This week’s book tour concluded in Lilongwe, Malawi’s capital city. Originally designed as a garden city, despite its rapid growth today it still has a remarkable amount of green space close to the city centre. This includes Woodlands, which was the venue for our launch.
The event was co-hosted by the Society of Malawi and the Malawi Scotland Partnership, which took responsibility for putting it online with a zoom link. The programme was sandwiched between a leisurely breakfast and an even more leisurely lunch so there was plenty of time to interact with old friends and new.
With an audience that came from a wide range of backgrounds it was a good opportunity to promote the study of Malawi’s history as we celebrated the monumental contribution that was made by John McCracken. This time we concentrated on the fecundity of his work. It was never a stand-alone enterprise but had a suggestive quality that, time and again, prompted others to embark on their research journeys.
The twenty scholars who contributed to the book are representative of many more for whom John McCracken’ work exercised a formative influence. We are grateful that this academic indebtedness can take a permanent form with the Politics, Christianity and Society in Malawi book that put us on the road this week. Long may he be remembered as a role model for those who aspire to a fruitful academic life.
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