Today Wellby Tembo successfully defended his Masters dissertation at Zomba Theological University. He opted for an historical study – examining the creation and operation of the transport system that supported the Livingstonia Mission as it established itself in rugged territory in northern Malawi during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Wellby consulted a range of literature that sheds light on this remarkable enterprise. He also travelled some of the routes himself, bringing the vividness of personal experience to his research. It was a proud moment to see him defend his findings in face of the appreciative yet penetrating questioning of his examiners.
He is the fifth Masters student to successfully defend his Masters dissertation at ZTU. Still early days! But momentum is there, and the next few months might well see the number going into double figures. Meanwhile a second cohort of students are getting started on the research phase of their degree. And a third cohort will be recruited to start in January.
For students and Faculty alike, it has been a rewarding and promising journey. The recent Malawi election revealed a dearth of visionary leadership. Our hope is that the experience of being stretched by postgraduate studies will produce leaders who can offer critical thinking and imaginative initiatives to meet the extraordinary challenges facing Malawi at this time.
Thinking Mission Blog 