width (mm) 16 DEWEY edition DC21   Academic level Tertiary education, Professional / Scholarly

List of figures; List of maps; Preface; Part I. The Mang'anja Village: 1. 1859-1863: one of the neatest we have ever seen; Part II. The Lomwe Village: 2. 1901-1915: this place is wonderful; 3. 1915-1945: my children's market is the graveyard; 4. 1945-1985: John Chilembwe will make everything shine; Sources; Index.

'This is one of those very rare books that can be recommended with equal enthusiasm to the professional Africanist and the general reader. Beautifully written, with a novelist's feel for storytelling and a poet's sensitivity to people and place ... Few other books I can think of so effectively capture the authentic flavor of an African community over an extended period of time. Certainly there is none that does it with such humour and grace.' John McCracken, The Journal of African History 'A masterpiece of historical writing, incorporating a diverse array of oral and written sources. Beyond being definitive, it is also an engaging read.' Africana Journal 'White's book, written with such grace and humanity, so rich in its detail, so searching in its insights, is a triumphant vindication of the importance of local, people's history.' The Natal Witness 'This is an original and outstanding book which deserves a wide readership.' SOAS Bulletin

 Be the first to write a customer review