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.

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

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